Episode 1
Hidden in the Genes
1h
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detective work, illuminating both history and their own identities.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
TV series
Finding Your Roots
2012TV-PG12 seasons6.5 / 10
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.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Where to watch in United States
Checked Sep 2, 2026
Finding Your Roots is available to stream on Hoopla, Plex, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
Synopsis
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.
Season 8 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 2
Children of Exile
1h
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. retraces the ancestral journeys of David Chang and Raúl Esparza, whose families fled their homelands, leading them to find lost parts of themselves along the way.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 3
Activists Roots
1h
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. welcomes Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, two guests who made profound sacrifices for social justice, and helps them discover the ancestors who made sacrifices for them.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 4
Things we Dont Discuss
1h
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn explore scandals and secrets hidden within their roots, revealing truths that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal—and celebrating the virtues of accepting one’s family members, whoever they may be.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 5
Mexican Roots
1h
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.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 6
Fighters
1h
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.
Where to watch Finding Your RootsEpisode 7
Incredible Journeys
1h
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their immigrant ancestors who crossed continents and countries under amazing circumstances.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 8
Songs of the Past
1h
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.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 9
Watchmen
1h
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.
Where to watch Finding Your Roots
Episode 10
Where Did We Come From?
1hfinale
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.
Where to watch Finding Your RootsEpisode information updated Sep 17, 2026
More about Finding Your Roots
Cast
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Self - Host
Derek JeterSelf
Anderson CooperSelf
Tom ColicchioSelf
Angela BassettSelf
Valerie JarrettSelf
Alan DershowitzSelf
Tony KushnerSelfCredits
- Written by
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Production details
- Status
- Returning Series
- Series type
- Documentary
- Episodes
- 126
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
PBSUnited States- Kunhardt McGee Productions
Ark MediaUnited States- Inkwell FilmsUnited States
Themes
ancestrycelebritydnagenealogy
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