This week, we spoke with legendary actors John Amos and Louis Gossett Jr. about Roots!
The groundbreaking miniseries is based on Alex Haley’s bestselling novel, exploring his ancestral history from enslaved West Africans to African Americans during Reconstruction, following the adventures of Kunta Kinte (Levar Burton), an abducted teen from the West African coast. A must-watch, Roots aired for eight consecutive nights, starting at January 23, 1977 and culminating at January 30, 1977.
The new generation has a chance to watch Roots through home media because it was only released a few times.. Roots aged tremendously well and with today’s social climate, it is a can’t miss. Over the years, John Amos and Louis Gossett Jr. talked with thousands of people about the series and how it impacted them. Their stories were shared with the talent regardless of their background. Not too many shows have this cultural impact like Roots did.
Roots was praised, but ABC producers were apprehensive about how Americans would receive the series. Roots received nine Emmy nominations, this series won a Golden Globe and a Peabody award. In U.S. television history, this is the third-most-watched episode of any type of series, and second-most-watched episode of any television series. Actor Gossett won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Fiddler on Roots.
The performances on Roots was phenomenal for it’s time. And the theme and historical context is the most engaging aspect of the mini series. The series did not hold anything back from telling the story the way it was told. It was raw, heartbreaking, and an eye opener to one of the worst times in history.
You can now stream Roots on HBO Max, watch it digitally and on Blu-ray.
