The BEST episodes of Finding Your Roots season 3

Every episode of Finding Your Roots season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Finding Your Roots season 3!

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the 12th and latest series from the renowned cultural critic and Harvard scholar. In this 10-part series, Professor Gates continues the quest he begun in African American Lives 1 and 2 and Faces of America delving into the genealogy and genetics of an all new group of famous Americans. The series combines history and science in a fascinating exploration of race, family, and identity in today's America. Each hour features a different pair of celebrity guests, who are bound together by an intimate, sometimes hidden link, whether it be as old friends, through long-lost relatives, or even through a common ancestral past.

Last Updated: 12/7/2024Network: PBSStatus: Continuing
Family Reunions
star
8.38
26 votes

#1 - Family Reunions

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/16/2016

Uncover family mysteries about two legends of hip hop, Sean Combs and LL Cool J, through the use of DNA technology that reveals information that shakes their very foundations.

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The Stories We Tell
star
8.30
27 votes

#2 - The Stories We Tell

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/5/2016

The Season 3 premiere features Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, actor Ty Burrell and artist Kara Walker, who learn how the legacy of slavery has helped shape them.

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Maps of Stars
star
8.23
31 votes

#3 - Maps of Stars

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/8/2016

Learn how Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow, who last shared the screen together in 1969, also share a history of tragic deaths in their families that played major roles in shaping future generations.

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Tragedy + Time = Comedy
star
7.96
24 votes

#4 - Tragedy + Time = Comedy

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/26/2016

Uncover a history of tragedies and triumphs in the families of three of America's funniest men--Jimmy Kimmel, Norman Lear and Bill Hader-as they learn how comedy truly has its place in all aspects of life.

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In Search of Freedom
star
7.80
25 votes

#5 - In Search of Freedom

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/19/2016

Learn how the ancestors of Maya Rudolph, Shonda Rhimes and Keenen Ivory Wayans struggled for freedom, and how each of these cultural trailblazers gain a new understanding of how they fit into this proud trajectory.

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The Long Way Home
star
7.60
20 votes

#6 - The Long Way Home

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/1/2016

Discover how actress Julianna Marguiles, author Azar Nafisi and chef Lidia Bastianich are bound together by their ancestors' singular and deeply human desire to preserve their most cherished traditions.

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The Irish Factor
star
7.53
30 votes

#7 - The Irish Factor

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/2016

Explore the shared Irish ancestry of Soledad O'Brien, Bill O'Reilly and Bill Maher and how they have been deeply influenced by their Irish roots.

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War Stories
star
7.52
21 votes

#8 - War Stories

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/9/2016

Senator John McCain and Oscar winning actresses Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette sit down with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to look at the military service in their families.

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Visionaries
star
7.44
18 votes

#9 - Visionaries

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/2/2016

Discover how the ancestors of business mogul Richard Branson and architects Maya Lin and Frank Gehry took audacious risks to create opportunities, and how their luck, ingenuity and chutzpah was passed on to these three visionaries.

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The Pioneers
star
7.39
18 votes

#10 - The Pioneers

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/23/2016

Discover how Neil Patrick Harris, Gloria Steinem and Sandra Cisneros are connected to pioneers who broke new ground and paved the way for their modern day descendants to continue shaping our culture.

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