Genealogy meets celebrity in this NBC “reality” series. Compiling the debut 2010 season's first seven episodes, Who Do You Think You Are? follows famous individuals as they trace their family roots. Friends star Lisa Kudrow uncovers her grandmother's fate in World War II Poland and the identity of the relative who brought the news to her father years before. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker learns that one of her ancestors participated in the California Gold Rush and another played a part in the Salem Witch Trials, while her husband Matthew Broderick finds that his paternal grandfather was a World War I hero and another ancestor a Civil War soldier. Brooke Shields traces her line back to French royalty, and Susan Sarandon discovers secrets about her maternal grandmother (who abandoned her family), while also tracing her father's family back to Italy and France. Finally, football star Emmitt Smith and filmmaker Spike Lee investigate their slave ancestors. Who Do You Think You Are? captures the joy of genealogy, although since the findings were prepared by experts well in advance, the series doesn't convey the difficult detective work often required to ferret out long-buried revelations. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1
Acorn, 2 discs, 293 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 Volume 26, Issue 3
Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1
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