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Roots
S1.E1
All episodes
All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Part 1

  • Episode aired May 30, 2016
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
485
YOUR RATING
Malachi Kirby in Roots (2016)
BiographyDramaHistory
In the river region of the Gambia in 1750, Omoro Kinte and his wife, Binta, have a son named Kunta. Kunta is kidnapped in 1767 and sold to British slave traders. After he arrives in Annapoli... Read allIn the river region of the Gambia in 1750, Omoro Kinte and his wife, Binta, have a son named Kunta. Kunta is kidnapped in 1767 and sold to British slave traders. After he arrives in Annapolis, Maryland, Virginia planter John Waller purchases Kunta.In the river region of the Gambia in 1750, Omoro Kinte and his wife, Binta, have a son named Kunta. Kunta is kidnapped in 1767 and sold to British slave traders. After he arrives in Annapolis, Maryland, Virginia planter John Waller purchases Kunta.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
485
YOUR RATING
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Phillip Noyce
    • Writers
      • Alex Haley(based upon the book by)
      • Lawrence Konner(teleplay by)
      • Mark Rosenthal(teleplay by)
    • Stars
      • Laurence Fishburne(voice)
      • Matthew Goode
      • Malachi Kirby
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Phillip Noyce
    • Writers
      • Alex Haley(based upon the book by)
      • Lawrence Konner(teleplay by)
      • Mark Rosenthal(teleplay by)
    • Stars
      • Laurence Fishburne(voice)
      • Matthew Goode
      • Malachi Kirby
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos8

    Babs Olusanmokun in Roots (2016)
    LeVar Burton and Malachi Kirby in Roots (2016)
    Malachi Kirby in Roots (2016)
    Malachi Kirby in Roots (2016)
    Simona Brown in Roots (2016)
    Babs Olusanmokun in Roots (2016)
    Roots (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Laurence Fishburne
    Laurence Fishburne
    • Alex Haley
    • (voice)
    Matthew Goode
    Matthew Goode
    • Dr. William Waller
    Malachi Kirby
    Malachi Kirby
    • Kunta Kinte
    Derek Luke
    Derek Luke
    • Silla Ba Dibba
    Chris Obi
    Chris Obi
    • Kintango
    Babs Olusanmokun
    Babs Olusanmokun
    • Omoro Kinte
    • (as Babatunde Olusanmokun)
    Ike Amadi
    Ike Amadi
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    James Purefoy
    James Purefoy
    • John Waller
    Forest Whitaker
    Forest Whitaker
    • Fiddler
    Kedar Williams-Stirling
    Kedar Williams-Stirling
    • Sitafa
    Simona Brown
    Simona Brown
    • Jinna
    Tony Curran
    Tony Curran
    • Connelly
    Hakeem Kae-Kazim
    Hakeem Kae-Kazim
    • Samson
    Katie McGuinness
    Katie McGuinness
    • Elizabeth Waller
    James Gracie
    • Edward
    • (as James Alexander)
    Mary Aphane
    • Dancer
    Colby Arps
    Colby Arps
    • Blaine
    Jared Bankens
    Jared Bankens
    • Slave Dealer
    • Director
      • Phillip Noyce
    • Writers
      • Alex Haley(based upon the book by)
      • Lawrence Konner(teleplay by)
      • Mark Rosenthal(teleplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Goofs
      Kunta's father extols Alla ahu Akbar on the night Kunta was born. The Mandinka were not converted to Islam for about 100 years after the birth of Kunta Kinte.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    1/10
    Blood lust & gore soap opera
    13JAN2020 {1/10 stars F} Recommend? No

    I did not choose to play this TV miniseries, but watched anyway. Like many movies and TV shows that have been remade, this series is a disaster compared to the original Roots. This version has made-up events and story lines that are not factual history or true to the original 12 Years A Slave book. For added shock value there is a lot of gore, violence, screaming, fighting and loud brutal physical fighting.

    CONTENT ADVISORY: Gore and graphic violence abounds with dismemberment, impaling, suffocation, rape that results in children, partial nudity of women's breasts, sexual activity without full nudity, gruesome dueling scene that lasts several minutes with two men shooting and running each other through with swords, gruesome Civil War reenactments and more. Many bullets and swords shown piercing human flesh up close so the moment of impact and release of a lot of blood can be seen in detail. A LOT of blood and blood splatter is shown from MANY injuries and deaths in every episode, this might as well be a horror movie.

    Black and white people shown fighting for their lives and being hanged well above the ground. Numerous times slaves are shown brutally attacking and killing their masters and other people. Gambling for rooster fighting that is shown frequently. A rooster appears to be killed by another rooster during a fight. A slow motion close up is shown of the roosters throat being slit by a talon, blood spilling out, the rooster collapsing and shown lying dead for a minute while the other rooster pecks at it to see if it is still alive.

    {1=F 2=D- 3=D 4=C- 5=C 6=B- 7=B 8=A- 9=A 10=A+}
    helpful•1
    13
    • United_We_Stand
    • Jan 13, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 30, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Mandingo
    • Production companies
      • Fiction Film & Television Limited
      • Film Afrika Worldwide
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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