Show of the week: Faces of America With Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Gates expands his genealogical research to trace the backgrounds of prominent non-African-American figures.­

In previous documentaries, Harvard scholar Gates has drawn on the latest genetic techniques in order to trace the genealogical backgrounds of several prominent African-Americans. For this new four-part series, he has widened his mission to include figures­ of other ethnicities. This week he reveals the family stories of filmmaker Mike Nichols, Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Later subjects will include Stephen ­Colbert, Meryl Streep, and Jordan’s Queen Noor. Wednesdays, Feb. 10–March 3, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up