Family Tree -- The TV "Mockumentary" Series

On May 12th HBO will launch the first of eight episodes of Family Tree. 

"Having recently lost his job and his girlfriend, 30-year-old Tom Chadwick has a rather unsure sense of his own identity. But when he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt he never met, Tom starts investigating his lineage and uncovers a whole world of unusual stories and characters, acquiring a growing sense of  of who he and his real family are." [show website]

This is not your typical "this is your life" genealogy program. It is a comedy. Wikipedia calls this genre a "mockumentary" which it defines as "a type of film or television show in which fictional events are presented in a documentary style to create a parody."

HBOWatch provides this teaser: [click in the upper border]

"The show follows a young man investigating his lineage, going from the UK to Los Angeles.

The series stars Bridemaids and The IT Crowd-actor Chris O`Dowd, who also have appeared on GIRLS. The rest of the cast varies from British actors like the comedienne Nina Conti to known american actors like Ed Begely Jr. and Fred Willard. The series is created by Christopher Guest (The Spinal Tap) and Jim Piddock. Like Guest other work this is a mockumentary-show where most of the dialogue is improvised."

The series is also scheduled to air on BBC Two and will debut On Demand on May 13th. For more information check the official show website.