Review: Who Do You Think You Are?

Very few decent reality shows remain on TLC. It almost feels like they are being run off the air. An inspiring episode of The Little Couple can be followed by an exceptionally catty episode of Dance Moms or a regrettable glimpse of the little terrors of Toddlers & Tiaras. There wasn’t much keeping the channel grounded until Who Do You Think You Are? joined their family of shows.

The celebrity genealogy show has everything. It brings an interesting cast of beloved stars to the channel and an intimate look into their lives. Each week, WDYTYA? focuses on a celebrity’s genealogy and shadows them throughout the research process and journey to self-discovery. But the show also has a sense of adventure, intrigue, and a little romance. The season one opener boasted, “Family mysteries will be revealed. And everything they thought they knew will be rewritten. Lives will be changed. Roots will be discovered. Because to know who you are, you have to know where you came from.”

The show is a British import, originally created by Alex Graham and Wall to Wall Media. Across the pond, WDYTYA? is in its 11^th season and its success has inspired 17 other spin-offs across the globe, including the American version. The U.S. adaptation originally aired on NBC in 2010. Just two years later, it was nominated for an Emmy for an Outstanding Reality Program. After NBC’s cancellation, TLC picked it up in 2013 for its 4^th season. The show remains successful after the switch, having amassed almost 2 million viewers last year. WDYTYA? continues to be produced by Alex Graham in addition to Dan Bucatinsky, Lisa Kudrow, Don Roos, and Lucy Carter. Season 5 is set to air later this year.

WDYTYA? Takes both the celebrities and viewers on an emotional journey through personal heritage, world history, and self-discovery. It brings new meaning to “skeletons in the closet” and “heroes in the most unlikely places”. There is no such thing as a boring family and WDYTYA? proves it. At one point, Sarah Jessica Parker was trying to discover whether an ancestor had been convicted in the Salem Witch Trials and Chelsea Handler was researching a possible Nazi Party connection. There are as many dark points as there are light ones. Chris O’Donnell discovered over a hundred years of military service his family gave to the U.S., going as far back as the night of The Battle of Fort McHenry in 1812, which inspired the “Star-Spangled Banner”. While watching these amazing histories and discoveries unravel, the series stops being about one celebrity and opens up as a kind of collective history. It becomes an example of how everyone’s ancestors have influenced the world.

My favorite aspect of WDYTYA? is how it links social and personal history and makes these links easily visible in the present. One of the most moving moments in the series was during Kelly Clarkson’s episode. She had an incredible and heartfelt revelation after discovering her three times great-grandfather, a Union soldier, died during the Civil War after surviving in Andersonville, the worst POW camp in U.S. history. At the time of the episode, Clarkson had recently sung “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at President Obama’s second inauguration.  Through her happy tears, Clarkson shared, "I just got to perform at an inauguration for a man that never would have been able to be President if it weren't for the sacrifice of my three times great-grandfather…I wish and I hope that somewhere not only my three times great-grandfather, but all those people, know that what they fought for mattered."

Like any other television show, WDYTYA? may have a misleading portrayal of the research process, especially the time and effort involved. But that’s TV. Real-time genealogical research doesn’t occur instantly just as the results of real forensic tests can’t be instantly determined. There are a number of hired history and genealogy professions involved in any single episode to aid the process. The celebrities are also free to visit a range of historical and genealogical societies, actual sites, and even other countries, something the armchair genealogist isn’t always able to do. Also, as Ancestry.com is the main sponsor, there is quite a hullabaloo over the paid service. Despite the blatant marketing scheme, I find it incredibly useful to know what kind of tools are out there and how they can be used either as a starting point or potential source for amateur family historians like myself.

I have always been interested in genealogy and used to imagine what my ancestors had been like. I think it is a subject many people find intriguing and would be interested to learn more about. WDYTYA? definitely feeds my own curiosity and is one of the things that inspired my quest for self-discovery. I watched some of my favorite celebrities confront the same questions I struggled with. I was in awe over aged documents or in tears due to loss and/or courageous acts right alongside the stars. Over the course of the episode, they discovered new things about their ancestry but also themselves and that transformation stuck with me. I started thinking about what common threads I would find when I started looking backwards. Now that I am farther in my search, I agree with everyone who has participated in WDYTYA?; it has been such a gratifying experience. As Spike Lee said at the end of his journey, “I have always known who I am, but now I know more.”

"To me, she's a hero."

Zooey Deschanel's Grandmother's Photo

via TLC