This was reported announced (in relation to the announced, but then scrapped ‘Let’s Dance”), but here’s the official press release from ABC:
November 11, 2009
PREMIERE
“FIND MY FAMILY,” A HEARTWARMING NEW SERIES THAT
BRINGS FAMILIES TOGETHER, PREMIERES MONDAY, NOV. 23,
FOLLOWING “DANCING WITH THE STARS’”
From the producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” comes the highly anticipated “Find My Family,” a program with one simple mission — to bring families back together. With the help of a dedicated team of researchers, hosts Tim Green and Lisa Joyner guide people searching for lost loved ones through emotional journeys that will change their lives forever. The heartwarming new series premieres MONDAY, NOV. 23 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET), following “Dancing with the Stars.” Full-hour editions of the show will air Mondays from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET beginning MONDAY, NOV. 30.
Each episode of the television series is a one-hour, self-contained show full of moving moments and tears of joy, when mothers, fathers, daughters and sons who lost touch for decades are reunited. The show will begin with the emotional back stories of two different families in search of lost relatives. With minimal information, the “Find My Family” team will begin the difficult and frustrating process of sifting through archives and tracking down records until they uncover the missing links. Then Lisa Joyner will reach out to the newly-found family members and let them know that someone from their biological family has been looking for them. Tim Green will narrate each story as it unfolds and meet with the people who originated the search. The in-person reunions will take place at the “Family Tree.”A follow-up with each family will conclude each episode.
In the premiere episode, Green and Joyner — both of whom are adopted themselves — head to Brookfield, WI to meet Scott and Sandy Steinpas, loving parents who are searching for the daughter they gave up when they were just teenagers. Sandy was just 15 years old when she met Scott and they started dating. In June of 1979 Sandy found out she was pregnant, and instantly she and Scott knew their lives were about to change. They had not been together long, were still living with their parents, and had no idea what the responsibility of raising a family, being married, or even paying a bill entailed. Because they could barely support themselves, let alone a baby, they decided to give their baby up for adoption — a huge decision that shaped their lives from that point forward. Scott and Sandy stayed together against all odds and have been married for 27 years. They have raised three beautiful children, but something, or someone, has always been missing. Scott and Sandy have spent thousands of dollars and almost a decade searching for the daughter they gave up 29 years ago, but to no avail. Now, it’s up to the “Find My Family” team to reunite this family who have, unknowingly, been living just miles apart.
Tom Forman (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Kid Nation”), Julie Laughlin-Jones (“Shear Genius,” “Fat March,” “Extreme Makeover”), Chris Coelen (“Wife Swap,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “How to Look Good Naked”) and Tony Yates (“Shaq’s Big Challenge,” “Supernanny,” “Project Greenlight”) are executive producers. “Find My Family” is produced by RelativityReal and RDF USA.
