Alex Haley's groundbreaking and controversial mini-series Roots premiered January 23, 1977. It became one of the most-watched series on television and its finale is still among the highest number of viewers for an episode. The story is a dramatization of Haley's ancestral heritage from Kunta Kinte's capture and arrival in America as a slave.
It won 9 Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe for Best TV Series - Drama. Louis Gossett, Jr. won a Primetime Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama or Comedy Series, Single Appearance and Ed Asner won for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series, Single Appearance.
It received an additional twenty-eight nominations. Among the nominations for Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress were LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge), John Amos, Ben Vereen, Madge Sinclair, Leslie Uggams, Cicely Tyson and Sandy Duncan.
