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Still looking for post-racial America? Turn on the TV. There's been a surge of multiracial casting in sci-fi and horror shows such as "The Walking Dead" and "Sleepy Hollow" (pictured from left, Katia Winter, Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie and Orlando Jones). These shows depict people of color, and women, in nonstereotypical roles. Anyone -- not just white men -- can now be the hero. FOX
She inspired everyone from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. Actress Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lt. Uhura on "Star Trek" showed that women and people of color belonged to the future. CBS Paramount Television
Asian actors were once forced to play servants or cartoonish villains. But actor Steven Yeun on "The Walking Dead" plays Glenn Rhee, a tough and resourceful lead character on the show. Gene Page/AMC
Angela Bassett first found fame on the big screen, but the actress couldn't resist the chance to play a legendary voodoo priestess in the FX series "American Horror Story: Coven." FX
Actor David Ramsey plays the confidant and bodyguard to the superhero in "Arrow," the CW's retelling of DC Comics character the Green Arrow. Ramsey's role was created just for the TV show. CW Network
The reboot of "Battlestar Galactica" is no longer on the air, but its sprawling multiracial cast continues to inspire other shows. It featured women in positions of power and leadership, including Grace Park, who had a complex role as a sleeper agent. NBC Universal Television
Naveen Andrews, a British-born actor of Indian heritage, played a solider in "Lost," a popular sci-fi series with a large multicultural and international cast. ABC
In an audacious stroke of casting, British actor Nonso Anozie plays R.M. Renfield in NBC's "Dracula" television series. Anozie's steely performance has won him fans. Jonathon Hession/NBC
When is the last time a black actress played an action lead in a horror story? Actress Nicole Beharie pulls it off in the hit TV series "Sleepy Hollow" as a small-town police officer forced to battle supernatural evil. Brownie Harris/Fox
Who says all the heroes have to be white guys? Christopher Judge played the warrior Teal'c in the sci-fi series "Stargate SG-1." MGM
Joss Whedon's "Firefly" went off the air years ago, but it remains a cult favorite -- in part because of a multiracial cast that also featured women in kick-butt roles. Here, Gina Torres, Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin get ready to do battle.
Everett Collection
Everett Collection
Vampires are supposed to be white guys, right? Not on the TV series "The Originals," which features Charles Michael Davis as the charming but deadly Marcel. Quantrell Colbert/CW Network
"Twin Peaks" was a cult favorite in the early '90s, but it was also a pioneer by casting Joan Chen in a nonstereotypical role for Asian women. ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
"The Vampire Diaries" features an interracial relationship between Bonnie, a good witch played by Kat Graham, and Steven R. McQueen's Jeremy. Bob Mahoney/CW Network
