When "Julia" premiered in 1968, it was one of the first Black family sitcoms to air"Julia" actors Diahann Carroll as Julia Baker and Marc Copage as Corey Baker. Not only was it one of the first sitcoms starring a Black mother and son, but it was the first time the series plot centered a Black woman who was not in a subservient role. Diahann Carroll starred as Julia Baker, a widowed nurse and her young son Corey, living in a suburban neighborhood following the tragic death of her husband during the Vietnam War. While the show touched on issues facing African Americans during the time such as integration and racism, it primarily focused on suburban life, which drew criticism. Just before the show's airing, television critic Robert Lewis Shayon wrote in The Saturday Review that the show was "a far, far cry from the bitter realities of Negro life in the urban ghetto."

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Persons: Julia, Diahann Carroll, Julia Baker, Marc Copage, Corey Baker, Corey, Robert Lewis Shayon Organizations: NBCU, Bank, Getty, NBC Locations: Vietnam