Finding Your Roots

2012
4.8
154 reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Finding Your Roots - Season 6 episodes (16)

1 Hollywood Royalty
10/8/19
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow unearth surprising new revelations about their family histories, taking them generations beyond their famous cinematic forebears.
2 Off the Farm
10/15/19
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the humble roots of comedic actors Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet, retracing the ancestral journeys that laid the groundwork for their success.
3 Homecomings
1/7/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actor Sterling K. Brown, comedian Sasheer Zamata and musician Jon Batiste discover the unexpected places their ancestors once called home.
4 This Land is My Land
1/14/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of entertainer Queen Latifah and actor Jeffrey Wright, redefining their sense of the black experience — and challenging preconceptions about America’s past.
5 Beyond the Pale
1/21/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross, and comedian Marc Maron, uncovering previously unknown stories that show each shares more with their ancestors than a religious tradition.
6 Secrets and Lies
1/28/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Sigourney Weaver, Justina Machado, and Amy Ryan unearth surprising revelations about their family histories, forever altering how they see themselves.
7 Science Pioneers
2/4/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of Francis Collins, Shirley Ann Jackson, and Harold E.Varmus--three pioneering scientists who’ve made dramatic contributions to our understanding of the world.
8 Slave Trade
2/11/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Ava DuVernay, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Questlove to the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery, upending their notions of African American history—and their own family trees.
9 Italian Roots
2/18/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of talk show-host Jimmy Kimmel and actors Marisa Tomei and John Turturro, introducing them to ancestors who made immense sacrifices to bring their families from Italy to America.
10 Criminal Kind
2/25/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Laura Linney and journalists Lisa Ling and Soledad O’Brien—telling them stories of tricksters, scoundrels and outright criminals, who nevertheless laid the groundwork for their success.
11 Fashion Roots
10/13/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. steps into the world of fashion and meets three icons of style: Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, and RuPaul Charles, introducing ancestors who were just as audacious as they are.
12 DNA Mysteries
10/20/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses DNA detective work to solve mysteries in the family trees of actor Téa Leoni, and radio host Joe Madison, introducing each of them to parents and grandparents whose names they’ve never heard before.
13 War Stories
11/10/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Julianne Moore, comedian Bill Hader, and painter Kehinde Wiley, revealing how their ancestors’ military service left an indelible mark on their families--and on their country.
14 Flight
11/17/20
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets actors Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o and chef Lidia Bastianich--three women whose families crisscrossed the globe to escape oppression--and find opportunity, leaving them with questions about their relatives who stayed behind.
15 Breaking the Silences
1/5/21
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family secrets of journalist Gayle King, film director Jordan Peele, and comedian Issa Rae, introducing them to ancestors who are both black and white, raising profound questions about the shape--and the meaning--of their family trees.
16 Coming to America
1/12/21
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, news anchor Norah O’Donnell and fashion designer Zac Posen explore their immigrant roots, retracing the journeys of their ancestors who arrived in the United States with little more than a dream--and revealing why that dream is still so inspiring 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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