WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?: SEASON ONE

The NBC series Who Do You Think You Are? brings a bit of Hollywood glamor to the bookish field of genealogy.

Chances are you already have a pretty strong sense of who you think you are.  Most of us have been told enough family lore from living relatives to identify with a specific heritage, but how many Americans really know who their ancestors are?  You might know that your family is Irish, Swedish, or Italian, but do you know their story?

The NBC series Who Do You Think You Are? brings a bit of Hollywood glamor to the bookish field of genealogy.  Instead of little old ladies gathered in library meeting rooms, we have familiar faces traveling the world to speak to librarians, genealogists, historians, and long lost family members, making the whole process more relatable and immediate.

Sarah Jessica Parker traces her roots back to the Salem Witch Trials.  Husband Matthew Broderick’s family tree leads to war in France and America.  Football hero Emmitt Smith finds slave ancestors in Benin.  Susan Sarandon explores the unconventional life of her grandmother.  Brooke Shields discovers she’s connected to royalty, and Lisa Kudrow tackles the sobering task of tracing her great-grandmother’s journey through the Holocaust.  The series takes us beyond names and places on a family tree and brings genealogy to life, inspiring curiosity and appreciation for the past.