One Year: 1977

Season 1: Bonus Episode 3
Content Locked for Slate Plus members

Mary Hartman, QUBE, and LeVar Burton on Roots

Willa Paskin and Matthew Dessem on what TV was like in 1977, plus an extended interview with LeVar Burton about his experience making Roots.

Episode Notes

In this Slate Plus episode for One Year, Slate’s Willa Paskin and Matthew Dessem discuss two cultural television moments from 1977: the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and the technological innovation known as QUBE. Then we’ll hear an extended interview with LeVar Burton about his experience making Roots.

Mentioned in this episode:
New York Times’ Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman review
How Do You Like Your Eggs on QUBE
Pinwheel
Sight on Sound

Production by Chau Tu.

About the Show

The people and struggles that changed America—one year at a time. In each episode, host Josh Levin explores a story you may have forgotten, or one you’ve never heard of before. What were the moments that transformed politics, culture, science, religion, and more? And how does the nation’s past shape our present?

The first season of One Year focuses on 1977, a year when gay rights hung in the balance, Roots dominated the airwaves, and Jesus appeared on a tortilla.

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Host

  • Chau Tu is a former editor of Slate Plus.