''Long Lost Family'' is an American documentary television series based on the Dutch series ''Spoorloos'' created by broadcaster

KRO-NCRV KRO-NCRV is a Dutch public broadcasting company based in Hilversum established on January 1, 2014 from a merger of the broadcasters Catholic Radio Broadcasting (KRO) and the Dutch Christian Radio Association (NCRV), transmitting on NPO 1, NPO 2 ...

that premiered on March 6, 2016, on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. Presented by Chris Jacobs and

Lisa Joyner Lisa Marie Joyner (born December 31, 1966) is an American entertainment reporter and television host. Life and career Joyner has reported on celebrity news in the Los Angeles area for KTTV and KCBS-TV. She first gained national recognition for h ...

, the show helps provide aid to individuals looking to be reunited with long-lost biological family members. The show is produced by

Shed Media Warner Bros. Television Studios UK (formerly Shed Media Group and later Warner Bros. Television Productions UK) is a British creator and distributor of television content. The Group produces long-running television brands in drama, factual, doc ...

for TLC, and is co-sponsored by

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

, which provides family history research and

DNA testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

to help make discoveries possible.

Format

The show follows the original British series very closely, offering a chance for people who are desperate to find long lost relatives. The series helps a handful of people, some of whom have been searching in vain for many years, find the family members they are desperately seeking. It explores the background and context of each family's estrangement and tracks the detective work and often complex and emotional process of finding each lost relative before they are reunited. With the help and support of Chris and Lisa, each relative is guided and supported through the process of tracing the member of their family they have been desperately seeking.

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (Spring 2017)

Season 3 (Fall 2017)

Season 4 (Spring 2018)

Season 5 (Fall 2018)

Season 6 (Fall 2019)

Production

Development

On February 2, 2016, it was announced that

had given the production a series order. It was reported that the series would be hosted by Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner and produced by Shed Media. Season one of ''Long Lost Family'' premiered on March 6, 2016. On June 9, 2016, it was announced that TLC had renewed the series for a second season. Season 3 had 6 additional episodes for 2017 and began airing on November 6, 2017. On March 20, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season set to premiere on April 8, 2018. On September 7, 2018, it was announced that additional episodes for 2018 were expected to premiere on October 8, 2018.

Marketing

Alongside the initial series announcement, TLC released the first teaser trailer for the series. On March 20, 2018, TLC released the official trailer for season three.

International versions

The original British program began airing in 2011 and has so far distributed 9 seasons. It is hosted by

Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...

and

Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...

. There is also a Norwegian version of called that has been airing on Norwegian channel TV 2 since 2010 with 6 seasons so far. An Australian version of '' Long Lost Family'', hosted by

Chrissie Swan Christina Swan (born 3 November 1973) is an Australian television and radio presenter and media personality. Swan co-hosts '' Chrissie, Sam & Browny'' on Nova 100 with Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown. In 2022, she served as a judge on ''The Masked ...

and

Anh Do Anh Do (born 2 June 1977) is a Vietnamese-born Australian author, actor, comedian, and painter. He has appeared on Australian TV shows such as ''Thank God You're Here'' and ''Good News Week'', and was runner-up on ''Dancing with the Stars'' in ...

, began airing around the same time as the U.S. version in 2016, but was canceled by 2017.

References

External links

* * {{TLC Programming 2010s American documentary television series 2016 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings English-language television shows TLC (TV network) original programming Television series about family history Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios