TV series
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.
Availability
Finding Your Roots premiered March 24, 2012. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
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.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
Discover the unsolved mysteries behind the family stories of political organizer Donna Brazile, actor Ty Burrell and artist Kara Walker as they learn how the legacy of slavery has shaped their identities.
Directed by Jesse SweetWritten by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Guest stars Donna Brazile, Kara Walker, Ty Burrell
Episode 2
Explore the shared Irish ancestry of three powerful social commentators of our times, Bill Maher, Soledad O'Brien, and Bill O'Reilly.
Directed by Josh GleasonWritten by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Guest stars Bill Maher, Bill O'Reilly, Soledad O'Brien
Episode 3
Learn how the ancestors of Maya Rudolph, Shonda Rhimes and Keenen Ivory Wayans struggled for freedom, and how each of these cultural trailblazers gain a new understanding of how they fit into this proud trajectory.
Guest stars Shonda Rhimes, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Maya Rudolph
Episode 4
Uncover a history of tragedies and triumphs in the families of three of America’s funniest men–Jimmy Kimmel, Norman Lear and Bill Hader—as they learn how comedy truly has its place in all aspects of life.
Directed by Hazel Gurland-PoolerGuest stars Norman Lear, CeCe Moore, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Hader
Episode 5
Discover how the ancestors of business mogul Richard Branson and architects Maya Lin and Frank Gehry took audacious risks to create opportunities, and how their luck, ingenuity and chutzpah was passed on to these three visionaries.
Directed by Hazel Gurland-PoolerGuest stars Richard Branson, Frank Gehry, Maya Lin
Episode 6
Patricia Arquette, Senator John McCain, and Julianne Moore explore their genealogical heritage with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Guest stars Patricia Arquette, John McCain, Julianne Moore
Episode 7
Uncover family mysteries about two legends of hip hop, Sean Combs and LL Cool J, through the use of DNA technology, which reveals information that shakes their very foundations.
Guest stars Sean Combs, LL Cool J, CeCe Moore
Episode 8
Discover how Neil Patrick Harris, Gloria Steinem and Sandra Cisneros are connected to pioneers who broke new ground and paved the way for their modern day descendants to continue shaping our culture.
Guest stars Sandra Cisneros, Neil Patrick Harris, Gloria Steinem
Episode 9
Discover how actress Julianna Margulies, author Azar Nafisi and chef Lidia Bastianich are bound together by their ancestors’ singular and deeply human desire to preserve their most cherished traditions.
Guest stars Julianna Margulies, Azar Nafisi, Lidia Bastianich
Episode 10
Learn how Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow, who last shared the screen together in 1969, also share a history of tragic deaths in their families that played major roles in shaping future generations.
Directed by Phil BertelsenWritten by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Guest stars Dustin Hoffman, Mia Farrow
Episode information updated Jul 23, 2026
Available now in United States
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Self - Host
Derek JeterSelf
Anderson CooperSelf
Tom ColicchioSelf
Angela BassettSelf
Valerie JarrettSelf
Alan DershowitzSelf
Tony KushnerSelf
PBSUnited States
Ark MediaUnited States