Tyson became the first African American to star in a U.S. network television drama series when East Side/West Side premiered on CBS.
On September 23, 1963, the CBS drama East Side/West Side premiered, featuring Cicely Tyson in the regular role of Jane Foster, a social worker's secretary. This casting made her the first African American actress to hold a starring role in an American network television drama series.
The achievement was historically significant given the deeply segregated landscape of American television in the early 1960s, when Black actors were largely relegated to stereotypical, subservient, or comedic roles, if cast at all. Tyson's portrayal of a professional, articulate Black woman working in a New York City social services office was groundbreaking in its normalcy and dignity.
Notably, Tyson also made the bold personal and political choice to wear her hair in a natural, unstraightened style on the show—one of the first times this was seen on national television—foreshadowing her lifelong commitment to authentic representation of Black identity and beauty standards.
Though the series was canceled after one season due to some Southern affiliate stations refusing to air it, Tyson's role paved the way for future Black actors to be cast in serious, non-stereotypical dramatic roles on American television, marking a pivotal moment in the desegregation of the entertainment industry.