PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” consistently delivers compelling narratives, and this week’s episode looks to be no different. Sure, celebrity genealogy can feel a bit like “Hollywood navel-gazing,” but when it’s done right, it can illuminate broader historical and social trends. This week, married couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard bravely submit their DNA to the scrutiny of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
What skeletons will tumble out of their respective closets? Or, more accurately, what long-forgotten ancestors will emerge from the dusty archives? Gates, with his usual mix of scholarly precision and avuncular charm, is set to guide Bell and Shepard through their family trees, uncovering stories of soldiers, settlers, and perhaps even a few black sheep along the way. Will there be tales of wartime heroism or hardscrabble frontier life? Or maybe a surprising connection to a notorious historical figure?
The fun part of these episodes – aside from seeing how celebrities react to unexpected ancestral revelations – is seeing if any unexpected patterns emerge. The preview hints at some startling similarities between Bell and Shepard’s backgrounds. Now, I’m not expecting some kind of “separated-at-birth-reunited-by-genealogy” twist, but even a few shared ancestral threads could add an extra touch of heartwarming coincidence to the proceedings.
“Finding Your Roots” airs Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 8:00 PM on PBS.
