Miniseries · History
Roots
Your name is your shield.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Malachi Kirby
Kunta Kinte
4 eps
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Tom Lea
4 eps
Forest Whitaker
Fiddler
4 eps
Laurence Fishburne
Alex Haley
4 eps
Babs Olusanmokun
Omoro Kinte
4 eps
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Winslow
1 eps
Emyri Crutchfield
Teen Miss Kizzy
1 eps
Brett Lapeyrouse
White Man #3
1 eps
Renell Gibbs
Black Soldier
1 eps
Simona Brown
Jinna
1 eps
LeVar Burton
Ephraim
1 eps
Colby Arps
Blaine
1 eps
Jared Bankens
Slave Dealer
1 eps
Tony Caprari
Slave Buyer #1
1 eps
Matthew Goode
William Waller
2 eps
James Purefoy
John Waller
2 eps
Emayatzy Corinealdi
Belle
2 eps
Anika Noni Rose
Kizzy
2 eps
Roman L. Armstrong
Kunta Kinte
2 eps
Anna Paquin
Nancy Holt
1 eps
Mekhi Phifer
Jerusalem
1 eps
T.I.
Cyrus
1 eps
Carlacia Grant
Irene
1 eps
Genevieve Hannelius
Missy
1 eps
Saniyya Sidney
Kizzy, age 6
1 eps
Derek Luke
Silla Ba Dibba
2 eps
Chris Obi
Kintango
2 eps
Kedar Williams-Stirling
Sitafa
1 eps
Tony Curran
Connelly
2 eps
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Samson
1 eps
Katie McGuinness
Elizabeth Waller
2 eps
Shannon Lucio
Patricia Lea
2 eps
Erica Tazel
Matilda
2 eps
Lola Fyke
Abigail, age 7
1 eps
Joy Jacobson
Charlotte Murray
1 eps
Kiera Strauss
Missy,age 6
1 eps
Maile Zox
Prostitute
1 eps
Holly Bonney
Prostitute (uncredited)
1 eps
Jaylin Ogle
Little Chicken George
1 eps
David Shiflett
Chicken Fight Gambler
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Roots actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Roots reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Serialized.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave, Kunta Kinte sold to America and his descendants.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E01
Part 1
In the river region of The Gambia in 1750, Omoro Kinte and his wife, Binta, give birth to a son, Kunta. Kunta is kidnapped in 1767 and sold to British slave traders. After arriving in Maryland, Virginia planter John Waller purchases Kunta.
- Directed by Phillip Noyce
S01E02
Part 2
Redcoats attempt to persuade slaves to run away and join the English army. Kunta escapes but slave catchers apprehend him and amputate half of his foot to ensure he never runs off again. John Waller sells Kunta to his younger brother, William.
- Directed by Mario Van Peebles
S01E03
Part 3
George becomes an accomplished trainer of gamecocks and earns the nickname of Chicken George. George marries Matilda, a preacher's daughter, and fathers many children. Tom Lea loses a wager with an Englishman and sells George to save his farm.
- Directed by Thomas Carter
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Mark RosenthalExecutive Producer
- Alissa M. KantrowProducer
- Lawrence KonnerExecutive Producer
- Ann KindbergProducer
- Marc ToberoffExecutive Producer
- Barry JossenExecutive Producer
Direction
- Phillip NoyceDirector
- Mario Van PeeblesDirector
- Bruce BeresfordDirector
- Thomas CarterDirector
Cinematography
- Peter Menzies Jr.Director of Photography
- Sharone MeirDirector of Photography
Music
- Alex HeffesOriginal Music Composer
- Philip MillerOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon Prime VideoStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Amazon Prime Video with AdsStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Gulliver's Travels
1996
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
Roots
1977
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Frontier
2016
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
The Last Kingdom
2015
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
The Handmaid's Tale
2017
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
Dracula
2020
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
The Little Drummer Girl
2018
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
The Pacific
2010
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
The Queen's Gambit
2020
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Spare Me Your Mercy
2024
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
Generation Kill
2008
Character-driven drama · Large-scale spectacle
The Pillars of the Earth
2010
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Game of Thrones
2011
Continue the epic fantasy journey with another world worth getting lost in.
Reacher
2022
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
Teach You a Lesson
2026
Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
The Vampire Diaries
2009
Continue the epic fantasy journey with another world worth getting lost in.
Shameless
2011
Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
Off Campus
2026
Where our editors would send you after the credits roll.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation