Roots
TV Show · Drama · History

The classic story of `Roots' is retold in this miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel. The show paints a portrait of American slavery through the journey of a family that has a will to survive through many hardships. Malachi Kirby stars as Kunta Kinte, a proud and educated young man who uses those traits to empower himself when he is captured and sold into slavery. While he is enslaved, he challenges his fellow slaves to fight for their freedom as he continues working toward achieving his dream of escaping and returning to his homeland of The Gambia. The miniseries also stars Emmy winner Laurence Fishburne as Haley; Grammy nominee Anika Noni Rose as Kunta's daughter, Kizzy, who is bought by Tom Lea (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who rapes and impregnates her; and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as slave musician Fiddler, who mentors Kunta.

2016 · 1h 38m
Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Malachi Kirby, Forest Whitaker
Director Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter

Season 1

  • Part 1
    EPISODE 101
    Part 1
    Kunta Kinte is being initiated as a Mandinka warrior and ready to start thinking about his future. But a feud with a rival family results in him being kidnapped and sold to English slave traders.
    1h 38 min
  • Part 2
    EPISODE 102
    Part 2
    Ten years after being bought as a slave, Kunta escapes and is enlisted to fight for the English army, but his hopes of freedom are soon brutally crushed. Kunta marries beautiful slave Belle and they have a daughter, Kizzy.
    1h 36 min
  • Part 3
    EPISODE 103
    Part 3
    George becomes an accomplished trainer of gamecocks and earns the nickname of Chicken George. Meanwhile, Tom Lea loses a wager with an Englishman and sells George to save his farm.
    1h 44 min
  • Part 4
    EPISODE 104
    Part 4
    After 20 years in England, Chicken George makes his way back to America and reaches Tom Lea's farm, where he hopes to be reunited with his family. Tracking down his long-lost relations and making up for lost time won't be easy.
    1h 28 min

Related

  • Emancipation
  • Roots: The Complete Miniseries
  • Roots: The Next Generations
  • The Underground Railroad
  • A Woman Called Moses
  • Underground
  • Selma
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Just Mercy

Cast & Crew

  • Jonathan Rhys Meyers
    Tom Lea
  • Malachi Kirby
    Kunta Kinte
  • Forest Whitaker
    Fiddler
  • Emayatzy Corinealdi
    Belle
  • Laurence Fishburne
    Alex Haley
  • Matthew Goode
    Dr. William Waller
  • Anna Paquin
    Nancy Holt
  • Mekhi Phifer
    Jerusalem
  • James Purefoy
    John Waller
  • Regé-Jean Page
    Chicken George
  • T.I.
    Cyrus

About

Roots

Drama

The classic story of `Roots' is retold in this miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel. The show paints a portrait of American slavery through the journey of a family that has a will to survive through many hardships. Malachi Kirby stars as Kunta Kinte, a proud and educated young man who uses those traits to empower himself when he is captured and sold into slavery. While he is enslaved, he challenges his fellow slaves to fight for their freedom as he continues working toward achieving his dream of escaping and returning to his homeland of The Gambia. The miniseries also stars Emmy winner Laurence Fishburne as Haley; Grammy nominee Anika Noni Rose as Kunta's daughter, Kizzy, who is bought by Tom Lea (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who rapes and impregnates her; and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as slave musician Fiddler, who mentors Kunta.

Information

Studio
History
Released
2016
Rated
Caution
Regions of Origin
United States, Serbia
© 2016 A+E Networks. All Rights Reserved.

Languages

Original Audio
English
Audio

English (United States) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United States) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions refer to subtitles in available languages with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)