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.
- 2012-2026
- 12 seasons
- PBS International
- Documentary, Suspense
- TV-PG
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.
Season 12 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2026
Episode 1
American Dreams
Tue, Jan 6, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers America Ferrera and Darren Criss' immigrant ancestors.
Episode 2
Great Migrations
Tue, Jan 13, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Latha.
Episode 3
Caribbean Roots
Tue, Jan 20, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the Caribbean heritage of Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo.
Episode 4
The Road We Took
Tue, Jan 27, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Lizzy Caplan and comedian Hasan Minha
Episode 5
Love & Basketball
Tue, Feb 3, 2026
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.
Episode 6
Westward Bound
Tue, Feb 10, 2026
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.
Episode 7
Family Harmonies
Tue, Feb 17, 2026
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.
Episode 8
Artistic Roots
Tue, Feb 24, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of director Spike Lee and actor Kristin Chenowith, neither of whom know much about their family background.
Episode 9
Song of the South
Tue, Apr 7, 2026
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the families of Danielle Deadwyler and Rhiannon Giddens and their Southern roots.
Episode 10
Rags to Riches
Tue, Apr 14, 2026
Henry Louis Gates Jr. maps the roots of actor Kate Burton (Richard Burton's daughter) and media mogul Barry Diller. Kate learns about her coal mining ancestors from Wales, and Barry learns about his Jewish grandfather and a family mystery.