The BEST episodes of Finding Your Roots season 8

Every episode of Finding Your Roots season 8, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Finding Your Roots season 8!

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
Things We Don't Discuss
star
9.00
4 votes

#1 - Things We Don't Discuss

Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/25/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. works with Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn, two guests whose family trees were obscured by scandals, to discover the truth about their ancestors.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Mexican Roots
star
9.00
2 votes

#2 - Mexican Roots

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/1/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s. Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.

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Activists Roots
star
8.57
7 votes

#3 - Activists Roots

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/11/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. welcomes Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, two guests who made profound sacrifices for social justice, and helps them discover the ancestors who made sacrifices for them.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Children of Exile
star
8.50
6 votes

#4 - Children of Exile

Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/4/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. retraces the ancestral journeys of David Chang and Raúl Esparza, whose families fled their homelands, leading them to find lost parts of themselves along the way.

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Forgotten Journeys
star
8.50
4 votes

#5 - Forgotten Journeys

Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/15/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their ancestors, uncovering crucial pieces of their own identities that were lost on the journey to America.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hidden in the Genes
star
8.09
11 votes

#6 - Hidden in the Genes

Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detective work, illuminating both history and their own identities.

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Fighters
star
7.67
6 votes

#7 - Fighters

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/8/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sits down with Terry Crews and Tony Danza, both guests who overcame adversity, to discover they aren’t the first in their families to beat the odds through sheer force of will.

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Watchmen
star
7.60
5 votes

#8 - Watchmen

Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/12/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides Regina King and Damon Lindelof, the creative forces behind a visionary television series, as they discover that they have more in common than meets the eye.

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Songs of the Past
star
7.25
4 votes

#9 - Songs of the Past

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/22/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. accompanies Broadway stars Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nathan Lane as they meet a cast of inspiring ancestors hidden in the branches of their family trees.

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Where Did We Come From?
star
0.00
0 votes

#10 - Where Did We Come From?

Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/19/2022

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley, three guests from diverse backgrounds, as they meet the ancestors who laid the groundwork for their success.

Watch Now:Apple TV