Finding Your Roots

News and Quick Comments

Gates guides us through the past, bright and grim

As other shows bounce in and out of the PBS line-up, there’s one we can count on:
“Finding Your Roots” is usually there, With new episodes or reruns, it anchors most Tuesdays at 8 p.m., with Henry Louis Gages (shown here) finding deep insights into stars’ pasts.
The show has already done 11 seasons and 116 episodes, profiling about 232 people. Now a new season starts Jan. 6, adding 10 more hours.
It begin with a sometimes-cheery hour, focusing on actors America Ferrera and Darren Criss. Then things turn serious. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 2, 2026
News and Quick Comments

His family tree is filled with epic drama

Joe Manganiello’s fictional world has been filled with epic adventures. He’s played superheroes and spent years (in “True Blood”) as a werewolf, surrounded by vampires.
But his familiy’s real-life stories can almost match that. They include a heroic great-grandmother.
“If you’re Armenian, you’re descended from some form of survivor,” Manganiello (shown here) told the Television Critics Association. “So I just heard all these stories growing up.”
Then he linked with “Finding Your Roots,” to learn the specifics. The results – along with those of former football star Tony Gonzalez – will be shown at 8 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 7) on PBS, before the State of the Union address in most places and after it on the West Coast. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 5, 2023
Stories

He’s no MD, but he’s doing fine

In a tiny town in West Virginia, Pauline Gates was clear about this: Her two sons would be doctors.
One, Dr. Paul Gates, is, indeed, an oral surgeon. But the other descended into academia and fame.
That’s Henry Louis Gates Jr. (shown here), who is now one of PBS’ biggest stars. “It was a fantasy of mine,” Gates said. “I didn’t even realize that it was; I didn’t tell anybody.”
But here he is, filling our TV sets. PBS has been re-running his “Finding Your Roots” at 8 p.m. Tuesdays; it will have a fresh batch in January. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 30, 2022