Finding Your Roots

2012
4.8
154 reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 8 episodes (10)

1 Hidden in the Genes
1/4/22
Henry Louis Gates uses DNA detective work to solve family mysteries for actor Rebecca Hall and producer/director Lee Daniels—uncovering close relatives whose names they had never heard and revealing new aspects of their own identities.
2 Children of Exile
1/4/22
Henry Louis Gates maps the roots of chef David Chang and actor Raúl Esparza—two men whose families fled their homelands to live in exile. From North Korea to Cuba, long lost records reveal their stories of hope—and survival.
3 Activists Roots
1/11/22
Henry Louis Gates explores the family trees of Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, introducing two women who’ve made profound sacrifices for social justice to the ancestors who made sacrifices for them.
4 Things We Don't Discuss
1/25/22
Henry Louis Gates helps actors Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn decode scandals hidden within their roots, revealing truths their ancestors concealed, and celebrating the virtues of accepting one’s family members--whoever they may be.
5 Mexican Roots
2/1/22
Henry Louis Gates explores the Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, tracing their families back to the 1500s, weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans.
6 Fighters
2/8/22
Henry Louis Gates traces the roots of actors Terry Crews and Tony Danza, uncovering records from impoverished Italian villages and Southern slave plantations to reveal individuals who battled to build a better life for their families.
7 Forgotten Journeys
2/15/22
Henry Louis Gates helps John Legiuzamo and Lena Waithe retrace the journeys of their ancestors--from Spain to Colombia to the Caribbean--uncovering crucial pieces of their own identities that were lost along the way.
8 Songs of the Past
2/22/22
Henry Louis Gates uncovers the roots of Broadway stars Nathan Lane and Leslie Odom, Jr., taking them back to unexpected places in Ireland, Barbados, and Africa to meet a cast of inspiring ancestors in the branches of their family trees.
9 Watchmen
4/12/22
Henry Louis Gates explores the roots of Regina King and Damon Lindelof, the creative forces behind a visionary television series. The two discover they have more in common than meets the eye, including ancestors who overcame great traumas.
10 Where Did We Come From?
4/19/22
Henry Louis Gates helps Erin Burnett, Andre Leon Talley and Amy Carlson retrace the perilous journeys that shaped their family trees, criss-crossing the globe to provide insight into the people and places that made them who they are today.

About this show

In sharing their stories, FINDING YOUR ROOTS uses every tool available, from cutting-edge DNA research to old-school genealogical sleuthing to reveal long-buried secrets.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
154 reviews
Kathleen Kerr
August 2, 2015
This show has prompted me to try finding my own historical people. I know my family brought about the world's leading people from ancient Normandy, on to America and Canada (Arcadia). The Louisiana Purchase, The founding of the State of Louisiana, and the founder of New Orleans Louisiana itself! Plus my grandfather fought at Normandy in WWII! All my peoples prior to just us kids are dead and gone so this show is the best help I have had to get to know a family that has a castle in Normandy France (400 year
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Susan Kay
September 9, 2016
Compelling documentaries of the historical roots of the melting pot of the people's of our current day America! Harvard Professor Gates uses all the current scientific tools available, as well as recorded historical documents world-wide, to solve the puzzles of Geneology of famous guests. Everyone's family history has a story, and this program urges one to ask - What's Yours?
11 people found this review helpful
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Wendy McNees
March 10, 2022
Wow I cried when Mandy Patinkin found out that 20 of his relatives died in the Holocaust. Audra McDonald Great Grandfather Clarence Jones was a very hard worker and her Grandfather Thomas was a Great man .
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