actually and it be ethel water who be the first black woman to star in her own tv series . the series be beulah . the show be on during the 1950 . miss water play a maid . no surprise there a role be very limited to black back in the 1950 . a black person have his or her own tv show be shock back then . what set julia apart be that the title character be a widow whose husband be kill in vietnam and be college educate . one of the reason julia be cancel be that diahann carroll be receive threat on her life . she do not return to a television series until the late 1980 or early 1990 when she start appear on the prime time soap dynast .