Finding Your Roots 2012
- Status
- Returning Series
- First Aired
- March 24, 2012
- Last Aired
- April 14, 2026
- Format
- 12 seasons · 126 eps
- Total Runtime
- ~126 hours (60 min/ep)
- Highest Rated Episode
- S9E1 "Hidden Kin" (★ 8/10)
- Network
- PBS
- Where to Stream
- PBS, PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel, PBS Living Amazon Channel
Streaming data from JustWatch
★ TMDB users: 6.5/10 from 20 votes TV-PG Documentary 12 seasons · 126 eps Returning Series
Where to watch:
PBSWETA+The Roku ChannelPluto TVPlexKQEDHooplaPBS Documentaries Amazon ChannelPBS Living Amazon ChannelThirteenAmazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesFandango At HomePBS America Amazon Channel
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Quick answer
What is Finding Your Roots?
The television series "Finding Your Roots" is a documentary series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. that explores the ancestry of its guests.
- Type
- TV series
- Year
- 2012
- Status
- Returning Series
- Episodes
- 126
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- First aired
- Mar 24, 2012
- Last aired
- Apr 14, 2026
- Original language
- EN
- Origin
- US
- Networks
- PBS
- Genres
- Documentary
- Updated
Series guide
At a glance
- Rating
- ★ TMDB users: 6.5/10 from 20 votes
- Format
- 12 seasons · 126 episodes
- Episode runtime
- ~60 minutes
- Status
- Returning Series
- Network
- PBS
Availability by region
Where to watch in United States
Stream
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with AdsFree
HooplaBuy
Apple TV StoreStream
PBS Documentaries Amazon ChannelFree
HooplaBuy
Apple TV StoreStream
PBS America Amazon ChannelBuy
Apple TV Store
Amazon VideoStream
PBSPBS Documentaries Amazon Channel
PBS Living Amazon Channel
Thirteen
WETA+Free
HooplaPBSWETA+With ads
The Roku Channel
Pluto TV
Plex
KQEDBuy
Amazon VideoApple TV Store
Google Play Movies
Fandango At HomeStreaming availability data provided by JustWatch via TMDB. Availability changes by country and date; verify on the provider before subscribing or purchasing.
Planning tool
How long to binge?
Estimate the schedule using 126 episodes and an average 60-minute runtime.
Trailer
Overview
The television series "Finding Your Roots" is a documentary series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. that explores the ancestry of its guests. In each episode, 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. This allows the guests to travel thousands of years into the past and discover the origins of their earliest forebears. The series features a diverse range of guests, including celebrities, who are presented with a "book of life" compiled with information researched by professional genealogists. The show is hosted by a noted Harvard scholar and has been well-received by audiences.
Sources & verification
Finding Your Roots (TV Series 2012- ) - Full cast & crew - IMDb
Finding Your Roots (TV Series 2012- ) - Cast & Crew — The Movie ...
Finding Your Roots — The Movie Database (TMDB)
Finding Your Roots (2012) - Complete Cast - flickfocus.com
Finding Your Roots (2012) Full Cast & Crew - Plex
Finding Your Roots - Wikipedia
How Archytele verifies pages
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Should you watch it?
“Henry Louis Gates Jr. guides guests through the hidden histories of their ancestral family trees.”
Reasons to watch
- combines genealogical research with genetic science
- offers deep historical context
Keep in mind
- focuses primarily on individual family histories
Watch it if you are interested in genealogy and the scientific study of human ancestry.
The series features historical discussions that may include sensitive topics related to ancestral origins.
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Your verdict
Is Finding Your Roots worth watching?
