Julia

There was a time on American television that African American actors were relegated to playing servants and criminals. This changed on September 17, 1968 when the sitcom "Julia" premiered starring Diahann Carroll. Ms. Carroll didn't play a maid she played Julia, a nurse in a doctors office.  Julia was also a widow with a young son. Her husband had been in the army and killed in Viet Nam.
On the show Ms. Carroll worked in the office of a doctor played by the always curmudgeonly  Lloyd Nolan. Her son Corey was played by Marc Copage.
Julia was a hit and Ms. Carroll won an Emmy Award for her performance. It did have its critics who claimed that the show was too white and that Diahann Carroll was not black enough. It was derided in Gil Scott-Heron's song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". The show ran for three seasons and ended when both Ms. Carroll and the show's creator Hal Kanter decided they had other projects that captured their interests.
Julia has been re-run on various networks showing old shows from time to time. It is a sweet comedy and worth the watch.