In a unique and highly emotional episode, actor Laurence Fishburne is joined by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.—who finds himself a guest on his own show for the first time. Both men have been haunted by profound family mysteries for years. Cutting-edge DNA detective work will solve those mysteries—introducing Laurence and Henry to ancestors whose names they have longed to hear.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the long-lost roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph and historian Lonnie Bunch—two African Americans whose ancestor's broke boundaries and forged families as they moved from slavery to freedom.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces actors Debra Messing & Melanie Lynskey to ancestors who made bold decisions that forever reshaped their family trees. Moving from shtetls in Eastern Europe to a fruit stand in NY City to the wilds of New Zealand, Gates introduces his guests to relatives who took great risks, overcame enormous hardships—and unwittingly transformed the lives of their descendants.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard—a married couple who whose ancestors had some remarkable similarities. Telling stories of soldiers, settlers and criminals, Gates compels the pair to reimagine their family trees.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of musician Rubén Blades and journalist Natalie Morales - interweaving stories from across Latin America. Along the way, both guests learn secrets that their ancestors tried hard to conceal.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of celebrity chefs José Andrés and Sean Sherman, traveling from small-town Spain to Native American lands in the Dakotas to reveal his guests' hidden connections to history—and to food.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestry of actor Sharon Stone & model Chrissy Teigen.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Italian roots of Joy Behar & Michael Imperioli.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces actors Lea Salonga and Amanda Seyfried to ancestors who are every bit as dramatic as the characters they've played on stage and screen. Moving from a naval base in the Philippines to a small town bakery in Pennsylvania to steamships on the Atlantic Ocean, Lea and Amanda hear stories of relatives who survived wars, murders, and heart-wrenching ordeals.