WDYTYA? Followup

If you are interested in more information on the story of Cynthia Nixon which aired on this season's first episode of the US version of Who Do You Think You Are? on TLC on Wednesday evening, I have a couple of suggestions for going deeper. If you missed the show when it was first aired, you can watch a recap online at the TLC site. Two respected bloggers offer you a chance to explore the most explosive event in Cynthia's family history in more detail. 

Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, covered legal aspects of the case and turns it into a legal thriller where you get to come up with your own verdict.

Roberta Estes, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy discussed missed opportunities for researching deeper -- particularly with DNA.

Dr. D has long wondered why Ancestry continues to miss opportunities to market its DNA testing product. The company offers one of the three most used DNA testing programs in the US. However, no DNA test reports made it into any of the episodes of the program last season -- a trend that has continued through episode 1 this season. We are only offered about 42 minutes of content in each episode. A little of that is used to remind us what happened before commercial breaks in case our short term memory is a little challenged. 

One of the biggest challenges of the show is to film around the availability of the guest celebrities. Since it takes several weeks to get DNA tests back from the lab and to identify other potential relatives whose DNA reports might match, it is challenging from a time perspective to include such testing. Still, since Ancestry.com is the lead corporate sponsor, one would think DNA testing could be fitted in somewhere -- at least in some episodes. Is it possible that the DNA testing package being offered by Ancestry is not as conducive to genetic analysis as the tools offered by some of its competitors?

Who Do You Think You Are? Reruns Begin

Ancestry.com, through its blog, just announced the opportunity to catch any of the 2011 episodes you may have missed or want to see again. Below is that announcement: 

Who Do You Think You Are? Encore Presentations begin Saturday night!

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT

If you missed any of the intriguing and emotional episodes from Season 2 of Who Do You Think You Are? then you’ll have a second chance to enjoy the journeys of America’s favorite celebrities starting this weekend. Throughout the summer, NBC will begin airing encores of the eight original episodes from earlier this year and we couldn’t be more excited. Last season’s premiere episode will air this Saturday, July 16 on NBC at 8/7c. Ashley Judd’s episode will repeat the following Friday, July 22 at the same time. The remainder of the episodes will run on Saturday’s at 8p/7c with a few exceptions. Check your local listings for the latest information or visit www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are for more weekly information.

Season 2 featured eight of your favorite stars, including Tim McGraw, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lionel Richie tracing their family roots through the centuries. Relive their experiences as they solve family mysteries, make discoveries, and connect with family lines they’ve never known before. One finds a family of trailblazers who stood firm against social opposition to gain freedom for all; another uncovers his own family’s rags-to-riches real estate tale with ties to America’s founding fathers. And the list of discoveries goes on and on.

Ancestry.com is a proud sponsor of the show and we’re very happy to report that Season 3 is currently in production and will return with all new episodes in 2012!