Cast
Comprehensive Directory
Episode guide
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Season 1 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide & lore primer →- E1 Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. Mytharc Mar 24, 2012
- E2 John Lewis and Cory Booker Core Mar 24, 2012
- E3 Barbara Walters and Geoffrey Canada Core Apr 1, 2012
- E4 Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon Core Apr 7, 2012
- E5 Rick Warren, Angela Buchdahl and Yasir Qadhi Core Apr 14, 2012
- E6 Robert Downey, Jr. and Maggie Gyllenhaal Core Apr 28, 2012
- E7 Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice and Ruth Simmons Core Apr 29, 2012
- E8 Martha Stewart, Margaret Cho and Sanjay Gupta Core May 6, 2012
- E9 John Legend and Wanda Sykes Mytharc May 13, 2012
- E10 Adrian Grenier, Michelle Rodriguez and Linda Chavez Mytharc May 20, 2012
Season 2 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 2 guide & lore primer →- E1 In Search of our Fathers Mytharc Sep 23, 2014
- E2 Born Champions Core Sep 30, 2014
- E3 Our American Storytellers Core Oct 7, 2014
- E4 Roots of Freedom Core Oct 14, 2014
- E5 The Melting Pot Core Oct 21, 2014
- E6 We Come From People Core Oct 28, 2014
- E7 Our People, Our Traditions Core Nov 4, 2014
- E8 The British Invasion Core Nov 11, 2014
- E9 Ancient Roots Mytharc Nov 18, 2014
- E10 Decoding Our Past Through DNA Mytharc Nov 25, 2014
Season 3 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 3 guide & lore primer →- E1 The Stories We Tell Mytharc Jan 5, 2016
- E2 The Irish Factor Core Jan 12, 2016
- E3 In Search Of Freedom Core Jan 19, 2016
- E4 Tragedy + Time = Comedy Core Jan 26, 2016
- E5 Visionaries Core Feb 2, 2016
- E6 War Stories Core Feb 9, 2016
- E7 Family Reunions Mytharc Feb 16, 2016
- E8 The Pioneers Core Feb 23, 2016
- E9 The Long Way Home Mytharc Mar 1, 2016
- E10 Maps of Stars Mytharc Mar 8, 2016
Season 4 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 4 guide & lore primer →- E1 The Impression Mytharc Oct 2, 2017
- E2 Unfamiliar Kin Core Oct 10, 2017
- E3 Puritans and Pioneers Core Oct 17, 2017
- E4 The Vanguard Core Oct 24, 2017
- E5 Immigrant Nation Core Oct 31, 2017
- E6 Black Like Me Core Nov 7, 2017
- E7 Children of the Revolution Core Nov 14, 2017
- E8 Relatives We Never Knew We Had Core Nov 21, 2017
- E9 Southern Roots Mytharc Dec 12, 2017
- E10 Funny Business Mytharc Dec 19, 2017
Season 5 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 5 guide & lore primer →- E1 Grandparents and Other Strangers Mytharc Jan 8, 2019
- E2 Mystery Men Core Jan 15, 2019
- E3 Reporting on the Reporters Core Jan 22, 2019
- E4 Dreaming of a New Land Core Jan 29, 2019
- E5 Freedom Tales Core Feb 5, 2019
- E6 Roots in Politics Core Feb 12, 2019
- E7 No Laughing Matter Mytharc Feb 19, 2019
- E8 Hard Times Core Feb 26, 2019
- E9 The Eye of the Beholder Mytharc Apr 2, 2019
- E10 All in the Family Mytharc Apr 9, 2019
Season 6 · 16 episodes
Open the complete Season 6 guide & lore primer →- E1 Hollywood Royalty Mytharc Oct 8, 2019
- E2 Off the Farm Core Oct 15, 2019
- E3 Homecomings Core Jan 7, 2020
- E4 This Land is My Land Core Jan 14, 2020
- E5 Beyond the Pale Core Jan 21, 2020
- E6 Secrets & Lies Core Jan 28, 2020
- E7 Science Pioneers Core Feb 4, 2020
- E8 Slave Trade Core Feb 11, 2020
- E9 Italian Roots Mytharc Feb 18, 2020
- E10 Criminal Kind Core Feb 25, 2020
- E11 Fashion's Roots Core Oct 13, 2020
- E12 DNA Mysteries Core Oct 20, 2020
- E13 War Stories Core Nov 10, 2020
- E14 Flight Core Nov 17, 2020
- E15 Breaking Silences Mytharc Jan 5, 2021
- E16 Coming to America Mytharc Jan 12, 2021
