The longest running black sitcom in history, Family Matters debuted in 1989 and aired on prime-time television for a total of nine years. Created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, the show featured a multi-generational, working-class black family living under the same roof. Originally a spin-off from Perfect Strangers, in which actress JoMarie Payton-France played an elevator operator, the series placed her character of Harriette Winslow in her own home with her husband, a Chicago police officer (Reginald Vel Johnson), and three children (Kellie Shanygne Williams, Darius McCrary, and Jaimee Foxworth). Other family members were Carl's mother, Estelle Winslow (played by Rosetta LeNoire) and an adult sister (Telma Hopkins).

Jaleel White as Steve Urkel and Michelle Thomas as Myra Monkhouse in Family Matters.

Much as Henry Winkler's "Fonzie" unexpectedly stole the Happy Days thunder from his co-stars in the 1970s, Family Matters also witnessed the breakout performance...