<P> Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley 's 1976 novel Roots : The Saga of an American Family . The series first aired on ABC - TV in January 1977 . Roots received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine . It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award . It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings for the finale , which still holds a record as the third highest rated episode for any type of television series , and the second most watched overall series finale in U.S. television history . It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million . The series introduced LeVar Burton in the role of Kunta Kinte . </P>
<P> Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley 's 1976 novel Roots : The Saga of an American Family . The series first aired on ABC - TV in January 1977 . Roots received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine . It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award . It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings for the finale , which still holds a record as the third highest rated episode for any type of television series , and the second most watched overall series finale in U.S. television history . It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million . The series introduced LeVar Burton in the role of Kunta Kinte . </P>
when did the mini series roots come out
when did the mini series roots come out
January 1977
January 1977