Roots: The Gift was set during Christmas of 1775 because it was slated for telecast during the Christmas season of 1988— December 11, to be exact. This telecast was timed to coincide with the posthumous publication of Alex Haley’s book A Different Kind of Christmas, which had nothing whatsoever to do with Roots but did concern itself with runaway slaves at Yuletide. Roots: The Gift: Year: 1988, Director: Kevin Hooks, Starring: Louis Gossett Jr., LeVar Burton, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ.