PBS’s documentary series Finding Your Roots is set to feature a new collection of “Books of Life” that will reveal a lot about the celebrity’s life and ancestry. This season, we will be hosting exciting guests like Brendan Fraser, Jesse Williams, Michael Douglas, and many others.
Finding Your Roots is a family history show that compiles all available information about a celebrity guest who will be participating in the documentary’s episodes. By using available records and extensive research by genealogy experts, this show can bring the person’s ancestral histories into the light, along with other secrets about their lineage.
Too often, we end up seeing a connection between celebrities that they would have never thought about in their wildest dreams. A single episode can involve more than one celebrity, and if that happens, it usually means that the guests featured are somehow connected through their ancestors.
So far, Finding Your Roots has been able to successfully document the family history of celebrities like Rebecca Hall, John Waters, Clint Black, and various other popular people who have been a part of the Hollywood or music industry.
Recap
Henry Louis Gates Jr. began season 9 with a deep dive into Julia Roberts and Edward Norton’s ancestral history. Julia already knew that her family had Swedish roots somewhere in her family, but when Henry brought her book of life, it turned out most of her maternal ancestors were purely Swedish.
Roberts wasn’t even a Roberts; She would instead be a “Julia Mitchell” if her name were historically accurate. Julia’s ancestors used to work as states in farmlands and had come to the US in a boat to improve their lives.
Julia’s parents weren’t able to become successful actors, but she carried their ambitions and brought their dreams to life. While Julia looks at her Book of Life, the next guest, Edward Norton, is interviewed about his family history.
Unlike Julia, Edward knew a lot more about his ancestors and where they were from. One of Edward’s ancestors was so honest that he got into a messy feud and was bludgeoned to death sometime in his life. Norton’s 12th great-great grandmother turns out to be the well-known historical figure Pocahontas.
After Both Edward and Julia see their Books of life, Henry reveals that somewhere along the way, both of their ancestors got married, and they were now distant relatives. This season also featured genealogy research of comedians Carol Burnett, Niecy Nash, Viola Davis, and Brian Cox.
Viola and Brian’s ancestors had one of the hardest lives while in Scotland, where they worked in slave plantations and had to travel miles of land just to improve their living conditions. Journalists Jim Acosta and Van Jones also had a similar ancestral history, where they struggled to live as runaway slaves just so their descendants could have good lives.
Episode Schedule
An all-new 10-part season of Finding Your Roots will start airing on January 2nd, 2024. Unseen episodes featuring new celebrities and other people will be coming out on Tuesdays, with each episode having a run time of 60-65 minutes.
Finding Your Roots Season 10 episode schedule:
- Episode 1: January 2nd, 2024
- Episode 2: January 9th, 2024
- Episode 3: January 16th, 2024
- Episode 4: January 23rd, 2024
- Episode 5: January 30th, 2024
- Episode 6: February 6th, 2024
- Episode 7: February 13th, 2024
- Episode 8: February 20th, 2024
- Episode 9: February 27th, 2024
- Episode 10: March 5th, 2024
Streaming Guide
PBS will be coming out with a new and interesting season of Finding Your Roots at 8:00 PM ET & 7:00 PM CT. Besides PBS, Finding Your Roots will also be available to stream on Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube in limited locations. Viewers outside of the US may have to use a VPN to access the new season of Finding Your Roots.
Episode release time of Finding Your Roots in other countries:
- United Kingdom: 1:00 AM, Wednesdays
- Germany: 2:00 AM, Wednesdays
- Australia: 12:00 PM, Wednesdays
- Philippines: 9:00 AM, Wednesdays
- Canada: 8:00 PM, Tuesdays
Henry Louis Gates Jr. returns with a new season of Finding Your Roots this year, featuring new celebrities and well-known people from different industries. Seeing their genealogy & family history be broken down into simple connections is always intriguing, and that’s why this PBS show continues to be popular despite being almost 12 years old.
