About this season
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.
Episodes (16)
1. Hollywood Royalty
Aired 8 October 2019 • 60 min
Actresses Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow explore their family histories, generations beyond their cinematic forebears.
2. Off the Farm
Aired 15 October 2019 • 60 min
Actors Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet retrace their ancestral journeys.
3. Homecomings
Aired 7 January 2020 • 60 min
Sterling K. Brown, Jon Batiste and Sasheer Zamata learn about the unexpected places their ancestors called home.
4. This Land is My Land
Aired 14 January 2020 • 60 min
The unexpected family trees of Queen Latifah and Jeffrey Wright challenge preconceptions about America's past.
5. Beyond the Pale
Aired 21 January 2020 • 60 min
Exploring the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross and comic Marc Maron.
6. Secrets & Lies
Aired 28 January 2020 • 60 min
Sigourney Weaver, Justina Machado and Amy Ryan explore their ancestry.
7. Science Pioneers
Aired 4 February 2020 • 60 min
Tracing the family histories of scientists Harold Varmus, Francis Collins and Shirley Ann Jackson.
8. Slave Trade
Aired 11 February 2020 • 60 min
Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson and Ava DuVernay explore the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery.
9. Italian Roots
Aired 18 February 2020 • 60 min
Marisa Tomei, Jimmy Kimmel and John Turturro learn about the sacrifices their ancestors made to bring their families from Italy to America.
10. Criminal Kind
Aired 25 February 2020 • 60 min
The family histories of Laura Linney, Lisa Ling and Soledad O'Brien reveal tricksters, scoundrels and criminals.
11. Fashion's Roots
Aired 13 October 2020 • 60 min
Guests: Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, RuPaul. 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
Aired 20 October 2020 • 60 min
Guests: Téa Leoni, Joe Madison. 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. (Téa Leoni originally appeared in S04E08. Joe Madison originally appeared in S05E10.)
13. War Stories
Aired 10 November 2020 • 60 min
Guests: Kehinde Wiley, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader. 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 both on their families and on their country. (S03E06 was also titled "War Stories." Kehinde Wiley originally appeared in S05E09. Julianne Moore originally appeared in S03E06. Bill Hader originally appeared in S03E04.)
14. Flight
Aired 17 November 2020 • 60 min
Guests: Lupita Nyong’o, Lidia Bastianich, Scarlett Johansson. 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. (Lupita Nyong’o originally appeared in S04E07. Lidia Bastianich originally appeared is S03E09. Scarlett Johansson originally appeared in S04E05.)
15. Breaking Silences
Aired 5 January 2021 • 60 min
Guests: Gayle King, Jordan Peele, Issa Rae. 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 raise profound questions about the shape and meaning of their family trees.
16. Coming to America
Aired 12 January 2021 • 60 min
Guests: Nancy Pelosi, Norah O'Donnell, Zac Posen. 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.