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Finding Your Roots - Season 8

Series: Finding Your Roots
4.7
(239)
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Episodes
10
Rating
TV14
Year
2022
Language
English
Publisher
PBS

About

Renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns for a new season of FINDING YOUR ROOTS. Using genealogical detective work and cutting-edge DNA analysis, Gates guides twenty-one influential guests deep into the branches of their family trees, revealing surprising stories of love, hardship, and triumph that transcend borders and merge to form an American root system fortified by its diversity.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 10

1. Hidden in the Genes

1h

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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.

2. Activist Roots

1h

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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.

3. Children of Exile

1h

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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.

4. Things We Don't Discuss

1h

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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.

5. Mexican Roots

1h

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Henry Louis Gates 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.

6. Fighters

1h

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Henry Louis Gates traces the roots of actors Terry Crews and Tony Danza, two men who overcame adversity, revealing they aren't the first in their families to beat the odds through sheer force of will. From impoverished Italian villages to slave plantations in rural Georgia, long-lost records reveal individuals who came from nothing and built a better life for their families.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Krista Whetstonedirector
Henry Louis Gates Jr.actor