Finding Your Roots

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors America Ferrera and Darren Criss uncover their immigrant roots--telling stories of revolutionaries in Honduras, a Dutchman who helped build New York City, and a young woman from the Philippines who brought her family to California against great odds. Along the way, family histories are brought to ligh--and America and Darren come to see themselves in a new way.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Lathan to ancestors who left the American South in search of new jobs and better lives in the North, boldly breaking racial barriers. Journeying into the depths of the Jim Crow era, Wiz and Sanaa reimagine themselves as they learn the heroic stories of the people who forever transformed their families.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Caribbean heritage of actors Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo--meeting women and men who crisscrossed the globe to help their families move forward, often taking enormous risks. Along the way, Delroy and Liza both gain a new understanding of the ancestors--enslaved and free--who laid the groundwork for their success.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Lizzy Caplan and comedian Hasan Minhaj, uncovering ancestors who made brave decisions that forever reshaped their family trees. Moving from shtetls in Eastern Europe to farmlands in northern India to the shores of the United States, Gates introduces his guests to the women and men who overcame enormous hardships to find a better future.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of basketball superstars Brittney Griner and Chris Paul--revealing that they are not the first extraordinary people in their family trees. Telling stories that stretch deep into the past, Gates introduces his guests to relatives who showed courage, talent and grit--connecting Brittney and Chris to their ancestors in ways that they never imagined possible.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of talk show host Sara Haines and playwright Tracy Letts--tracing their roots from frontier towns in the American west to diverse places in the east, telling stories of scoundrels, soldiers, and U.S. Presidents, while also discovering surprising connections to Native Americans communities--revealing the complexity at our nation's core.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of two celebrated musicians: Lizzo and Flea, tracing lineages that run from plantations in the American South to battlefields in France to a hardscrabble gold mining town on the shores of Australia. Along the way, Lizzo and Flea reimagine themselves as they learn the true stories of the people who laid the groundwork for their success--and inspired their art.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the roots of filmmaker Spike Lee and Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth, uncovering ancestors who made bold decisions to lay the groundwork for their success. Moving from the Texas frontier to World War One battlefields to plantations in the old South, Gates introduces his guests to the women and men who used their creativity to build a future for their families.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family secrets of actor Danielle Deadwyler and musician Rhiannon Giddens--two artists who are both deeply tied to their Southern heritage. Using genealogical detective work, Gates uncovers stories that his guests' ancestors went to great lengths to conceal--meeting heroes and villains--and celebrating the virtue of accepting one's relatives whoever they may be.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of actor Kate Burton and media mogul Barry Diller--two people who grew up in comfort, thanks to ancestors who did not. Moving from shtetls to coal mines to orphanages, Gates and his guests learn stories of extraordinary sacrifice and explore a profound question: what do we inherit from people whose lives were unimaginably more challenging than our own?