Hazel Gurland-Pooler
Director
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012)
Season 6
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.
Released March 24, 2012
Episode 59 min
12+
Genres: Biography, Documentary, History
Keywords: tmdb.dna, tmdb.celebrity, tmdb.ancestry, mdblist.has-trailer, tmdb.genealogy, imdb.world-history, imdb.genetic-testing + 35 more, imdb.dna, imdb.nature-versus-nurture, imdb.slavery, imdb.holocaust, imdb.family-history, imdb.american-history, imdb.genealogy, imdb.jewish-american, imdb.family-tree, imdb.antisemitism, imdb.world-war-two, imdb.pogrom, imdb.antebellum-south, imdb.slave, imdb.census, imdb.immigrant, imdb.african-american, imdb.asian-american, imdb.american-civil-war, imdb.latino-american, imdb.family-secret, imdb.american, imdb.19th-century, imdb.melting-pot, imdb.great-britain, imdb.family-mystery, imdb.american-revolutionary-war, imdb.american-revolution, imdb.soldier, imdb.slave-owner, imdb.18th-century, imdb.professor, imdb.social-documentary, awards.emmy-award-nominated, imdb.history-documentary
Watch Providers: The Roku Channel, PBS, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Plex + 6 more, Plex Channel, PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel, PBS Living Amazon Channel, KQED, Thirteen, WETA+
Production Companies: Kunhardt McGee Productions, Ark Media, Inkwell Films
Network: PBS
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S6E1 - Hollywood Royalty
Actresses Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow explore their family histories, generations beyond their cinematic forebears.
Oct. 8, 2019, midnight
S6E2 - Off the Farm
Actors Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet retrace their ancestral journeys.
Oct. 15, 2019, midnight
S6E3 - Homecomings
Sterling K. Brown, Jon Batiste and Sasheer Zamata learn about the unexpected places their ancestors called home.
Jan. 7, 2020, midnight
S6E4 - This Land is My Land
The unexpected family trees of Queen Latifah and Jeffrey Wright challenge preconceptions about America's past.
Jan. 14, 2020, midnight
S6E5 - Beyond the Pale
Exploring the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross and comic Marc Maron.
Jan. 21, 2020, midnight
S6E6 - Secrets & Lies
Sigourney Weaver, Justina Machado and Amy Ryan explore their ancestry.
Jan. 28, 2020, midnight
S6E7 - Science Pioneers
Tracing the family histories of scientists Harold Varmus, Francis Collins and Shirley Ann Jackson.
Feb. 4, 2020, midnight
S6E8 - Slave Trade
Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson and Ava DuVernay explore the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery.
Feb. 11, 2020, midnight
S6E9 - Italian Roots
Marisa Tomei, Jimmy Kimmel and John Turturro learn about the sacrifices their ancestors made to bring their families from Italy to America.
Feb. 18, 2020, midnight
S6E10 - Criminal Kind
The family histories of Laura Linney, Lisa Ling and Soledad O'Brien reveal tricksters, scoundrels and criminals.
Feb. 25, 2020, midnight
S6E11 - Fashion's Roots
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.
Oct. 13, 2020, midnight
S6E12 - DNA Mysteries
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.)
Oct. 20, 2020, midnight
S6E13 - War Stories
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.)
Nov. 10, 2020, midnight
S6E14 - Flight
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.)
Nov. 17, 2020, midnight
S6E15 - Breaking Silences
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.
Jan. 5, 2021, midnight
S6E16 - Coming to America
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.
Jan. 12, 2021, midnight
Network: PBS
Episode Runtime: 59 min.
Season Runtime: 7080 min.
Released: March 24, 2012
Last Air Date: April 8, 2025, midnight
Next Air Date: Jan. 6, 2026, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: TV-PG
Common sense age: 12+
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