OWN to Present OPRAH AND THE LEGENDARY CAST OF 'ROOTS' 35 YEARS LATER, 1/16

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announces an OWN special event, OPRAH AND THE LEGENDARY CAST OF 'ROOTS' 35 YEARS LATER. The special will air on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 16 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT).

Celebrating the anniversary of the groundbreaking television series "Roots," the primetime special event "Oprah and the Legendary Cast of 'Roots' 35 Years Later" offers an intimate reflection on the historic television miniseries based on Alex Haley's novel which debuted in 1977 to record-breaking ratings.

Hosted by Oprah Winfrey at her home in Montecito, California, the television event brings together many of the legendary cast members from the series, including Cicely Tyson and LeVar Burton, as well as Leslie Uggams, John Amos, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Ben Vereen. With original clips from "Roots" serving as their backdrop, the cast shares with Oprah their personal accounts of working on the extraordinary series, as well as taking part in television history. "Roots" forever changed television. For the first time, TV viewers white and black experienced a part of American history through the eyes of slaves. For many it marked an awakening...and for the participating actors and actresses, it was nothing short of a spiritual experience. "Oprah and the Legendary Cast of 'Roots' 35 Years Later" is produced by Harpo Studios.

About OWN: Oprah Winfrey NETWORK

A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: Oprah Winfrey NETWORK is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 77 million homes on what was the Discovery Health Channel. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own