Show cover for Finding Your Roots

The Best Episodes of Finding Your Roots Season 3

Every episode of Finding Your Roots Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Finding Your Roots Season 3!

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees....
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS

Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Stories We Tell" is the best rated episode of "Finding Your Roots" season 3. It scored 7.9/10 based on 37 votes. Directed by Jesse Sweet and written by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., it aired on 1/5/2016. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The Irish Factor".

  • The Stories We Tell
    7.9/1037 votes

    #1 - The Stories We Tell

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 1/5/2016

    Discover the unsolved mysteries behind the family stories of political organizer Donna Brazile, actor Ty Burrell and artist Kara Walker as they learn how the legacy of slavery has shaped their identities.

    Director: Jesse Sweet

    Writer: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

  • The Irish Factor
    7.5/1041 votes

    #2 - The Irish Factor

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/2016

    Explore the shared Irish ancestry of three powerful social commentators of our times, Bill Maher, Soledad O'Brien, and Bill O'Reilly.

    Director: Josh Gleason

    Writer: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

  • In Search Of Freedom
    8.0/1044 votes

    #3 - In Search Of Freedom

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 1/19/2016

    Learn how the ancestors of Maya Rudolph, Shonda Rhimes and Keenen Ivory Wayans struggled for freedom, and how each of these cultural trailblazers gain a new understanding of how they fit into this proud trajectory.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Tragedy + Time = Comedy
    8.1/1039 votes

    #4 - Tragedy + Time = Comedy

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 1/26/2016

    Uncover a history of tragedies and triumphs in the families of three of America’s funniest men–Jimmy Kimmel, Norman Lear and Bill Hader—as they learn how comedy truly has its place in all aspects of life.

    Director: Hazel Gurland-Pooler

    Writer: N/A

  • Visionaries
    7.7/1028 votes

    #5 - Visionaries

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 2/2/2016

    Discover how the ancestors of business mogul Richard Branson and architects Maya Lin and Frank Gehry took audacious risks to create opportunities, and how their luck, ingenuity and chutzpah was passed on to these three visionaries.

    Director: Hazel Gurland-Pooler

    Writer: N/A

  • War Stories
    8.0/1038 votes

    #6 - War Stories

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/9/2016

    Patricia Arquette, Senator John McCain, and Julianne Moore explore their genealogical heritage with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Family Reunions
    8.3/1038 votes

    #7 - Family Reunions

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2/16/2016

    Uncover family mysteries about two legends of hip hop, Sean Combs and LL Cool J, through the use of DNA technology, which reveals information that shakes their very foundations.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Pioneers
    7.9/1037 votes

    #8 - The Pioneers

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2/23/2016

    Discover how Neil Patrick Harris, Gloria Steinem and Sandra Cisneros are connected to pioneers who broke new ground and paved the way for their modern day descendants to continue shaping our culture.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Long Way Home
    7.8/1031 votes

    #9 - The Long Way Home

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 3/1/2016

    Discover how actress Julianna Margulies, author Azar Nafisi and chef Lidia Bastianich are bound together by their ancestors’ singular and deeply human desire to preserve their most cherished traditions.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Maps of Stars
    8.0/1035 votes

    #10 - Maps of Stars

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 3/8/2016

    Learn how Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow, who last shared the screen together in 1969, also share a history of tragic deaths in their families that played major roles in shaping future generations.

    Director: Phil Bertelsen

    Writer: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.