The success of Roots has had lasting impact on the television industry. The show defied industry conventions about Black-oriented programming: executives simply had not expected that a show with Black heroes and white villains could attract such huge audiences. In the process, Roots almost single-handedly spawned a new television format—the consecutive-night miniseries. (Previous miniseries, such as the 1976 hit Rich Man, Poor Man, had run in weekly installments.) Roots also validated the docudrama approach of its executive producer, David Wolper. The Wolper style, blending fact and fiction in a soap opera package, influenced many subsequent miniseries. Finally, Roots was credited with having a positive impact on race relations and expanding the nation’s sense of history.

Adapted for television by William Blinn and based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel about his African ancestors, Roots follows several generations in the lives of a slave family. The saga begins with Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 18th century. Kunta receives brutal treatment from his white masters and rebels continually. An older Kunta (John Amos) marries and his descendants carry the story after his death. Daughter Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) is raped by her master and bears a son, later named Chicken George (Ben Vereen). In the final episode, Kunta Kinte’s great-grandson Tom (Georg Stan ford Brown) joins the Union Army and gains emancipation. Over the course of the saga, viewers saw brutal whippings and many agonizing moments: rapes, the forced separations of families, slave auctions. Through it all, however, Roots depicted its slave characters as well-rounded human beings, not merely as victims or symbols of oppression.

Apprehensions that Roots would flop shaped the way that ABC presented the show. Familiar television actors such as Lorne Greene were chosen for the white, secondary roles, to reassure audiences. The white actors were featured disproportionately in network previews. For the first episode, the writers created a conscience-stricken slave captain (Ed Asner), a figure who did not appear in Haley’s novel but was intended to make white audiences feel better about their historical role in the slave trade. Even the show’s consecutive-night format allegedly resulted from network apprehensions. ABC programming chief Fred Silverman hoped that the unusual schedule would cut his network’s imminent losses—and get Roots off the air before sweeps week.

Silverman need not have worried. Roots garnered phenomenal audiences. On average, 80 million people watched each of the last seven episodes. More than 100 million viewers, almost half the United States, saw the final episode, which still claims one of the highest Nielsen ratings ever recorded, a 51.1 with a 71 share. A stunning 85 percent of all U.S. television homes saw all or part of the miniseries. Roots also enjoyed unusual social acclaim for a television show. Vernon Jordan, former president of the Urban League, called it “the single most spectacular educational experience in race relations in America.” Today, the show’s social effects may appear more ephemeral, but at the time they seemed widespread. More than 250 colleges and universities planned courses on the saga, and during the broadcast, more than 30 cities declared Roots weeks.

The program drew generally rave reviews. Black and white critics alike praised Roots for presenting African-American characters who were not tailored to suit white audiences. The soap opera format drew some criticism for its emphasis on sex, violence, and romantic intrigue. A few critics also complained that the opening segment in Africa was too Americanized—it was difficult to accept such television regulars as O.J. Simpson as West African natives. On the whole, however, critical acclaim echoed the show’s resounding popular success. Roots earned more than 30 Emmy Awards and numerous other distinctions.

The program spawned a 1979 sequel, Roots: The Next Generations. The sequel did not match the original’s ratings but still performed extremely well, with a total audience of 110 million. Overall, Roots had a powerful and diverse impact, as a cultural phenomenon, an exploration of Black history, and the crown jewel of historical miniseries.