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I just noticed there is no thread on the new season of Genealogy Roadshow on PBS, so I started it. (Ta-da!)
The new season started last Tuesday, and continued last night. I think they really must have responded to viewer feedback. They are now highlighting fewer people per episode (last season was rushed, boom, boom, boom, and you couldn't catch your breath). So we get to learn a little more about each story. They also seem to now exclusively do stories that they've previously taken time to research, no more genealogy-on-demand. I know the applicants for next week's Philly show had to send in their packages months ago.
The also got rid of the creepy host, and it's just a voice-over. Remember, that host was really weird. Well, he's gone now.
The visual aids are now much better too.
They also seem to be less focused on the "famous ancestor" theme, which annoyed so many of us last year. I think in each of the first two shows, there was only one person in each episode who thought they had a famous ancestor, and one actually didn't but they found a cool story anyway. (One thought she was connected to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she was. One thought she was connected to the pirate Blackbeard, and she wasn't.) I think there was a "quickie" with someone having her connection to Princess Diana's family confirmed, but it was one of those one-minute things they throw in, and it was really just to teach us about "gateway ancestors."
Anyone else catch the new episodes yet? Do you agree that it's better than last year?
Very interesting, will have to watch it enjoyed the previous season. Personally I didn't mind the host though it sounds like the other changes are good.
I'm on my own roadshow right now (road trip, lol) so I can't watch the current season yet. However we are watching past seasons on Roku. They're covering the San Francisco earthquake right now, in fact I think this entire show is about San Francisco.
I want to see the episode on Laura Ingalls Wilder because I am distantly related.
So far no opinion on the weird or non weird host. Lots of good pictures and information about the earthquake though.
I just noticed there is no thread on the new season of Genealogy Roadshow on PBS, so I started it. (Ta-da!)
The new season started last Tuesday, and continued last night. I think they really must have responded to viewer feedback. They are now highlighting fewer people per episode (last season was rushed, boom, boom, boom, and you couldn't catch your breath). So we get to learn a little more about each story. They also seem to now exclusively do stories that they've previously taken time to research, no more genealogy-on-demand. I know the applicants for next week's Philly show had to send in their packages months ago.
The also got rid of the creepy host, and it's just a voice-over. Remember, that host was really weird. Well, he's gone now.
The visual aids are now much better too.
They also seem to be less focused on the "famous ancestor" theme, which annoyed so many of us last year. I think in each of the first two shows, there was only one person in each episode who thought they had a famous ancestor, and one actually didn't but they found a cool story anyway. (One thought she was connected to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she was. One thought she was connected to the pirate Blackbeard, and she wasn't.) I think there was a "quickie" with someone having her connection to Diana's family confirmed, but it was one of those one-minute things they throw in, and it was really just to teach us about "gateway ancestors."
Anyone else catch the new episodes yet? Do you agree that it's better than last year?
Yep! DVR'd it once I saw the advertisement and agree that this season seems to be much better in terms of the format. And REALLY glad they got rid of that host too! I'm sure they'll find a place for him...as as it's not on any show that I watch...lol.
Like I said last year on this program, there are so few programs on TV that I really enjoy, I will watch this one with delight
I just posted this on the old dead roadshow thread. I don't see much improvement but apparently some others have in this new season. I actually have seen less than half of the shows. I remain disappointed.
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I watched Genealogy Roadshow again last night. I'm not a big fan and have seen only a few installments but my family is from St. Louis so I watched on the off chance that something familiar would come up. The show started off with quick overview of St. Louis where they announced that the city was named after Louis XlV. All they had to do was turn around and ask a reference librarian and they would have known it was Louis IX...the one that was the saint- not the reprobate Sun King. The format is all wrong and if it is going to continue it needs to be reinvented. They give the impression that the local folks just wander in off the street and discover that their ancestors were royalty or an outlaw or simply a farmer with a big imagination. They need to scrap the roadshow idea and really try to resolve some of the questions. Two featured stories last night (Blackbeard and Laura Ingells Wilder) looked like they were closing in on a definitive answer but gave up and reverted to a speculative outcome because they had another half dozen people they had to run through the dog and pony show.
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OK -- maybe I'm being too critical but I've seen some sloppy work on this show and it makes me worry about the validity of their findings. I'd like to see fewer people and better research.
I enjoy the show for what it is - a snippet of genealogical research. I wish that more shows would divulge different sources for where they got some information.
One of the persons featured, I believe in the New Orleans show had an ancestor who was a US Colored Troops private in the Civil War and they did provide information to the guest about her ancestor based on the pension application made by his wife as he had died and she needed the pension to take care of their kids. That was an excellent tip as my husband has a USCT direct ancestor who he is very excited that we found he is listed on a national monument in DC for USCT. I have a record of his pension that he received in 1907 as an invalid but online you cannot get access to the actual application where they had to detail their service and background. So when we got to DC for a trip to see the monument this spring we will detour to the Library of Congress to see the process in getting access to the actual application if it is still there.
I think they should give more tips like that since this is a show geared toward people interested in researching their own background.
Another one that was interesting to me was the woman who found out her mother was "passing" and was actually born labeled "negro/colored." I thought it was great that she found out about potential family members that her own mother had never met.
I was bothered by the speculative nature of the information they presented. Given the genealogical creds of the presenters, I was surprised. I think they need to stay away from family legend about famous connections unless they have better evidence.
residinghere2007-I think the pensions are at the National Archive, not the LoC. If you do want to do research at the LoC, allow extra time to get your reseracher id. (it's an easy process, but just wanted you to know in advance)
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I watched Genealogy Roadshow again last night. I'm not a big fan and have seen only a few installments but my family is from St. Louis so I watched on the off chance that something familiar would come up. The show started off with quick overview of St. Louis where they announced that the city was named after Louis XlV. All they had to do was turn around and ask a reference librarian and they would have known it was Louis IX...the one that was the saint- not the reprobate Sun King. The format is all wrong and if it is going to continue it needs to be reinvented. They give the impression that the local folks just wander in off the street and discover that their ancestors were royalty or an outlaw or simply a farmer with a big imagination. They need to scrap the roadshow idea and really try to resolve some of the questions. Two featured stories last night (Blackbeard and Laura Ingells Wilder) looked like they were closing in on a definitive answer but gave up and reverted to a speculative outcome because they had another half dozen people they had to run through the dog and pony show.
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OK -- maybe I'm being too critical but I've seen some sloppy work on this show and it makes me worry about the validity of their findings. I'd like to see fewer people and better research.
SunGrins, I don't know much about St. Louis, but you would think that the producers of the show would do more fact checking and make an effort to be more accurate since the show is about the topic of history (from a view of families, of course).
I had never seen this show previously. While channel surfing, I caught part of this show the other day, the episode was featuring people in St. Louis. I am glad the show featured just average people who wanted to know about their family histories. Maybe more nascent genealogists will spring out of some of the viewers in time.
Of all the genealogy shows I have seen so far, I think I personally prefer the Who Do You Think You Are? format where one person's family history is featured throughout an hour long show. When a show features multiple people, there is no way to present that many details given the limitations of time.
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