- The author of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, Hirohiko Araki, cited the Roots television series as an inspiration to make his manga a generational story. He thought highly of it due to the show's ability to change its protagonist and still be well received, and saw it more for its aspects on family and love than the dark reality of slavery and racism. This was also around the time of his grandfather's death, and he thought much about how his spirit was passed onto him and his family, much like Kunta Kinte's culture and spirit was passed onto his descendants. Thus he decided to move his story to Jonathan Joestar's own descendants and how his spirit would be passed onto them.
Film: Animation
- In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, after the animals arrive in Africa and see how amazing it is, Marty compares it to Roots.
Film: Live-Action
- In Diary of a Mad Black Woman, when Joe angrily rejects the idea of Madea's granddaughter moving in their house and says he's going to put his foot down, she then quips back, "Kunta Kinte put his foot down, too, and it got chopped off! Now shut the hell up!" He also tries to kick her out later on, citing "This ain't Roots!"
- Diggstown has this exchange when Caine is trying to motivate Honey Roy Palmer during a tough fight:Caine: He's bigger than you are. He's tougher. He's faster. He's younger than you are. He hasn't fought 22 rounds today. But you remember this! You...are black.
Honey Roy Palmer: What the hell's that supposed to mean?
Caine: I don't know. I mean, it's...I'm trying to inspire you. It's a Roots kind of thing. It's a motivation thing.
Palmer: Well, you're shit at motivation.- What makes it funnier, of course, is Lou Gossett Jr., who played Honey Roy Palmer, appeared in Roots (as Fiddler).
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:
- In "How I Spent My Summer Vacation", after Uncle Phil orders Will to get rid of his wild hair and outfit that looks like a prison uniform, he then quips, "Why don't you just do me like Kunta Kinte and cut my foot off?"
- He says the same thing in "Will Gets a Job" after Uncle Phil refuses to believe his explanation for his absences from home and lateness at school and grounds him.
- Another episode had the family gathering around and telling stories, only for Will to eventually observe that the last time they got together like this was to watch an anniversary showing of Roots.
- Another episode had Geoffrey (as always) saying something snide, only for Will to introduce him to someone, saying, "You've met our butler, Chicken George?"
- The Goodies did an Origins Episode showing their past as Blackface actors with various Roots gags.
- In Living Color!: In one of Homey the Clown's ending sing-alongs that soon morphs into an angry rant, one of them had him mention (while Damon Wayans tries not to laugh) Kunta getting his foot chopped off.
- During the ending stinger of Community episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking", after a dumbstruck Troy (from meeting LeVar Burton, who guest-starred as himself) finally runs out of the room screaming while the two of them are having dinner, he then helps himself to Troy's food, saying, "More fish for Kunta."
- Martin episode "No Justice, No Peace" has Martin representing himself in court to get out of paying a parking ticket. When the judge tries to hurry him up to present another witness, he then tries to play that he and her are probably related via a family tree, along with "Kunta, Kizzy, George, all of them!"
- On My Name Is Earl, there's a flashback to an anniversary party back in either the late 70's or early 80's for Earl's parents, Carl and Kay. Earl had spiked his dad's drink with medication (possibly MDMA) stolen from his friend's mother, in an attempt to get him to stop being so grouchy. It worked...a little too well. Carl went around goosing female guests, and attempted to start a a "key party", and told everyone that Kay wanted to have sex with a Black man ever since she saw Roots, much to the embarrassment of Kay and their guests.
- The Wire: In the season 2 episode "Hot Shots", during the Terrible Interviewees Montage when Bunk and Lester are trying to interview the crew members of a ship that had carried 14 prostitutes (all of whom wound up murdered), and the crew members insist they don't speak or understand English, Bunk, clearly frustrated, calls one of them Kunta Kinte.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series: At one point, Gozaburo Kaiba orders his men to whip his adoptive son Seto until his name is Toby.
- The Simpsons: In "Pray Anything", a plumber tells Homer and Marge that trees have gotten into their plumbing, saying that the pipes have "more roots than the list of all-time top-rated TV shows".
- Robot Chicken: In one of their most disturbing sketches, a demented little girl "rescues" a Pegasus by chaining it up and brutally whipping it until they admit their name is "Sunny Muffins".
