10 Most Groundbreaking TV Episodes Ever

Historic Impact: Primetime Dramas Take Black People Seriously

Culturally important television of this magnitude doesn't come around very often. In fact, in the 40 years since Roots premiered, there hasn't been an event quite like it. And the impact LeVar Burton, John Amos, Louis Gossett Jr. and company had on the world in 1977 simply cannot be overstated.

A miniseries based on the book by Alex Haley, Roots told the tense story of an American slave family and their difficult, violent journey to freedom. It was, to put it modestly, a tough sell.

The common perception in the television industry already was that dramatic shows featuring primarily black casts wouldn't go over well with "mainstream" (read: white suburban) audiences. Even sitcoms like The Jeffersons and Good Times, though they performed well enough, still didn't have enough crossover appeal to ease TV executives' worries.

Roots proved everyone wrong. Not only did it go over exceedingly well with mainstream audiences, but it blew every other show out of the water, raking in almost 100 million viewers by the time the finale rolled around. After that, there were no more excuses for not casting black actors and actors in serious TV roles, and focusing on their stories.