Sad to say that it appears NBC is not picking up Who Do You Think You Are? for a fourth season.

If you missed last Friday’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, the full episode featuring Rashida Jones of Parks & Recreation is now available to view online here.

Below you can watch a highlight from the show, a deleted scene, and even a sneak peek at the next episode starring Jason Sudeikis of Saturday Night Live.

Rashida learns that her grandmother lived large in the NYC nightlife as a showgirl and dancer.

Rashida learns about her Irish Jewish roots and how her family prospered in that community.

Friday on the genealogy themed TV series Who Do You Think You Are?, Rob Lowe uncovered surprises about his family tree. Watch the full episode here. Plus, I’ve got two deleted scenes and a highlight below. And to top things off, get a sneak peek at the next episode featuring Rashida Jones, another star of NBC’s Parks and Recreation.

Martin Sheen’s enthusiasm for this recent Who Do You Think You Are? journey bubbled over during a recent telephone interview with the media. I asked him what he thought was the #1 reason folks should research their family history search – he identified personal enrichment as the key. But it was another reporter’s question that generated a surprising answer:

Question: “Before your experience with “Who Do You Think You Are?” were you were aware that there were family history resources like that online?”

Answer: “In fact I have watched the show. I am a big fan of the show…And so when they asked me I said yes without hesitation because I don’t own a computer and I’m way behind on these new methods of gaining information”  In fact, he want on to say he had never used a computer.

Did I hear him right?  Wait a second – in one of the opening scenes of his episode which I previewed this week, Martin sits at his dining room table in front of a computer and narrates the scene to say he’s going to go on Ancestry to start his search.


But isn’t everything on TV true? 


This little event was a healthy reminder that Who Do You Think You Are? is first and foremost entertainment and storytelling. And it executes this goal expertly. It’s a captivating show that thankfully continues to inspire newbies to consider the possibility of exploring their own family tree.


The footage of  the fabricated search is also a healthy reminder that not everything we see is true. And this can be applied to our own family history.  It’s tempting to take in every detail of a newly found old photo as an accurate representation of our ancestors.  And yet, our ancestors often donned outfits that only saw the light of day a few times a year.  And careful inspection of a carte de visite can reveal that the background is actually a drape over a shrubbery hedge in the front yard of the old homestead.


No spoiler alerts here as I have no intention of spilling the beans on what you will see tonight.  I will say that it will likely generate some lively discussion among genealogists, but you will certainly be entertained and inspired to keep at the important and satisfying work of family history investigation.  Just be sure to keep the salt shaker close by for when you need those few grains of salt.

Last night I finally found time to curl up in front of the fireplace and read the biography of a favorite actor of mine, Claude Rains. (Image left) My daughter Vienna gave me the book, as we regularly get together and watch his old movies recorded on DVR.

As I made my way through the tales of the years of his youth in London, I came across a name that had surfaced during my Cooke family history research a few months ago:  renowned British actor and theater producer Herbert Beerbohm Tree.

Rains got his start in early 20th century theater working for Tree at his Her Majesty’s Theatre as a page and call boy, and was soon promoted to prompter. At the same time, London actress Roberta E. Munns (born 1876) was a hit on the London stage - specifically Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s Her Majesty’s Theatre stage.  According to Grandfather Cooke’s unpublished autobiography, his Aunt Roberta had become quite famous, most notably starring in the lead in The Eternal City.

Based on these accounts, the Six Degrees of Separation between a film buff (me) and Claude Rains emerges:

1) I married Bill
2) Bill knew his Grandfather
3) Bill’s Grandfather knew Roberta Munns
4) Roberta Munns was prompted on her lines by Claude Rains.

Actually that may just be Four Degrees.  The Invisible Man appears in the Cooke Family History!

Are there Six Degrees of family history separating you from a famous figure or someone you admire?  Post your comments here!

I’ve been reading the blogs and Facebook postings about Who Do You Think You Are? and there’s an odd theme that keeps rearing it’s head that IMHO is off the mark.  I’m surprised that this particular criticism of the show continues to surface because I think NBC, Ancestry and the producers have been pretty straight forward about what the goal of the show is.  They probably didn’t think they had to say what the goal is not.

If you’d like to learn more about how to research your family history, I invite you to listen to the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast.  It’s free and will walk you through the research process step-by-step.