The remake of Roots, the 1977 groundbreaking miniseries, will premiere tonight at 9 p.m. across four A+E Networks. The four-night, eight-hour event series counts LeVar Burton, who starred as Kunta Kinte in the original miniseries, as a co-executive producer.
“Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America,” said LeVar Burton, Co-Executive Producer. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever.”
Roots is based on the 1976 book Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley. All four episodes will air on consecutive nights.
The miniseries is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship. Malachi Kirby stars as Kunta Kinte, an 18th century African, who is captured and sold into slavery in the United States. The following three episodes explore his family heritage.
Roots wraps up tonight, June 2. Find out when and where to watch the finale, “Night 4.”
Date:
Thursday, June 2
Time:
9:00-11:13 p.m. ET/PT and 8:00-10:13 p.m. CT/MT
Channel
: A&E, History, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network
Cast:
Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte; Anika Noni Rose as Kizzy; Forest Whitaker as Fiddler; Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Tom Lea; Regé-Jean Page as Chicken George; Anna Paquin as Nancy Holt; Tip “T.I.” Harris as Cyrus; Chad L. Coleman as Mingo; Erica Tazel as Matilda; Lane Garrison as Frederick Murray; Mekhi Phifer as Jerusalem; Matthew Goode as Dr. William Waller; Emayatzy Corinealdi as Belle; James Purefoy as John Waller; Derek Luke as Silla Ba Dibba; G Hannelius as Missy Waller; and Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley
Directors:
Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford
Production Team:
A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization (the company that produced the original Roots); executive producers Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Barry Jossen; Co-executive producers LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins; and executive music producer, Questlove.
When Is the Next Episode?
“Night 3” will air on Wednesday, June 1 at 9:00-11:13 p.m. ET/PT (8:00-10:13 p.m. CT/MT), followed by “Night 4” on Thursday, June 2 at the same time.