Roots

Right now you can watch Roots on streaming — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. 247 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Every performance stays in register with the material. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Roots arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Roots earns every emotional beat it goes for. The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley's ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots, was first told in his 1976 bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award, and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. It first aired in 1977. The performances in Roots do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, Roots delivers. Viewers who responded to Parenthood will find a lot to like here too. A contained run means every episode is doing real work. Every performance here earns its place, lead or not. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

Roots wrapped up in 1977, created by Alex Haley — and 1 season is available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.