By Rick Gables
Roots, a four-night, eight-hour event series will premiere on History Monday, May 30, Tuesday, May 31, Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2 from 9 to 11 p.m. each night. Roots is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family’s will to survive, endure and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Spanning multiple generations, the lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte (Malachi Kirby), who is captured in his homeland in The Gambia and transported in brutal conditions to colonial America, where he is sold into slavery. The award-winning cast also includes Laurence Fishburne, Anika Noni Rose, Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, along with a host of additional stellar cast members.
PBS’ American Masters will present the world premiere of The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End on Friday, May 27 at 9 p.m. (check your local listings). Frequently referred to as “the Mount Rushmore of country music,” The Highwaymen — Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson — were country music’s first bona fide supergroup, an epic quartet. This special features interviews, along with rare concert and behind-the-scenes footage.
The new original series Greenleaf, featuring Oprah Winfrey’s first recurring scripted television role in two decades, will launch with a two-night premiere on OWN Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25 at 10 p.m. The series centers on the journey of estranged daughter and disillusioned preacher Grace Greenleaf (Merle Dandridge) who has returned home after 20 years on the occasion of the mysterious death of her sister, Faith, and reenters the Memphis megachurch run by her powerful parents. She soon learns that things are not as virtuous as they seem.
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Photo credit: Photo by Steve Dietz Copyright 2016
Photo caption: Anika Noni Rose and Laurence Fishburne in “Roots.”
