Genealogy Roadshow – My Impressions and Thoughts on Season Two: Improved

It has been a long time since a post has been made here. Unfortunately I have had a lot of post ideas but little time to write them. So to get back into the swing of things here is my review of the second season of the Genealogy Roadshow which aired Tuesday night and re-aired in the middle of the night.

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Due to other commitments Tuesday night I had to watch the re-air in the middle of the night. The good news is that the first episode flowed smoothly, was somewhat fast paced yet seemed a little more informative than last year and was lively enough that I didn't fall asleep. If the remaining five episodes of season two are like the first episode then the show's creators did a good job making improvements and perhaps we will get to see a season three.

You can find my review of the first season of the Genealogy Roadshow here.

So what do I feel that they have improved?

Gone are the kind-of clunky transitions in season one as is the Antiques Roadshow/People's Court host. I had nothing against last year's host but how they used him made the flow of the show awkward. The smaller "peeks" at other people's questions seemed to be fewer and were handled much better this time. As was the "informative" look about some aspect unique to that city. In this case it was New Orleans' mostly above-ground cemeteries due to the high water table.

The main "stories" of the show seemed a bit more informative this year. And by that I mean the presenter pointed out more of the documents that were used. But, yes, the genealogist in me was saying, "This is so glossed over -- there is a lot of work that goes into finding information like this." But if you remember this is a reveal -- the summation of what was found -- then it works. The post-reveal interviews of the main "stories" were also handled better this time around. Gone is the "People's Court" feel by keeping the interviewer off-camera.

Like last year, I think the series will accomplish what is one of its likely goals: get viewers interested in genealogy. But again my thought is if the show motivates someone to seek out their family history that person might get a bit of a shock with how much work this "hobby" can involve.

The Genealogy Roadshow is missing an opportunity again. The show really should wrap up each episode telling viewers to seek out their local genealogical and historical societies because many offer help in getting started no matter where your ancestors were from. Specific societies do not need to be mentioned -- just tell viewers to ask at your local library, "What is the nearest genealogical/historical society?"

©2015, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.

Genealogy Roadshow – My Impressions and Thoughts on the Newest Genealogy Show

Note: Going into the viewing of the first episode of Genealogy Roadshow late Tuesday night (I caught a first repeat at midnight) I knew that a “call” had been put out earlier this year for people interested in solving a family history mystery. So I, like most in the genealogy community at large, had a little background knowledge of how the people came to be filmed. Here are my impressions and thoughts ...

Boy! That line looks like they’re there for an Antiques Roadshow episode. They even have a host a la Mark Walberg or Lara Spencer. But as they’re showing this, they seem to have quickly glossed over that people have submitted their questions to be answered prior to this day. (So I don’t think the others standing there in line have questions in hand and are getting answers at a table like the onsite appraisals at the Antiques Roadshow but that’s sort of the impression being given.)

It’s fast paced with dramatic music to enhance “the moment.” They give a bit of info to each participant but again, like in Who Do You Think You Are (WDYTYA), not a lot of genealogy how-it’s-done is being shown or explained as they do the reveal. I think a bit more how to/where to go needs to be presented. I realize that for those viewers who likely have not dipped their toes into researching their genealogy this might be a snoozer. BUT by presenting a bit more how to/where to go, those viewers who are motivated to get started with their genealogy don't get a shock when the answer they seek requires more than just a little work. I wonder if they have anyway to figure the statistics on their audience in regards to the percent that have never done genealogy, does a little, and does a lot. I'm guessing if you watch it, you have some level of interest whether you've done anything about it or not.

The two presenters are both quite lively but sensitive when needed with their delivery of both good news and bad news.

After a few of these reveals and the follow up with the host after each reveal, I’m getting a People’s Court feeling mixed in with the Antiques Roadshow feel at the beginning and in between things. It’s kind of odd, but kind of/sort of works sometimes. There’s also the feel of being at a meeting and having this revealed in front of “friends” – quite different than a presenter and participant alone in a room somewhere like on WDYTYA. I wonder what the original Irish version of this show is actually like. HINT: BBC America/PBS – bring the original UK version of these shows (WDYTYA, Genealogy Roadshow) to America. Perhaps make it a mixture of the various seasons using the personalities that we in the US might know from WDYTYA UK, Canada or any of the other international versions. (I know legal logistics would make this unlikely.)

The fast pace is more upbeat but maybe a few less reveals would allow a more thorough coverage/presentation of the reveals. (I think this is the genealogist in me. I wouldn’t just gloss over what’s been found. I explain why we looked at something and what it tells us.)

The follow up with the host showed in at least one case that a miss-connect appears to have happened -- though the presenter said “highly-probable” the participant took it as “I’m definitely related.” Those two statements are not equal. I hope someone gently pointed this out to the person.

Another very brief segment had to do with DNA. They didn’t even bother to explain it nor that it took how many weeks to get the results. The topic really should have been presented better. (Though the presenter did fine with what was presented). I hope for the next DNA reveal the topic is covered more thoroughly.

Overall, I think it was a good mixture of a variety of questions answered and different situations. I like that they took on both the bad news (no, you are not related to …) along with the good news.

I think the series will accomplish what is one of its likely goals: get viewers interested in genealogy. But, I hope when these newbies go seeking their family history they find the help they need – things are not handed to you like in these reveals! There is work involved. HINT: Hey, Genealogy Roadshow: If you get a second season, wrap up each episode telling viewers to seek out their local genealogical and historical societies because many offer help in getting started. After all, your presenters are both presidents of two national societies.

©2013, goneresearching. All text and photos in this post are copyrighted & owned by me (goneresearching) unless indicated otherwise. No republication (commercial or non-commercial) without prior permission. You may share (tell others) of this blog as long as you give credit and link to this site (not by downloading or copying any post). Thank you.