In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is compiled with information researched by professional genealogists that allows them to view their ancestral histories, learn about familial connections and discover secrets about their lineage.

[3] The series uses traditional genealogical research (written records) and genetics (DNA testing) to discover the family history of well-known people.

In some episodes, particularly ones in which original DNA profiling research must be used to establish a past ancestor's parental link, guests are reunited with long lost relatives.

Examples of this would be a grandmother of his having multiple children with a white man whose name she had never revealed, as well as Gates's membership into the Sons of the American Revolution.

[8] The show's third season was postponed by WNET after it was discovered that actor Ben Affleck had persuaded Gates to omit information about his slave-owning ancestors.

[9][10][11] The series returned on January 5, 2016,[12] although "Roots of Freedom", the second-season episode featuring Affleck, was pulled from all forms of distribution by PBS.