It's been 25 years since Kunte Kinte burst onto ABC and living rooms around
the country.
Now, a quarter-century later, Hallmark Channel will celebrate the
25th anniversary of Roots -- the acclaimed dramatic special
based on Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize-winning story about his family tree, its
ties to slavery back and forth across the Atlantic and its resonance across the
American saga in the 18th and 19th centuries -- with a
digitally remastered version that will appear on the network next month.
Hallmark, which owns exclusive rights to the series, announced Tuesday that
it will present Roots Jan. 20 through 25 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Jan.
26 from noon to midnight.
Throughout the weeklong presentation, Hallmark will intersperse interviews
with some of the miniseries' original stars and producers. Haley's family --
instrumental in the continued outreach of Haley's Kunte Kinte Foundation -- will
also participate.
During its eight original telecasts in January 1977, Roots was seen by
an average of 130 million people nightly and, until the Feb. 28, 1983, finale of
M*A*S*H, it held the single- episode rating record.
The show won nine Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, the Humanitas Prize and 135
other awards.
It posted an average rating of 44.9 during its first run with a 66
share.
