Black Headline News
The Black Wall Street Times
By Ezekiel J. Walker
A Family Matters Christmas will be available on all major streaming and cable platforms in the U.S. and Canada on November 8. Directed by LaVern Whitt, the story will center around three feuding siblings in a newly blended household who are visited by Alternis, the “forgotten Christmas spirit.” In a seasonal version of Freaky Friday, the siblings swap bodies, but must race against the clock to get back to themselves.
While JoMarie Payton (Harriet) played Kellie Shanygne Williams’ (Laura) onscreen mother throughout the 90s classic series, her real life mother, Peggy Williams wrote the “A Family Matters Christmas” script.
Peggy Williams adds, “When I was writing the story, I realized that the story mirrored my life, and through those life experiences, I’ve learned love, understanding, and forgiveness always win.”
The film not only reunites Williams and Payton, but original cast members of the 80’s & 90’s hit sitcom will also be featured. The role of “Hailey” is portrayed by Kellie’s real-life daughter, Hannah Belle Jackson, and her nephew Julius Terry is “Jaxx.” Williams’ parents, Peggy and Ervin Williams, are also the principals behind the film’s production company Dream Merchant Media.
Family Matters premiered on September 22, 1989 on ABC, then moved to CBS for its final season which ended on July 17, 1998. A total of 215 episodes were produced over nine seasons before the show ended due to poor ratings near the approaching millennium.
Family Matters was one of ABC’s most iconic Black family sitcoms to date, airing alongside Full House and Perfect Strangers as part of the network’s legendary TGIF lineup.
Check out what all the members of the 90s hit show have been up to here and catch the movie trailer here.
