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FINDING YOUR ROOTS: Stranger Than Fiction

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and poet Rita Dove.
PBS
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and poet Rita Dove.

Premieres Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app

The acclaimed series returns with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. exploring the mysteries, surprises and revelations hidden in the family trees of popular figures.

Amy Tan Learns About Her Father's Past in China

On this episode, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family trees of two award-winning writers: novelist Amy Tan and poet Rita Dove—traveling across China and the American South to uncover long lost stories of the ancestors who inspired their work.

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FINDING YOUR ROOTS: Rita Dove's Ancestor Had Run-Ins With the Law

This episode will be available to stream with the PBS app.
The guest roster for Season 11 includes actors Kristen Bell, Laurence Fishburne, Debra Messing, Michael Imperioli, Melanie Lynskey, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lea Salonga, Amanda Seyfried, Dax Shepard, and Sharon Stone; celebrity chefs José Andrés and Sean Sherman; novelist Amy Tan; poet Rita Dove; historian Lonnie Bunch; talk show host Joy Behar; musician Rubén Blades; journalist Natalie Morales; and model Chrissy Teigen.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family tree of novelist Amy Tan.
PBS
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family tree of novelist Amy Tan.

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS: Season 11: Extended Trailer