http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/american-storytellers/5705/ :
Three iconic American storytellers who have spent their lives chronicling the lives of others all the while knowing almost nothing about their own family history: [Ken Burns Ken Burns] confronts the reality of his southern ancestors’ role in the Civil War, including Confederate soldiers who were held captive and a slave-owning Virginian; [Anderson Cooper Anderson Cooper,] the scion of one of America’s most storied families, the Vanderbilts, longs to know more about his father’s Southern roots, including the story of an ancestor murdered by one his slaves; and Anna Deavere Smith learns the epic story of her great-grandfather, Basil Biggs, a free black man and former conductor on the Underground Railroad. All three guests’ ancestors intersect at the most pivotal moments of American history.
Enjoy a preview of this exciting episode, airing October 7th at 8PM EST (check local listings).
I'm guessing the common ancestor is different than what is currently shown on the Geni path between Anderson Cooper & Ken Burns:
http://www.geni.com/path/Ken-Burns+is+related+to+Anderson-Cooper?fr...
I connected Ken Burns to the Eldad Tupper that the PBS series presented to him as his "tory" ancestor.
http://www.geni.com/path/Ken-Burns+is+related+to+Eldad-Tupper?from=...