I am surprised this series hasnt been reaired on ABC or anyplace else for a long time. This is a classic series detailing the slavery trade in the US, through almost 200 yrs of history up the Civil War (Roots the Next Generation).

An all stars cast from Levar Burton, to Maya Angelou, Ed Asner, Louis Gosset Jr. as the slave driven fiddler to Sandy Duncan and the late Vic Murrow wow!!!

The story well basically details again the disgusting slave trade which was going around in the world but specifically in the USA, yes we face it, we have a long history to both be proud and be ashamed of.

The story stars with our hero of sorts Kunta Kinte, Levar Burton being kidnapped from his home in Africa and being shipped out to be another slave. Ed Asner is remarkable as the
religious captain of a slave ship whose conscious eats him alive for commiting such an evil sin.

Even Kunta gets a slave name and tries to revolt fighting such politically incorrent blacks like Fiddler only
to realize the situation is hopeless and to top it he learns a love of his is raped by a piece of white trash named Tom Moore. Eventually after Kunta's story comes the next generation of Roots taking place around the Civil War, blacks are free in the North but the same old story continues in the south ,although now blacks are now beginnging to fight back.

The DVD's are great, Levar Burton provides visual commentary on the episodes. Louis Gosset Jr., and David L Wolper the creative executive who brought Roots to life all reminiscent about the special significance of the series.

Really this should be shown in every classroom since this like Salt of the Earth is essential viewing, a perfect 10 out 10.

and they wonder why napster was so POPULAR! Of all the dvd's roots is the only one you cant buy! WHY! THIS DVD WOULD SELL WELL AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS, but its always out of stock! why! thats why the proliferation on downloading movies exist because hollywood wont put out the movies people want on DVD!

Unfortunately the lowest review that can be given is one star.

The story of Roots not only holds up the ideas of modern revitionists, but also panders to the very problems that this society must deal with daily - lies. It takes just a little research (beyond the elementary textbooks) to uncover the ridiculous lies and absurd plot that Roots uses. I first viewed a few of the episodes of Roots in the 8th grade and was astounded at the age of 13 over the historical fallacies. Living in the South, it infuriated me to say the least. Now, I believe it to be prudent to attempt to spread the word on the simple-minded and simply wrong plot of Roots. The story of the north and the South will simply not die until a few misguided ideas of slavery (an evil institution regardless) are put to rest.
First - The slave "hunters" as they are portrayed in the series chase down the africans and capture them with nets and other assorted weapons. Please. The african chieftains are human too and desire the same things whites do - wealth and power. When Europeans began coming to africa in search of the profitable slave trade, the african leaders quickly began selling the abundance of POWs and unwanted members of there own society. Did slave traders ever chase down africans personally? Perhaps. Was every "slave hunt" performed in such a matter? Obviously not. Think before you believe.
Second - The brutality shown to slaves shown throughout the movie. It is simply illogical thinking to believe that most let alone every slave owner beat his slaves. Did some slave owners beat their slaves? Most definately. Were the actions shown in Roots typical? Absolutely not. Let's think about it. Slaves weren't cheap - costing thousands of dollars for a large male. What plantation owner in search of profit would beat and maim (as shown through the cutting off of Toby's foot) that large of an investment? It simply makes no sense. It is irrational, illogical, and downright absurd.
Should you watch this series? I will leave that up to you, but assuming you choose too, keep these things in mind. I apologize that I cannot provide more examples, but it has been 6 years since I have witnessed any part of the movie. I simply can't stand the absurdity of it. This movie, to put it plainly, personifies the post-bellum society and the lies and deceit that go along with victor. Hopefully one day it will be reversed.

From the moment the young Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is stolen from his life and ancestral home in 18th-century Africa and brought under inhumane conditions to be auctioned as a slave in America, a line is begun that leads from this most shameful chapter in U.S. history to the 20th-century author Alex Haley, a Kinte descendant. The late Haley's acclaimed book Roots was adapted into this six-volume television miniseries, which was a widely watched phenomenon in 1977. The programs cover several generations in the antebellum South and end with the story of "Chicken" George, a freed slave played by Ben Vereen whose family feels the agony of entrenched racism and learns to fight it. Between the lives of Kunta and George, we meet a number of memorable characters, black and white, and learn much about the emotional and physical torments of slavery, from beatings and rapes to the forced separation of spouses and families. Nothing like this had ever confronted so many mainstream Americans when the series was originally broadcast, and the extent to which the country was nudged a degree or two toward enlightenment was instantly obvious. Roots still has that ability to open one's eyes, and engage an audience in a sweeping, memorable drama at the same time.

Why is this mini-series out of print? Do the production companies actually believe that this is not an important film? A show that touched so many peoples' hearts?

It makes me mad.