Robin Givens is an American actress and director. Givens played Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class in 1986, and remained on the series for its five year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer Mike Tyson in 1988 drew considerable media attention, as did their acrimonious divorce. She later went on to become a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.
Rachel India True is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in such films as The Craft (1996), Nowhere (1997), and Half Baked (1998). True is also known for her role as Mona Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half, which ran from 2002 to 2006.
Eve is an American television sitcom created by Meg DeLoatch that originally aired for three seasons on UPN from September 15, 2003, to May 11, 2006. Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Eve, Jason George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks, and Sean Maguire, the show revolves around two sets of male and female friends attempting to navigate relationships with the opposite sex. The executive producers were Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari; the series was produced by The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio and Mega Diva Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television for UPN.
Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, and revolves around the Winslow family, an African-American middle class family living in Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel, who was originally scripted to appear as a one-time character. However, he quickly became the show's breakout character, joining the main cast.
Steven Quincy Urkel is a fictional character on the American ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters, portrayed by Jaleel White. Originally slated for a single appearance, he broke out to be the show's most popular character, gradually becoming its protagonist. Due to the character's off-putting characteristics, a tendency to stir up events, and his role in the show's plotlines, he is considered a nuisance by the original protagonist's family, the Winslows. However, they come to accept him over time.
Jaimee Monae Foxworth is an American actress, model, and singer. She is best known for her role of Judy Winslow, the daughter of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC sitcom Family Matters, during the show's first four seasons.
Moesha is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was originally ordered as a pilot for CBS' 1995–1996 television season but was declined by the network. It was then later picked up by UPN, which aired it as a mid-season replacement. It went on to become the biggest success for the nascent network and one of the greatest hits over the course of the network's entire run. The series was a joint production for UPN by Regan Jon Productions, Saradipity Productions, and Jump at the Sun Productions in association with Big Ticket Television.
Jo Marie Payton is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Harriette Baines Winslow on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters (1989–1998), a role she originated on its forerunner series Perfect Strangers. From 2001 to 2005, Payton provided the voice for Suga Mama Proud on Disney Channel's animated series The Proud Family and reprised the role in the 2005 TV Movie The Proud Family Movie and also on Disney+’s revival The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination in 2005. Payton also had recurring roles as the personal assistant to Gregory Hines' character, Ben Doucette, during season two of Will & Grace (1999–2000).
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American actress and pop singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, who had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety show Tony Orlando and Dawn from 1974 until 1976 along with Tony Orlando and Joyce Vincent Wilson. In the late 1970s, Hopkins began working as an actress, playing roles on various sitcoms. In the 1980s-1990s, Hopkins endured longer sitcom roles as Isabelle Hammond on Bosom Buddies (1980–82), Adelaide "Addy" Wilson on Gimme a Break! (1983–87) and Family Matters (1989–1997) as Rachel Baines–Crawford.
Kim Fields Morgan is an American actress and director. She first gained fame as a child actress on the television series Good Times (1978–1979), and rose to greater prominence for her role as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey in the NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1979–1981), as well as its spin-off The Facts of Life (1979–1988).
Darius Creston McCrary is an American actor, singer and producer. McCrary is known for his role as Edward "Eddie" Winslow, the oldest child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC/CBS television sitcom Family Matters, which ran from 1989–1998.
Essence Uhura Atkins is an American actress. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before her regular role on the African-American prime-time drama Under One Roof.
A Black sitcom is a sitcom that principally features Black people in its cast. Prominent Black sitcoms to date typically come from the United States with African American casts, forming a branch of African American comedy. Although sitcoms with primarily Black characters have been present since the earliest days of network television, this genre rose to prominence in the 1990s, mostly then on upstart networks outside the Big Three.
Cherie Johnson is an American actress, writer, film producer, and author. She is known for her roles on Punky Brewster as Punky's best friend Cherie and Family Matters, where she played Laura Winslow's best friend Maxine Johnson for eight seasons (1990–1998).
Love, Inc. is an American television sitcom created by Andrew Secunda, which originally aired for one season on UPN from September 22, 2005, to May 11, 2006. With an ensemble cast led by Busy Philipps, Vince Vieluf, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Ion Overman and Holly Robinson Peete, the show revolves around five matchmakers working at a dating agency. The series was produced by Chase TV, the Littlefield Company, Burg/Koules Television, and Paramount Television. It was distributed by UPN in its original run and later by LivingTV and Nelonen in the United Kingdom and Finland respectively. The executive producers were Adam Chase, Warren Littlefield, Mark Burg and Oren Koules.
Maia Campbell is an American actress known for her role as Nicole on the 1994 Fox comedy-drama series South Central and her portrayal of Tiffany Warren in the NBC/UPN sitcom In the House for five seasons (1995–1999). She is also known for her role as Ashley in the 2000 television film Seventeen Again.
Tamara A. Townsend is an American actress and singer. Townsend is best known for her roles as Wendy Reardon on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives (1994–96), and Greta McClure, Eddie's girlfriend on the ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters (1995–98). From 2015 to early 2018, she starred as Kira Cooper, the mother of K.C. Cooper, on the Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover.
Mary Page Keller is an American actress known for roles on television. Keller began her career on the daytime soap operas Ryan's Hope (1982–83) and Another World (1983–1985) and later starred in a number of television sitcoms. She starred as Laura Kelly in the Fox comedy series Duet (1987–1989) and in the show's spin-off, Open House (1989–90). Keller later had lead roles in the short-lived sitcoms Baby Talk (1991–92), Camp Wilder (1992–93), and Joe's Life (1993).
The first season of the sitcom Family Matters originally aired on ABC from September 22, 1989 to April 27, 1990.
