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Roots

Television Programming Landmarks

A 1977 ABC television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, tracing his family's history from an ancestor's capture in West Africa through slavery to emancipation. An estimated 130 to 140 million viewers, more than half the 1977 United States population, watched some part of the series, and its finale alone drew 100 million viewers, the largest audience any American television series had ever attracted at the time.

Facts
Classification
Original Language
English 1
Award
Peabody Awards 2
Release Year
1977 1
Country
United States 1
FAQs

Did Roots win a Peabody Award?

Yes. The Peabody honored David Wolper and ABC-TV for it.

Yes. The Peabody Awards profile for Roots says that a Peabody Award salutes David Wolper, executive producer, and ABC-TV for exposing us to an aspect of our history that we will never forget.
Connections

Created By

David Greene, Figures
Source Roots (1977 miniseries) (Wikipedia)
John Erman, Figures
Source John Erman (Wikipedia)
Source Marvin J. Chomsky (Wikipedia)

In Medium

In the Other Atlases

Authored By

Also in Literature Atlas: the author of this subject.

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Landmark Status section
    The final episode was watched by 100 million viewers and an average of 80 million viewers watched each of the last seven episodes.
  • Roots, Description, original language
    An estimated 130 to 140 million viewers, more than half the 1977 United States population, watched some part of the series, and its finale alone drew 100 million viewers, the largest audience any American television series had ever attracted at the time.
View the Source
2. The Peabody Awards: Roots - The Peabody Awards
The Peabody AwardsPeabody award profile
Quote, Peabody award profile
A Peabody Award salutes David Wolper, executive producer, and ABC-TV for exposing us to an aspect of our history that we will never forget.
View the Source
Marvin J. Chomsky (Wikipedia)
Created By: Marvin J. Chomsky, Article text
Quote, Created By: Marvin J. Chomsky, Article text
During the 1970s, Chomsky served as one of the directors for the miniseries Roots (1977), and he worked on other miniseries such as Holocaust (1978), Inside the Third Reich (1982) and Peter the Great (1986).
View the Source
John Erman (Wikipedia)
Created By: John Erman, Lead
Quote, Created By: John Erman, Lead
He also won two Directors Guild of America Awards for the miniseries Roots (1977) and the film An Early Frost (1985).
View the Source
Roots (1977 miniseries) (Wikipedia)
Created By: David Greene, Production
Quote, Created By: David Greene, Production
The miniseries was directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, and Gilbert Moses.
View the Source
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