Culture

Finding Your Roots

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

Mean Streets

52m 11s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of comedian Tracy Morgan & actor Anthony Ramos—two native New Yorkers whose roots stretch to surprising places and contain inspiring stories. Moving from the Canary Islands to battlefields in Europe & Asia to slave plantations in Virginia, long-lost records reveal ancestors who laid the groundwork for Tracy and Anthony’s success by fighting to survive.

Episodes

  • Where Did We Come From?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Where Did We Come From?

    S8 E10 - 52m 16s

    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.

  • Watchmen: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Watchmen

    S8 E9 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Songs of the Past: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Songs of the Past

    S8 E8 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Forgotten Journeys: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Forgotten Journeys

    S8 E7 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Fighters: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Fighters

    S8 E6 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Mexican Roots: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mexican Roots

    S8 E5 - 52m 16s

    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.

  • Things We Don't Discuss: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Things We Don't Discuss

    S8 E4 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. works with Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn, two guests whose family trees were obscured by scandals, to discover the truth about their ancestors.

  • Activist Roots: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Activist Roots

    S8 E2 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Children of Exile: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Children of Exile

    S8 E3 - 52m 11s

    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.

  • Hidden in the Genes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hidden in the Genes

    S8 E1 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detective work, illuminating both history and their own identities.

Extras + Features

Schedule

  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Monday
    Apr 1

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Monday
    Apr 1

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Monday
    Apr 1

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Secret Lives: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Secret Lives

    Tuesday
    Apr 2

    1 Hour

    Comics Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash see family mysteries solved by DNA.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Tuesday
    Apr 2

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Tuesday
    Apr 2

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Wednesday
    Apr 3

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Wednesday
    Apr 3

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Wednesday
    Apr 3

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Wednesday
    Apr 3

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Saturday
    Apr 6

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Sunday
    Apr 7

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Sunday
    Apr 7

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Sunday
    Apr 7

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Sunday
    Apr 7

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.
  • Image
    Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    In the Blood

    Monday
    Apr 8

    1 Hour

    Actor Michael Douglas and writer/director Lena Dunham explore their family roots.

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