The tenth season of the US family history TV show, Who Do You Think You Are?, returns to TLC on May 21. It will feature TV personalities Hilary Duff (Younger), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black), Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live), and Jean Smart (24).
Here’s what to expect to see this season:
- Hilary Duff traces her family history back to medieval Scotland, discovering royalty in her lineage, and an unbelievable tale of bravery.
- Jean Smart explores the curious tale of how her eight times great-grandmother roped her kids into a crime ring in colonial Massachusetts, before going on to be arrested for witchcraft — with a surprising outcome.
- Jon Cryer travels to Boston and learns that his nine times great-grandfather was an indentured servant who made his way to America under harrowing circumstances.
- Laverne Cox uncovers new information about the inspiring life of her three times great grandfather, who carved out his place in society just a few years after his emancipation from slavery. She begins her journey in Alabama, where DNA results and historical documents reveal her ancestor’s tenacity.
- Megan Mullally chases the dark legacy of her father’s line and uncovers the story of how her two times great-grandmother persevered, despite being caught in a cycle of domestic abuse.
- Molly Shannon travels to Ireland to unravel the mystery of her maternal line, uncovering ancestors who were forced to change their religion in the face of impending starvation, before she unexpectedly meets some of her distant cousins along the way.
I, and others I’ve talked to, prefer the older version of this show where they helped ordinary people with genealogy. I wonder how many others feel this way and how we could get the producers to go back to the other version.