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.