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.
Find out when and where to watch “Night 1” of Roots below.
Monday, May 30
9:00-11:13 p.m. ET/PT and 8:00-10:13 p.m. CT/MT
A&E, History, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network
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
Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford
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.
“Night 2” will air on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00-11:13 p.m. ET/PT (8:00-10:13 p.m. CT/MT), followed by “Night 3” on Wednesday, June 1 and “Night 4” on Thursday, June 2 at the same time.
Watch ‘Roots’ Online
If you’re in the United States and don’t have access to a cable or satellite log-in, you can watch the series for free via through Sling TV, an online streaming service that provides access to select channels for a monthly fee, but offers a free 7-day trial that will allow you to watch the show for free if you sign up.
Both of Sling’s basic packages — the Best of Live TV package and the Best of Live TV beta package — include A&E and History. Both packages cost $20 per month once the free trial ends.
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Click here to create a Sling account.
2. Select either the Best of Live TV package or the Best of Live TV Beta package, each of which costs $20 per month after your free trial is over.
3. Enter your billing information and create an account. Again: You will not be charged until after you’ve completed the free 7-day trial.
4. Download the Sling app on your computer, and begin watching the show.
If you have access to a cable or satellite subscription that includes one of the four networks broadcasting the series, you can watch by following these prompts:
To start streaming, click the “Watch Live” button at the History website or the “Sign In” button at A&E (lower right-hand corner), Lifetime (upper right-hand corner) and Lifetime Movie Network (upper right-hand corner).
Watch ‘Roots’ on an App
If you sign up for Sling TV, you can watch the show Sling app, which you can download for free in the App store or the Google Play store. There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices.
The service’s Best of Live TV package and Best of Live TV beta package each cost $20 a month. But if you’re looking for a way to watch the series for free, you can do so with Sling’s free 7-day trial.
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Click here to create a Sling account.
2. Select the Best of Live TV package or the Best of Live TV beta package.
3. Enter your billing information and create an account. Again: You will not be charged until after you’ve completed the free 7-day trial.
4. Download the Sling app in the App store or the Google Play store.
Live streaming is also available on the A&E, History and Lifetime apps, all free to download. See below for individual app details.
A&E
The A&E app is available for Apple iPads and iPhones running iOS 7 or later, Android tablets and phones running OS 4 or later, and Windows tablets and phones. Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have an A&E app.
History
The History app is available for Apple iPads and iPhones, Android tablets and phones, and Windows tablets and Windows Phone 8. Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have an A&E app.
Lifetime
The Lifetime app is available for Apple, Android, and Windows tablets and phones as well as the Kindle HD. Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have a Lifetime app but the content is only available in the United States.
“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.
Find out when and where to watch “Night 1” of Roots below.
Date:
Monday, May 30
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 2” will air on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00-11:13 p.m. ET/PT (8:00-10:13 p.m. CT/MT), followed by “Night 3” on Wednesday, June 1 and “Night 4” on Thursday, June 2 at the same time.
Watch ‘Roots’ Online
If you’re in the United States and don’t have access to a cable or satellite log-in, you can watch the series for free via through Sling TV, an online streaming service that provides access to select channels for a monthly fee, but offers a free 7-day trial that will allow you to watch the show for free if you sign up.
Both of Sling’s basic packages — the Best of Live TV package and the Best of Live TV beta package — include A&E and History. Both packages cost $20 per month once the free trial ends.
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Click here to create a Sling account.
2. Select either the Best of Live TV package or the Best of Live TV Beta package, each of which costs $20 per month after your free trial is over.
3. Enter your billing information and create an account. Again: You will not be charged until after you’ve completed the free 7-day trial.
4. Download the Sling app on your computer, and begin watching the show.
If you have access to a cable or satellite subscription that includes one of the four networks broadcasting the series, you can watch by following these prompts:
To start streaming, click the “Watch Live” button at the History website or the “Sign In” button at A&E (lower right-hand corner), Lifetime (upper right-hand corner) and Lifetime Movie Network (upper right-hand corner).
Watch ‘Roots’ on an App
If you sign up for Sling TV, you can watch the show Sling app, which you can download for free in the App store or the Google Play store. There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices.
The service’s Best of Live TV package and Best of Live TV beta package each cost $20 a month. But if you’re looking for a way to watch the series for free, you can do so with Sling’s free 7-day trial.
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Click here to create a Sling account.
2. Select the Best of Live TV package or the Best of Live TV beta package.
3. Enter your billing information and create an account. Again: You will not be charged until after you’ve completed the free 7-day trial.
4. Download the Sling app in the App store or the Google Play store.
Live streaming is also available on the A&E, History and Lifetime apps, all free to download. See below for individual app details.
A&E
The A&E app is available for Apple iPads and iPhones running iOS 7 or later, Android tablets and phones running OS 4 or later, and Windows tablets and phones. Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have an A&E app.
History
The History app is available for Apple iPads and iPhones, Android tablets and phones, and Windows tablets and Windows Phone 8. Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have an A&E app.
Lifetime
The Lifetime app is available for Apple, Android, and Windows tablets and phones as well as the Kindle HD. Apple TV, Roku and XBox also have a Lifetime app but the content is only available in the United States.
