This Dark Family Matters Theory Makes Carl Winslow Sitcom's Most Tragic Dad

"Family Matters" seems like a happy-go-lucky series in which the grayest cloud on the horizon arrives in the form of the perpetually annoying and recently resurrected Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). But TikTok creator @ConfusedBreakfast has a bleak theory about Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) that creates an ever-branching reality involving multiple franchises.

The idea marries together multiple characters played by Reginald VelJohnson into a single man. Starting with his unnamed rookie cop in "Ghostbusters," it posits that he's so traumatized by the apocalyptic events of the film that he shoots a young man while on duty. Though New York City clears him of any wrongdoing, he decides to leave policing behind and take on an assumed name, becoming Gus — the limo driver who becomes an accessory to the exploits of "Crocodile Dundee." At Dundee's encouragement, Gus rejoins the police force. He goes to Los Angeles, becoming Al Powell. As Al, he buys a lot of Twinkies — an obsession of founding Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) — and while he says they're all for his pregnant wife, he's not wearing a wedding ring. 

Post-Nakatomi Tower, Al gets no credit for his heroics, and the act of killing another innocent causes him to suffer a psychological breakdown. While incarcerated in a mental institution, he envisions a perfect life for himself as a lovable cop named Carl Winslow. In Chicago, he's far from either coast, where he was publicly shamed and humiliated, and is instead loved and respected by his community. But that reality begins to break down when Urkel arrives on the scene — the spitting image of the boy he killed back in New York.

As soon as Steve Urkel arrives, Al's perfect dream goes poof. His fictional family disappears bit by bit — much as characters like Judy Winslow (Jaimee Foxworth) and the original actress to play Harriette Winslow, Jo Marie Payton, disappeared from the cast of "Family Matters" –as he languishes in the institution, eventually dying there. Awfully dark, isn't it? But while the theory is certainly creative, there are some flaws that mean it doesn't neatly fit together.

As interesting as it is, there are a number of problems with the Reginald VelJohnson-verse theory. First of all, Hariette Winslow definitely exists outside of her home — she was a character on "Perfect Strangers" before she and her family were spun off into their own show. If Al has created Carl and his family in his head, then he's also created the events of "Perfect Strangers" and every show it crossed over with in his mind, as well as every show "Family Matters" itself crossed over with. Does that make him another Tommy Westphall? Or just someone with a very active imagination?

On top of that, the theory posits that John McClane (Bruce Willis) forgets Al Powell and deserts their fast friendship after the events of "Die Hard." Since Al works alongside John on the force after he moves to Los Angeles in "Die Hard II," that's a little hard to swallow.  In the end, the theory is fun to play with — but it doesn't really make sense if you're a fan of VelJohnson's work.