Faces of America

Faces of America
Also known asFaces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
GenreDocumentary
Directed byJohn Maggio
Presented byHenry Louis Gates Jr.
ComposerMichael Bacon
Country of originUnited States
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducersBarak Goodman, Sue Williams, John Maggio, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., William R. Grant, Peter Kunhardt, Dyllan Mcgee
Running time55 minutes (roughly)
Production companyKunhardt McGee Productions
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseFebruary 10 (2010-02-10) –
March 3, 2010 (2010-03-03)
Related

Faces of America is a four-part Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television television series hosted by Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr..[1] The series originally aired February 10 to March 3, 2010 from 8–9 p.m. ET.[2] In Australia, this program aired on SBS One each Sunday at 7:30pm from 9 -30 January 2011.[3]

About

It uses genealogical research and genetics to find the family history of 12 Americans: Elizabeth Alexander, Mario Batali, Stephen Colbert, Louise Erdrich, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria, Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Nichols, Queen Noor of Jordan, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Meryl Streep, and Kristi Yamaguchi.[1]

In the series finale, Gates explored the emerging use of full genome sequencing to understand personal ancestry and health, by learning what might be inferred from his whole genome sequence, and that of his father, through in-depth analysis by a personal genomics company (Knome) and the Broad Institute.

In 2012, PBS aired Finding Your Roots, also examining questions of genealogy and genetics, hosted by Gates.[4] This program became a ongoing series. As of 2022 it was still in production, and will present new episodes in early 2023.

Episodes

No. Title Original air date
1"Our American Stories"February 10, 2010 (2010-02-10)
This episode explores the ups and downs of immigration into America during the 20th century.[5]
2"Becoming American"February 16, 2010 (2010-02-16)
3"Making America"February 23, 2010 (2010-02-23)
4"Know Thyself"March 2, 2010 (2010-03-02)

Reception

Dave Walker of New Orleans Times-Picayune wrote "Surprising, fascinating, ultimately uniting."[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Stanley, Alessandra (February 9, 2010). "Henry Louis Gates Jr. Looks at Americans' Genealogy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  2. ^ PBS WNET: About Faces of America. Accessed online 7 March 2010.
  3. ^ "SBS Documentary Synopsis: Faces of America". SBS Television Online. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Finding Your Roots. PBS. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  5. ^ "Video: Our American Stories - Watch Faces of America Online - PBS Video". PBS Video. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Walker, Dave (February 10, 2010). "Eva Longoria and Yo-Yo Ma cousins? Genetics researcher's PBS special looks at the tiny building blocks behind some really big names". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved June 21, 2022.