Roots
Part I
Season 1, Episode 1 · Aired 1977-01-23
Synopsis
In Gambia, West Africa, Kunta Kinte, son of Omoro and Binta, distinguishes himself in manhood training rituals. But he does not enjoy his new status long: slave traders sweeping the countryside seize him. Chained with other captives, Kunta begins an agonized odyssey to the New World.
Pilot desk note
From the desk: Roots opens its catalog run with “Part I” (1977-01-23). Miniseries as cultural reckoning; ratings and conversation as one event. Adaptation controversies and the scale of the production became their own story.
In the series
This episode is part of Roots (1977) on ABC.
Event television that forced a nation to watch — and talk — together.
Key cast
- LeVar Burton as Young Kunta Kinte
- John Amos as Older Kunta Kinte
- Louis Gossett Jr. as Fiddler
- Leslie Uggams as Kizzy
- Ben Vereen as Chicken George