I stumbled upon this series when looking up Chris O'Dowds filmography and decided to give it a go. Watched the first episode, not bad, the second one, boring but kept my interest then 15 minutes into episode 3 I thought to myself, what am I wasting my time for. Decided to stop there. I did have a flick through all the episodes on fast speed but it all looked incredibly dull. I guess that's proof that every show/film that an actor you like appears in will not always be good.

The plot sounded interesting getting a chest from a deceased relative and uncovering family treasures and secrets going on journeys to find more information. Also, since he is unemployed and searching for a new job he could find wisdom from learning more about his family and hence who he is. However, the actors are boring and not convincing. Finding out the aunt died and they sound like they are just talking about the weather. The characters are strange and not funny as I expected given that it is a comedy. The one woman talks through a puppet which could be done in a funny way however it comes off weird and disturbing. I am not an expert on British movies, so maybe that is the issue, but it is from HBO not BBC so I thought it would appeal more to the US audience.

Christopher Guest is a legend in the world of mockumentaries beginning with the sublime 'This is Spinal Tap' and its continued with movies such as 'Best in Show.'Not everyone gets the joke in this genre of comedy and some of its rather subtle. It helps that Guest has a bank of actors that he can rely on.So with great fanfare the BBC unveiled Family Tree its own mock of genealogy shows such as 'Who do you think you are?' which has been successful for the Beeb.Chris O'Dowd plays Tom very charmingly as he embarks on his roots which takes place both in the UK and the USA. The USA segment gives us the chance to encounter the Guest regulars such as Ed Begley Jr and Fred Willard.The oddest character is his sister, Bea who carries with her Monk, a puppet monkey which allows her to state her feelings. Tom's best friend Pete accompanies him in his search and can best be described as a pillock.Another Guest regular, Michael McKean plays Keith Chadwick, Tom's father who loves old British situation comedies and they are gently parodied in the early editions of the show. McKean and the comedies he watches are the real scene stealer's in the programme. In a way he parodies the characters in sitcoms such as The Royle Family.What is amazing that McKean looks like a stalwart of British comedy and drama an actor whose face is familiar but you cannot put the name to it. So it was a shock when I told people that he is an American actor who has appeared in films such as 1941 and programmes like Star Trek:Voyager.The problem with Family Tree I found was that it was just not that funny and when Tom's father was missing it lost a vital spark. The USA segment did not work and made the programme less funny. At times it was a humour free zone.

As a family genealogist and lover of British humor, I love this show. I actually found out about it from our local genealogy library's newsletter. It is truly a mockumentary of the popular genealogy shows. It doesn't need the foul language or sex, but it isn't that bad considering this is Hollywood.Some of the funniest parts relate to DNA testing, immigration from the New World to the Old World, Civil War soldiers and re-enactments, ancestor occupations, the fact that the current cousins have the same disagreements as the ancestors, fear of cats. As this is a series, it keeps you wondering what is coming next in the journey to know one's relative