Television And Genealogy, What If?
Apr 10th, 2008 by kenopoly
OK, this may not be exactly what you were thinking of when you read the title. Sorry if I mislead anyone!
Lately, it seems as if though I have had genealogy on my brain 24 hours a day! Last week, while watching some of my favorite TV series (since the writer’s strike is over), I thought of how great it would be if you were able to be one of those characters. How it would help you in your genealogy research. I know I’m just dreaming but it’s nice to just laugh a little every now and then. So, here’s my observations.
Ghost Whisperer (airs on Friday night on CBS) - Just imagine how great it would be if you could be a “ghost whisperer”. You wouldn’t have to worry about researching anymore! All you would have to do is wait for the ghost to show up and then just ask it a few questions. Better yet, you could just go to the cemetery and visit their grave and get the complete story. I could make a pretty decent living also because all of those folks spending their money on Ancestry could just give it to me and I would find their info so much easier!
Moonlight (airs Friday nights on CBS) - Another interesting idea. A vampire genealogist! 
How great would that be? You could take all the time in the world to research! No guarantee that you would find everything but you don’t have to worry about running out of time!
New Amsterdam (airs Mondays on FOX) - This is the one that really got me thinking. This guy is over 400 years old and can’t die, at least not until he finds “the one”. This might make for an interesting ability to research your family but what is really interesting is how he is able to carry on and live longer than his kids! Imagine trying to input this guy into Family Tree Maker! “Sorry, the father is 400 years older than his child!” or something like that. I would hate to think of how hard it would be to research this guy in the future. Especially if he ever finds “the one” and does finally die. How would you explain someone in your tree who is over 400 years old and has 10 wives or so?
OK, like I said, I’m just dreaming a little here. But hey, who says genealogy has to be boring? So, what do you think? Do you have any series that you watch and would fit into this category? If so, post it on your blog or just leave a comment here.
Have a great day everyone!
Ken,
I’ve had much the same thoughts.
Did you see the episode of “New Amsterdam” where the
hero was consulting his hand drawn family tree to see if
a murder victim was one of his descendants?
Bill
Ken,
I like your ideas! You would certainly put a little more zip into the television lineup!
Janice
Thanks for the comments, Bill & Janice. I missed that one, Bill. I’m constantly trying to catch up on old episodes because of the rotating shifts I work. It’s probably the next one on my list though! His would be a rather interesting genealogy, wouldn’t it?