Season 7 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 7 guide & lore primer →- E1 To the Manor Born Mytharc Jan 19, 2021
- E2 The Mole Agent Core Jan 26, 2021
- E3 No Irish Need Apply Core Feb 2, 2021
- E4 The Shirts on Their Backs Mytharc Feb 9, 2021
- E5 Write My Name in the Book of Life Core Feb 16, 2021
- E6 Country Roots Core Feb 23, 2021
- E7 The New World Core Apr 13, 2021
- E8 Anchored to the Past Core Apr 20, 2021
- E9 On Broadway Mytharc Apr 27, 2021
- E10 Laughing on the Inside Mytharc May 4, 2021
Season 8 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 8 guide & lore primer →- E1 Hidden in the Genes Mytharc Jan 4, 2022
- E2 Children of Exile Core Jan 4, 2022
- E3 Activists Roots Mytharc Jan 11, 2022
- E4 Things we Dont Discuss Core Jan 25, 2022
- E5 Mexican Roots Core Feb 1, 2022
- E6 Fighters Core Feb 8, 2022
- E7 Incredible Journeys Core Feb 15, 2022
- E8 Songs of the Past Core Feb 22, 2022
- E9 Watchmen Mytharc Apr 12, 2022
- E10 Where Did We Come From? Mytharc Apr 19, 2022
Season 9 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 9 guide & lore primer →- E1 Hidden Kin Mytharc Jan 3, 2023
- E2 Salem's Lot Core Jan 10, 2023
- E3 Secret Lives Core Jan 17, 2023
- E4 Far From Home Core Jan 24, 2023
- E5 Rising From the Ashes Core Jan 31, 2023
- E6 Family: Lost and Found Core Feb 7, 2023
- E7 Chosen Core Feb 14, 2023
- E8 And Still I Rise Mytharc Feb 21, 2023
- E9 Anchormen Mytharc Mar 28, 2023
- E10 Out of the Past Mytharc Apr 4, 2023
Season 10 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 10 guide & lore primer →- E1 Born To Sing Mytharc Jan 2, 2024
- E2 Forever Young Core Jan 9, 2024
- E3 Fathers and Sons Core Jan 16, 2024
- E4 Buried Secrets Core Jan 23, 2024
- E5 Hold the Laughter Core Jan 30, 2024
- E6 Far and Away Core Feb 6, 2024
- E7 The Brick Wall Falls Core Feb 13, 2024
- E8 Mean Streets Core Feb 20, 2024
- E9 In the Blood Mytharc Apr 2, 2024
- E10 "Viewers Like You" Mytharc Apr 9, 2024
Season 11 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 11 guide & lore primer →- E1 Larger Than Life Mytharc Jan 7, 2025
- E2 La Famiglia Core Jan 14, 2025
- E3 Stranger Than Fiction Core Jan 21, 2025
- E4 Dreamers One and All Core Jan 28, 2025
- E5 Family Recipes Core Feb 4, 2025
- E6 Latin Roots Core Feb 11, 2025
- E7 The Ties That Bind Core Feb 18, 2025
- E8 The Butterfly Effect Core Feb 25, 2025
- E9 Moving on Up Mytharc Apr 1, 2025
- E10 Finding My Roots Mytharc Apr 8, 2025
Season 12 · 10 episodes
Open the complete Season 12 guide & lore primer →- E1 American Dreams Mytharc Jan 6, 2026
- E2 Great Migrations Core Jan 13, 2026
- E3 Caribbean Roots Core Jan 20, 2026
- E4 The Road We Took Core Jan 27, 2026
- E5 Love & Basketball Core Feb 3, 2026
- E6 Westward Bound Core Feb 10, 2026
- E7 Family Harmonies Core Feb 17, 2026
- E8 Artistic Roots Core Feb 24, 2026
- E9 Song of the South Mytharc Apr 7, 2026
- E10 Rags to Riches Mytharc Apr 14, 2026
Verified insights
Frequently asked questions
Who hosts the series?
The series is hosted by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
What methods are used to research ancestry?
The show utilizes a team of genealogists to trace paper trails and geneticists to analyze DNA.
What is the goal of the show?
The goal is to help guests discover long-lost relatives and the origins of their earliest forebears.
Does the show explore ancient history?
Yes, the use of DNA analysis allows the show to explore ancestry dating back thousands of years.
Who participates in the research?
The research is conducted by a team of professional genealogists and leading geneticists.
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