Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 book "Roots: The Saga of an American Family". It was first shown on ABC in 1977. It was shown over eight nights, from January 23 to January 30, 1977. It was followed by two sequels: "Roots: The Next Generations", which was shown on ABC in 1979, and "Roots: The Gift", a Christmas television movie which was shown on ABC in 1988. It got 37 Emmy Award nominations and won nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.