The Generations Project

I just discovered a show similar to Who Do You Think You Are?, only better: The Generations Project.

Stumbled upon it online tonight, watched a couple of episodes, and was impressed.

I enjoy it more than Who Do You Think You Are? in part because it features regular people instead of celebrities; it seems more genuine and not so scripted.

The show also focuses more on people's personal motivations behind wanting to research their family history; a set of twin sisters wanted to feel closer to their deceased mother-- something I could definitely identify with-- and to heal their own relationship.

In another episode, a young man-- a bit of a neo-hippie/tree hugger who seems like he maybe hit the bong a little too hard in high school-- wanted to find the source of his family members' adventurous spirits and to answer what he continuously referred to as "the call." A very neat episode, in spite of this guy's annoying habit of laughing at everything everyone said to him or showed him.

In both episodes, the featured guests find amazing connections to American history. And at the end, they reflect on how their discoveries have impacted how they see themselves or their lives.

I think this program is only available to watch online, through Brigham Young University's BYUtv.