Last episode
Rags to Riches
s12e10 · 2026-04-15
Running · US
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
PBS Documentary
What it is
Since the premiere of his groundbreaking series African American Lives through the first season of Finding Your Roots, noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world's leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.
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Episode guide
10 this season · 131 totals08e01 Hidden in the Genes 2022-01-05 01:00
Hidden in the Genes
Henry Louis Gates uses DNA detective work to solve deep family mysteries for actor Rebecca Hall and producer/director Lee Daniels—uncovering close relatives whose names they had never heard before and revealing new aspects of their own identities. Along the way, Gates takes a nuanced look at the history of “passing”--shedding light on our nation’s complex racial past.
s08e02 Children of Exile 2022-01-05 02:00
Children of Exile
Henry Louis Gates explores the poignant roots of chef David Chang and actor Raúl Esparza—two men whose families fled their homelands to live in exile, never to return. From war-torn cities in North Korea to shark-infested waters off the shores of Cuba, Gates sets off to recover the stories of individuals who came to America against all odds and built a better life for themselves.
s08e03 Activist Roots 2022-01-12 01:00
Activist Roots
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. Using DNA and the historical record, Gates rediscovers lost heroes, telling stories of African Americans who fought for their rights against enormous odds.
s08e04 Things We Don't Discuss 2022-01-26 01:00
Things We Don't Discuss
Henry Louis Gates helps actors Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn decode scandals and secrets hidden within their roots, traveling from small-town England to the American frontier, revealing stories that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal—and celebrating the virtues of accepting one’s family members, whoever they may be.
s08e05 Mexican Roots 2022-02-02 01:00
Mexican Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s. Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.
s08e06 Fighters 2022-02-09 01:00
Fighters
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sits down with Terry Crews and Tony Danza, both guests who overcame adversity, to discover they aren't the first in their families to beat the odds through sheer force of will.
s08e07 Forgotten Journeys 2022-02-16 01:00
Forgotten Journeys
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their ancestors, uncovering crucial pieces of their own identities that were lost on the journey to America.
s08e08 Songs of the Past 2022-02-23 01:00
Songs of the Past
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. accompanies Broadway stars Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nathan Lane as they meet a cast of inspiring ancestors hidden in the branches of their family trees.
s08e09 Watchmen 2022-04-13 00:00
Watchmen
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides Regina King and Damon Lindelof, the creative forces behind a visionary television series, as they discover that they have more in common than meets the eye.
s08e10 Where Did We Come From? 2022-04-20 00:00
Where Did We Come From?
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley, three guests from diverse backgrounds, as they meet the ancestors who laid the groundwork for their success.