TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Roots may shave off the nuances of Alex Haley's landmark book for the sake of slicker storytelling, but excellent performances and the intrinsic power of this generational tale make for revelatory television.
Episodes
Roots: Miniseries Photos
Tv Season Info
Cast
as Kunta Kinte
as Kunta Kinte (as an adult)
as Binta
as Capt. Davies
as First Mate Slater
as Omoro
as Nyo Boto

as Kadi Touray

as The Wrestler
as Kintago
as Brima Cesay
as Fiddler
as John Reynolds

as Mrs. Reynolds
as Ames

as Chicken George
as Evan Brent
as Jemmy Brent
as Kizzy
as Sam Bennett
as Mathilda
as Ol' George Johnson

as Fanta
as Dr. William Reynolds
as Bell
as Squire James
as Tom
as Sir Eric Russell

as Irene
as Justin

as Fanta (later)

as Gardner
as Carrington
as Grill

as The Drummer
as Missy Anne

as Noah
as Ordell
as Mingo
as Mrs. Moore
as Sister Sara

as Lewis

as Martha
Critic Reviews for Roots: Miniseries
All Critics (34) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (8)
The only discretion that should be exercised on Roots is to make sure everyone in your family plans to stay home every evening to watch it. It is the most important, most engrossing show of the television season.

Breathless -- that's the word to sum up the impact Roots had on me and, if it doesn't have that same impact on the rest of Sydney's population, then Channel 10 might as well dig a hole and bury itself.

Seldom has quality been so richly rewarded. Roots deserved every viewer it got.

While I was watching Roots, the thought crossed my mind many times that it was a shame Haley's book couldn't have been put into the hands of a truly gifted writer-director... But it's pointless to speculate what might have been. What was wasn't' bad.

Television's Roots has its faults, but it begins Sunday as a worthy and compelling dramatization of Haley's fascinating story.

Distressingly unworthy of its subject... Judged strictly as filmmaking, the TV version of Roots was not as good as its source. The adapters relied too often on the most obvious and expedient dramatic treatment.

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