But from Jan. 23 through Jan. 30, 1977, the nation collectively turned its eyes to a 12-hour miniseries called Roots.
The drama, based on the book by Alex Haley , traced several generations of a slave family, beginning with Kunta Kinte , a young West African man kidnapped by slave traders and shipped to America. Now, in connection with the show's 30th anniversary, Warner Home Video is releasing Roots: The Complete Collection (available Tuesday, $119.98), which includes Roots: 30th Anniversary Edition plus the sequels, Roots: The Next Generations and Roots: The Gift (a Christmas-themed movie).
Roots: The Next Generations also will be available by itself ($59.98).