Family Matters is an
American sitcom which originated on
ABC from September 22, 1989 to May 9, 1997 and then on
CBS from September 19, 1997 to July 17, 1998. A
spin-off of
Perfect Strangers, the series revolves around the Winslow family, a
middle-class African American family living in
Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor
Steve Urkel (played by
Jaleel White), who quickly became its
breakout character and eventually the show's main character. Having run for nine seasons,
Family Matters is the second longest-running U.S. sitcom with a predominantly African American cast, behind only
The Jeffersons, which aired for 11 seasons from 1974-1985. In terms of the number of episodes,
Family Matters is ranked third after
Tyler Perry's House of Payne (254) and
The Jeffersons (253), with 215.