TLC’s Emmy-nominated series, “Who Do You Think You Are?” continues the season’s murderous trend on Wednesday’s episode with actress Valerie Bertinelli.
The “Hot in Cleveland” star explores her family history and goes to unlock several family mysteries.
She tracks down courageous ancestors who suffered through hardship and tragedy, and discovers a royal lineage dating back centuries that she never dreamed possible.
Executive producer Dan Bucatinsky told TheWrap, “Valerie Bertinelli goes down her father’s side of the family and then she goes down her mother’s side of the family, which she knew very little about. So, in a way, we were able to sort of satisfy curiosities on both sides of her family and in really satisfying ways, emotional, intriguing, things that she knew nothing about that are complete surprises to her. It’s really fun.”
In TheWrap’s exclusive preview above, Bertinelli fulfills a murderous trend in this season’s first few episodes.
“Somebody’s relative brushes with murder in like three out the six in this first batch of episodes this season,” Bucatinsky said. “It’s not intentional. It wasn’t a theme we were going after, but it just happened to happen. And it’s just interesting. It’s interesting that there are common themes that emerge but are certainly not what we are after. We don’t do it with that intention. It also goes to show how much commonality there is in all of our lives.”
See video: ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Preview: Cindy Crawford Stumbles Upon Royal Roots (Exclusive)
There’s an even bigger surprise for Bertinelli when her journey takes her to England. Did her ancestors have a brush with royalty?
“Valerie, who grew up with a very strong sense of her Italian heritage and lots of mysteries on her English side, will wind up not only satisfying many more details about the Grandmother she grew up with from Italy, but also will completely uncover an English history that was completely alien to her,” Bucatinsky teases.
Watch a preview above.
“Who Do You Think You Are?” airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on TLC.