Jesse Sweet

CITY OF JOEL follows an ultra-orthodox Hasidic sect as they wage a turf war with their secular neighbors. 50 miles north of New York City, the Satmar sect has thrived in a 1.1 square mile religious haven called Kiryas Joel, or City of Joel, for over 40 years. With some of the highest rates of marriage, birth, and religious observance in the US, their success has come at a price, as Kiryas Joel is no longer big enough to hold its 22,000 members. Nominated...

Deval Patrick is the first African American Governor of Massachusetts, and Jessica Alba is an actress who proudly embraces her Mexican American heritage. But cutting edge DNA analysis reveals that their family trees in fact contain a far more diverse range of cultures and races.

Three guests whose ancestry demonstrates the extraordinary influence of the British Empire during the 18th and early 19th century: Sally Field discovers that she descends from William Bradford, who arrived on the Mayflower and helped his fellow English Puritans establish their new lives in colonial America and later discovers that her ancestors sided with the British crown during our nation’s War of Independence and paid the ultimate price; Deepak...

Three of America’s greatest athletes, whose determination and love of sports were deeply shaped by their families, were all cut off from their true origins. Billie Jean King learns the story of her grandmother, who had always kept her orphan status a secret. Derek Jeter confronts his ancestors’ lives as slaves and learns that they were owned by a white man named James Jeter — the source of the Jeter name and Derek’s third great-grandfather....

Three celebrated Americans who share not only a Jewish heritage but also a history of perseverance in the face of withering opposition. Tony Kushner delves into the history of the Holocaust to discover his ancestors’ fate; Carole King discovers the origins of her family name and confronts the reality of the discrimination her ancestors faced once they arrived in America; and Alan Dershowitz discovers that the first Hassidic synagogue in Brooklyn,...

Three celebrity chefs who cook the food of their ancestors discover family members who have shaped their lives — and America’s cuisine. Tom Colicchio of “Top Chef” learns the hardships his family endured (famine, bandits) living in a tiny town in Northern Italy and celebrates the courage of his original immigrant ancestor, a man who crossed the Atlantic many times to bring the Colicchios to the United States; Ming Tsai, the child of immigrants...

A compelling combination of storytelling and science, this series uses genealogy, oral histories, family stories and DNA to trace roots of several accomplished African Americans down through American history and back to Africa.

Presented and written by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this series journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history. Part 4: The ancestral pasts of married Hollywood actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.

Presented and written by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this series journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history. Part 6: A look at the ancestral pasts of actors Robert Downey, Jr. and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Presented and written by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this series journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history. Part 8: The ancestral pasts of Sanjay Gupta, Margaret Cho and Martha Stewart.