It started with a book.
Anthony Bourdain was a chef once, and he’s now so deep in the mainstream consciousness that people might not even know that. But once upon a time, he wrote a tell-all memoir, aptly named “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” (written mainly for the sake of amusing his fellow chefs) and it received an unforeseen wave of support and popularity. So much so that Bourdain’s words and wit created a collective fandom, and the success from his book propelled him towards how we now know food and travel television today.
What keeps people engaged with Tony is that he has always told the truth, or at least he has tried his best to do so. He has not backed off from having to make unpopular statements at times (hello Paula Deen, Sandra Lee and Food Network), and what makes the man credible is that he has paid his dues in the kitchen for about 20 years, starting from the bottom of the totem pole as a dishwasher until he ran some of the best kitchens in New York, including Brasserie Les Halles, for which he still serves as the Chef-at-Large.
Bourdain began his TV career with “A Cook’s Tour” on the Food Network, but the half-hour show was short lived, and two years after, he brought the concept to the Travel Channel. This led to the successful series “No Reservations,” which of course saw its last episode in Brooklyn last year. (Original Airdate: Monday, November 05, 2012)
It is also nice to note that one of the most anticipated episodes on No Reservations was the Philippine episode:
Ironically, and perhaps a main reason why Tony left the highly successful show, was that the Food Network and HGTV’s parent company, Scripps, bought out the Travel Channel in 2009, and Bourdain since had his days on TC numbered. Bourdain would later cite on Reddit.com during a recent “AMA” (AskMeAnything) that one of the most horrifying experiences while on No Reservations was “Meeting the new programming dude at Travel (Channel).”
Thank goodness for the Cable News Network.
With a brand-new hour long series on CNN, Bourdain is able to re-focus his platform on how to show the world his travels. (This is also a welcome sight for him, as his other new show on ABC, “The Taste,” has not seen high marks with ratings.)
CNN released the following in regards to the new show, “Parts Unknown.”
Continuing CNN’s commitment to international reporting and expanding its coverage of food and travel, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” is shot entirely on location. This new series will broaden and distinguish CNN’s weekend programming from its traditional weekday news coverage. “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” will air on Sundays in prime time.
Parts Unknown premieres Sunday, April 14, at 9pm, ET, on CNN.
Check your local listings.
**UPDATE:
Click here for clips and full episodes.
