Last night NBC debuted a new series called Who Do You Think You Are? (which is based on a UK series of the same name) which follows select celebs on a quest to find out where they come from as they piece together missing parts of their family tree. The premiere episode featured Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and I was intrigued by the promo that showed that she may have had ancestors that were part of the Salem Witch Trials, arguably one of the darkest times in US history. Here are a few screencaps from last night’s ep and some deets about what SJP found out on her quest to learn her family’s history:
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker is stunned to discover that one of her relatives was accused of witchcraft during the Salem trials and narrowly avoided being burnt at the stake as she traces her family roots. The actress learns the shocking secret as she appears on the American version of the popular British series Who Do You Think You Are. Parker becomes emotional as she is informed that her 10th great-grandmother Esther Ellwell was one of the innocent victims accused in the 1692 trials. And the star cannot hide her relief when she learns that Ellwell was saved after the witchcraft trial court disbanded just weeks before her hearing. During the programme, which was screened in the US last night, she also discovers that a relative on her mother’s side participated in the California Gold Rush of 1849. The 44-year-old who coincidentally plays a witch in the 1993 movie Hocus Pocus, later admits that she has been deeply changed by the discoveries. Parker herself had led an unconventional life, grew up in Nelsonville, an Ohio mining town, one of eight children. A successful child actress, Parker appeared in several TV shows and films but it was with the international phenomenon of Sex and the City in 1998 that she became an overnight icon. She has been married to Broadway star Matthew Broderick for 12 year and the couple have three children together, seven-year-old son James Wilkie and eight month old twins Tabitha and Marion – who were born via a surrogate.
I LOVE this show!! I was initially drawn to watch because I love SJP and because in grad school, I taught a class on the Witch Trials in Europe and the US (modeled on the book Witchcraze by Anne Llewellyn Barstow) so it is a topic I am *very* interested in. To clarify, had SJP‘s ancestor been executed here in the US as a “witch”, she would’ve most likely been hanged not burned at the stake … but I digress. You may recall that SJP gave her twin daughters very interesting names when they were born last Summer — and now we know why … Marion Loretta Elwell was named for SJP‘s ancestor who was accused of witchcraft and Tabitha Hodge was named for her ancestor who was a gold miner during the California Gold Rush. After the jump, check out a clip from last night’s ep and find out where you can watch the whole episode online in case you missed seeing it last night …
I’ve always wondered about my family history so a show like this has great appeal to me. It’s so cool to see these celebs find out where they came from, mainly because their surprised reactions are the same that any other person would have. I thoroughly enjoyed this show and plan to watch the rest of the season … which will feature Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Lisa Kudrow and more. Click HERE to watch Sarah Jessica Parker‘s full ep of Who Do You Think You Are? online now. You may enjoy it as much as I did.
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Wow. Just wow. This is so intense. I would absolutely love love love to know something hardcore about my ancestry. Knowing where it is or who it is that you truly come from must feel so…real.
@Mariah — I KNOW!! The whole time I was going OMG just like SJP was. It’s really interesting to see someone having their mind blown like this.
Was this really a British series first? When I started seeing commercials for it, I assumed it was a ripoff of the Henry Louis Gates series that just finished up, except with NBC’s much larger advertising budget. Poor PBS!
How spooky! SJP played a witch in Hocus Pocus who was called Sarah, she has twin girls called Tabitha, (which happens to be the name a witch from Bewitched) and Marion Loretta Elwell gets the Elwell part of her name after an ancestor accused of being a witch!….. pretty cool! It’s like it was just meant to be!
@Sarah — I totally believe in reincarnation … I believe life spirits come back in the same family line :)
@Trent – I totally agree :)
@Megan – Is definitely based on the BBC series which has been around for years (they’ve now done seven series)
There was a season of this show on Canada’s CBC last year and it was fantastic! i’m sad i missed last night’s episode with SJP but i can’t wait to tune in next week!
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I love the idea of this show! I just did tons of research on my family, and found relatives who were captured by and grew up as Native Americans, relatives who owned a brothel, and relatives who were Norwegian/Scottish kings! I’m now planning a trip to Scotland to visit the remains of our castle. Even though it doesn’t really change anything, it is just amazing to feel that sense of history and connection to your family. You can definitely pay someone to do it for you, but it’s not impossible to do yourself usually and finding new stuff is so fun!
The british version of this is always a fascinating watch, in fact a couple weeks a go they did a who do you think you are on Kim Catrall, that was really interesting. Her grandfather left his wife and children and began a new life in Australia with a new family, it was so weird! I’d reccomend watching some of the Brit episodes if you recognise the stars being interviewed.
I totally missed this last night! It does look interesting. I’d love to know more about my family.
Ha. Funny that she is descended from an accused witch, and then she herself played one in Hocus Pocus. :)
Henry Louis Gates has been doing this for PBS since 2002 before the BBC show in 2004, he’s got a show coming up with Steven Colbert I think in March, don’t sleep on PBS, ya’ll. Masterpiece Theatre has had a great season so far.
I really liked it, but have gotta say it was a bit too focused on emotions rather than facts. Also, it only really got into detail about two people…I was interested in learning more about the German connection, or even the Parker line. I think too much air time was spent on her many reactions and feelings, and not enough on the actual family lineage. The Henry Louis Gates show on PBS and the BBC’s version are supremely better for this reason alone.
Can’t help but think this is just a dumbed down watered version for the US compared to other versions elsewhere. I haven’t actually seen the UK version, but the on here in Australia is very touching and emotional. One episode featuring John Butler was very touching – very raw and real. Something you don’t see on American television which is why I believe the US is more, “mainstream” I guess. Our version is aired on a network that isn’t part of the Big Three, so the ratings aren’t spectacular – but the good thing about that is, it allows the show to be its own considering its part of a Govt. Funded network. NBC version – not so much.
the UK version is really really really good! I have to get them on DVD. I loved the Stephen Fry episode (some of his family was killed in the Holocaust) and Boris Johnson who was descended from British Royalty.
So that’s the deal with SJP’s children’s weird names!
love SJP! finally watched Sex and the CIty movie last night, loved it!
Whoa I just got goosebumps! I must get my hands on the UK version.
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Managed to download the SJP episode here in England, I’m so used to the BBC version that the song at the end of the SJP episode felt a little weird and unnecessary, however, loved the show and looking forward to seeing the rest of the series, Jerry Springer and Kim Cattrall have both been on the BBC version, they were both born in Britain, they were both excellent, Jerry’s was extremely emotional and Kim’s grandfather’s second family had relations about 15 miles from where I live in the north east of England! Everyone it seems has an interesting past, some more interesting than others but always very good television.
Tina Maria, how did you download SJP ep in the UK? I’ve been trying for hours now… Be grateful for any advice. PS: Jerry Springer was born in Germany and the family fled to Britain before moving to the US.