Roots fingerprintHigh energy, strong craft, no humor.
Tense and violent
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Deeply moving and melancholic
Much of it is about family.
A little humor
Not a comedy at heart.
History, family, and society
Lived-in and easy to get lost in.
Standout characters and performances
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
Functional look and sound
Tense and violent
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Roots is tense, violent, and spectacular. The story builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Deeply moving and melancholic
Much of it is about family.
Emotionally, it's deeply moving, melancholic, and cathartic. Much of it is about family.
A little humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Expect a little humor.
History, family, and society
Lived-in and easy to get lost in.
Its world is built around history, family, and society. The setting feels lived-in and easy to get lost in.
Standout characters and performances
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
The characters and performances stand out. The plot is layered and rewards full attention.
Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every show. Select a row to see all of them.
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Quick answers from GoodWatch data.
Roots is included with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads in the United States. You can watch it free with ads on Tubi TV. You can also rent or buy it from Apple TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Google Play Movies. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.
Yes. It's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 80/100 (IMDb 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes 96%, and Metacritic 83). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.
It's rated NR in the United States. Content advisories: violence, nudity, strong language, and disturbing imagery.
1 season
It has 1 season with 4 episodes of about 90 minutes each.
Yes. It's based on real events or a real person's life.
Not quite. Critics rate Roots higher (90) than audiences (72). It may be more rewarding than it is crowd-pleasing.
It ran from 2016 to 2016 and has ended.
It was made in English. Produced in United States, Brazil, Estonia.
GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for Roots in 9 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.
TV Tropes lists 86 storytelling tropes for Roots, including 2 + Torture = 5, Rape as Drama, Establishing Character Moment.
7.9
