I've realized there are actually several current shows with African-American (or Afro-Canadian) female leads. The groundbreaker, premiering last year, was
Scandal, starring Kerry Washington as the lead character. It's been followed this season by
Deception, with Meagan Good as the central character, and the just-premiered
Cult, with Jessica Lucas as the co-lead along with a white male lead.
There are also at least two current shows with Asian-American female leads:
Beauty and the Beast, with Kristin Kreuk as the lead character (and actually playing a half-Asian character this time, unlike on
Smallville where she "passed" as Caucasian), and
Elementary, with Lucy Liu as the second lead.