For years and years, PBS has been putting together the popular program, Antiques Roadshow, a precursor to modern reality shows like Pawn Stars that gives random citizens an idea of how much heirlooms and other historical pieces are worth. Now, PBS is getting involved with a newer craze, genealogy, putting together a program that is fittingly titled Genealogy Roadshow.
We still have a while to wait before the new program airs. Genealogy Roadshow will hit the schedule next September, and like the network’s antique-based programming, the show will travel to different locations to help average citizens to understand their familial roots. In Season 1, experts in the fields of genealogy, history, and DNA will travel to four different locations to look into people’s histories. Season 1 will capture moments in locations as varied as Nashville, Austin, Detroit, and San Francisco.
According to a press release from the network, the set-up will be a little bit similar to Antiques Roadshow. People will show up with heirlooms, or maybe items of lesser monetary value but more emotional value, including letters, pictures, and historical documents. The team of experts will then attempt to put together a nice story and timeline concerning a person’s familial history. Because the team of experts will be going from location to location, they won’t always have a local historical context, and to help out the team, local historians will also be enlisted each episode in order to help people to learn more about their family histories.
People love genealogy searches and the show has already been a hit in Ireland, so this one seems like it should be an automatic winner for PBS. Genealogy Roadshow will premiere Monday, September 23 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS.
