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"Roots" is back as a miniseries remake — but the TV world it's re-entering is very different from the one that turned the original into a hit of epic proportions four decades ago.

It's not just that this fictionalized tale of author Alex Haley's slave ancestors is a third shorter and contains considerably more violence than the original. The chances of it having the impact when it airs Monday-Thursday on the A&E, the History Channel and Lifetime that the original did are, well, zero.

Airing over eight nights — Jan. 23-30, 1977 — on ABC, "Roots" averaged about 80 million viewers.

A hundred million Americans tuned in to the finale — and, in 1977, the population of the United States was only about 220 million. That finale is still one of the most-watched shows in TV history — No. 4 on the list of scripted programs. It's estimated that 85 percent of all Americans at the time saw at least part of the miniseries.

But the original "Roots" came along at a time when Americans really had only three viewing choices — ABC, CBS and NBC. PBS was not a strong alternative, and cable television was in its infancy.

"The Big Bang Theory," one of the biggest hits on TV today, averages just over 20 million viewers a week, and the U.S. population is almost a third bigger than it was in 1977. But "Big Bang" competes with programming on more than 180 other TV channels in the average household — along with all the online options, DVD, Blu-rays and more.

More than just the amazing ratings, "Roots" became the topic of conversation across the country, sparking an interest in genealogy and in black history. It followed Haley's family from 1750 through the Civil War — generations of slaves and their owners. Kunta Kinte (renamed Toby by his white master), Kizzy and Chicken George became household names.

"Once in a great while, as a storyteller you have an opportunity to do something more than simply entertain," said LeVar Burton, who starred as young Kunta Kinte — Haley's ancestor, who was kidnapped in Africa and sold into slavery in Virginia — in the original miniseries.

Burton, who's an executive producer of the "Roots" remake, was only 19 when he was cast in the role. It was his first professional job as an actor, which he got after his first professional audition.

" 'Roots' went on to captivate America," he said. "America watched 'Roots' and we watched it together night after night."

It was the first TV miniseries to air on consecutive nights instead of in weekly installments, That helped build its success — helped capture viewers' imagination — and it was an accident of sorts.

ABC's top programmer, Fred Silverman, had no confidence in "Roots." This was 1977, and the miniseries featured a mostly African-American cast. A few sympathetic white characters were added to the narrative and white actors were disproportionately featured in the network promos to make "Roots" seem more palatable to the mostly white viewership.

But it remained, for its time, a very tough story. It didn't shrink from the violence — whippings and maimings after failed escape attempts; rapes; and mental cruelty.

The remake tightens up the storytelling, and — as is the case with television in general — it's considerably more brutal.

Silverman — a TV legend and the only man ever to run ABC, CBS and NBC — wanted to get "Roots" on and off the air as quickly as possible. To get it over with before the important February sweeps period so it wouldn't harm ABC's ratings.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

But given that the original was so popular and so well done — it got rave reviews and won eight Emmys (with 37 nominations) — why remake it? It's a historical piece, so it's not dated by the time period it portrays.

Because, Burton believes, it can find a new audience — albeit certainly a smaller audience than the first time around.

"It is no secret," he said, "that as far as we have come in the area of race relations and the topics of social justice, fairness and equality, we still have a long way to go. And so I am proud to return to this project 40 years later."

He's not alone.

"It is an extraordinary thing to be on the set of this project," Burton said. "Every actor, every technician that comes to work with us expresses their gratitude for being able to be a part of this."

And, he believes, the "legacy of the original" lives on in the remake.

" 'Roots' was and, I believe, again is an opportunity to do more than simply entertain. It is an opportunity to educate, to enlighten through our storytelling. In this business we really do have the opportunity once in a great while to lift ourselves up and light the way for one another."

Twitter: @ScottDPierce —

On TV

The four-part remake of "Roots" airs Monday-Thursday on A&E, the History Channel and Lifetime.

DirecTV and Dish • New episodes premiere at 7 p.m. on all three channels.

Comcast • New episodes premiere at 7 p.m. on Lifetime; 10 p.m. on A&E and History. There are multiple repeats of each installment throughout the week.