"Who Do You Think You Are?" to Appear on U.S. Television

NBC Television will soon launch a US version of the hit BBC genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are?" The new program will be co-executive produced by Friends star Lisa Kudrow.

I have written many times about "Who Do You Think You Are?" which is a very popular television show being broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Television. It also has been exported to Canada, Australia and elsewhere for locally-produced programs that follow the same format. To read my earlier articles on "Who Do You Think You Are?" look at http://tinyurl.com/2sk59n.

The NBC network recently signed a contract with UK producer Wall to Wall. Program executives are now researching the family trees of several interested U.S. celebrities to see if they have compelling enough backgrounds.

The NBC version will be produced by Wall to Wall in association with Lisa Kudrow's company, Is or Isn't Entertainment. The actress will co-executive produce the format with her business partner, Dan Bucatinsky, and the Wall to Wall chief executive, Alex Graham.

"Who Do You Think You Are?" launched on BBC2 in 2004 and will air its fifth series this year on BBC1. The U.S. version will not air until the fall of 2008, at the earliest.

Comments

[Betty]

Hi Dick. A year or two ago I heard about several TV shows that were being shown in Canada that I might want to watch. I use COMCAST in my home and I didn't see "Canadian television stations" mentioned on my "channel line-up." So, I called Customer Service. I was told that I "could" get "one" Canadian channel IF I paid something like $12 extra dollars per month.

Since we already pay so much for COMCAST services, I choose not to add to the costs. But I thought about it again and checked their web site, and see a "Canadian channel" is still not mentioned on their "channel line-up" - either on-line or on-paper.

I might decide to call Customer Service again. I'm curious why they don't tell their customers that the channel is available.

[Happy Dae]

Hmmmm. This post begins with "NBC Television will soon launch a US version..." and then ends with "The U.S. version will not air until the fall of 2008, at the earliest." And yet, thanks to genealogical research, I'm not confused. I realize that "soon" is a relative term. And many people, journalists included, use both US and U.S. to refer to the United States of America. So I won't comment on these.

Lisa Kudrow is not the dumb Phoebe from Friends. She is a bright, intelligent lady and I look forward to her American version of the British hit show. I have a fairly good idea of what constitutes a "compelling enough background," too. I'd rather PBS had tackled the project, but this may give added exposure to history to a culture currently immersed in "American Idle" and reality shows.

Will it be successful? I hope so. How compelling are the backgrounds of celebrities? The viewers will decide. Do spare us the goat-herder stories, please.

Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com