I’ve long been a fan of Anthony Bourdain but I tend to go back and forth when it comes to watching his shows.
Since Bourdain left The Travel Channel for CNN I’ve only caught a few episodes of his newer series Parts Unknown. The thing is, since I rarely watch CNN I tend to forget when his shows is actually on!
Overall, I really enjoy Bourdain’s travel- food themed take on locations both at home and abroad. (However his sarcasm can be annoying at times.)
For those of you not so familiar with Anthony Bourdain, I’d recommend reading his book Kitchen Confidential. I found the book to be a really fun and humorous read as well as an interesting look into the life of someone trying to make it in the restaurant industry. It also shows how Bourdain didn’t just arrive as a celebrity chef and the struggles he overcame during his career. (I think he’s actually better known for his writing than his cooking!)
I just saw that Season 4 of Bourdain’s show Parts Unknown (which airs on CNN) will premiere on September 28.
He’ll be visiting 8 locations which are in a good variety of places.
Here is where he will be going:
- Shanghai (September 28)
- The Bronx (October 5)
- Vietnam
- Massachusetts
- Tanzania
- Jamaica
- Paraguay
- Iran
I’d definitely like to check out a few episodes of Season 4. While Bourdain will be going to some very interesting locations, the episode that I’d most like to watch is closest to home. I am really curious to see where he goes in The Bronx.
Are you a fan of Anthony Bourdain? Do you plan to watch the upcoming season of Parts Unknown?
Find out more about the upcoming episodes of Season Four of Parts Unknown here.
I think both the old shows and the new CNN one hit a sweet spot for many viewers who want to be entertained by vicariously traveling and eating (and drinking) with Bourdain. Even non-foodie, average-traveling friends, who are just discovering him on CNN, enjoy the Parts Unknown. Personally, I miss the more hard-core Layover episodes. We have to give a lot of the credit to the Zero-Point-Zero production team. I’ve duplicated some of his excursions but without the editing and camera angles it’s never quite as exciting as the shows depicts!
PittDoc- Great points! I’d love to hear more about the excursions that you’ve duplicated!
Pat- Interesting thougts about Bourdain’s shows. I’ve seen a few episodes of The Layover but I never could get into it. I’m now ever more interested in watching more of Parts Unknown to see what these “albums” are like. Great analogy btw!
Ang- You’re very welcome! I also was disappointed that he left Travel Channel a couple of years back. Where in NYC are you?
Thanks for this post! I like Anthony Bourdain too! Like you, I don’t watch CNN as often anymore either so I hardly get to watch his shows. I wish he was still on travel channel. I’m from NYC as well and I’m looking forward to the Bronx episode as well!
I think Bourdain peaked with The Layover. I felt that most episodes of No Reservations were too slow-paced, and Parts Unknown is even slower.
While I appreciate the more serious formats, you also need some bubble gum to mix it up. I would compare it to a band releasing a few catchy singles for an otherwise serious album. Right now, Bourdain is releasing albums with no singles.