New Season of Eight Episodes, Featuring Host’s First Trips to Iran and Paraguay, Will Be Preceded by Prime Cuts Show
Season four of the top-rated Emmy and Peabody award-winning CNN Original Series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, begins on Sunday, September 28 at 9pm ET/PT with a tour of Shanghai, China. Immediately following, CNN premieres This is Life with Lisa Ling at 10 pm ET/PT, as previously announced.
*In Season three, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown was the #1 program in cable news during its flight among P25-54 (402k).
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown follows the world-renowned chef, and bestselling author as he travels across the globe to uncover the little known, the off-the-road, and seemingly sometimes deceptively familiar, areas of the world in a celebration of its diverse food and culture. The series is produced by Zero Point Zero Production with executive producers Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig, and Anthony Bourdain.
Airing at 8pm ET/PT, just prior the new season of Parts Unknown, will be a new edition of Prime Cuts, a one-hour program hosted by Bourdain that takes a look back at the previous season featuring recaps, outtakes and commentary.
Following are the locations and episode descriptions for season four of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown:
- Shanghai(airdate: Sept. 28) In the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, the host explores Shanghai by savoring classic, home-style cuisine at restaurants that include Chun and Fuchun Xiaolong, and converses with locals who give their take on their country’s booming economy and expanding global influence.
- The Bronx(airdate: Oct. 5) – Bourdain explores the widely diverse cuisines and cultures found in the NYC borough just north of Manhattan. Bronx mainstays Afrika Bambaataa, Mellle Mel, and Baron Ambrosia help guide the host through the music, food, art, and other offerings of this often misunderstood part of the city.
- Vietnam(airdate TBA) Parts Unknown travels to the host’s “first love,” with a look at Hue, a city in central Vietnam, including excursions to the Dong Ba market, Vinh Moc tunnels, the Duyen Anh restaurant, and the Citadel. Sampled dishes include Com Hen, Bun Bo Hue and a special bird’s nest soup.
- Massachusetts (airdate TBA) In a departure for the series, Bourdain takes a trip to the Provincetown haunts of his post high school youth (The Atlantic House, The Lobster Pot) that marked the start of his culinary career, and he candidly discusses his descent into heroin addiction (and later recovery). He then heads to the western part of the state to throw light on the unexpected and exploding heroin problem in small town New England – discussing with residents exactly how this happened – and how they are learning to deal with it as a community.
- Tanzania(airdate TBA) Parts Unknown travels to Tanzania for an African safari adventure. Bourdain visits Zanzibar, a one-time slave trade hub, and enjoys the island’s famous foods, from mandazi to street food including grilled seafood and the famous Zanzibari pizza. On an excursion to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, Bourdain comes face to face with lions, elephants, and the great migration.
- Jamaica(airdate TBA) Bourdain heads to Jamaica, a destination well known for delicious Caribbean delicacies and feel-good vibes. The host travels along the Northeast region of the island and explores life in Port Antonio and Winnifred Beach. He also delves into the importance of music legend Bob Marley, with his producer Chris Blackwell, and takes a side trip to the home of author Ian Fleming (the setting of James Bond novels). A main topic in this episode is the ever-burgeoning tourist industry and how it continues to affect the local population.
- Paraguay(airdate TBA) An investigation into the puzzling history of the host’s great, great, great, grandfather, Paraguayan émigré Jean Bourdain, is a springboard to his first tour of this South American country, primarily comprised of jungle and desert land, which features a rich culture and savory local dishes that include Bife Koygua, Bori Bori, and Sopa Paraguaya.
- Iran(airdate TBA) Bourdain and his crew take their long-awaited inaugural trip to Iran exploring Tehran and Isfahan, and sites that include Imam Square, the Borje Milad, mosques, and ancient caravanserai. The cuisine includes Dizi, Fesenjan, Biryani, and Tahdig. Local guides for this tour include Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, who were subsequently detained by the Iranian government.
To complement the viewing experience, CNN has published a Flipboard mag “Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.” Visit: http://flip.it/BourdainCNN to follow Bourdain’s social media feeds, dig deeper into destinations for season four and get to know featured chefs from the episodes.
The season premiere episode, “Shanghai,” will be streamed live online at CNN.com, and the full season of the series will be available on demand to Comcast subscribers the day after air. Additionally, viewers can find updates, behind-the-scenes photos, and exclusive content from Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown by following the show’s Twitter account @partsunknownCNN, and accessing the CNN Parts Unknown Facebook page. During each show, viewers are invited to go to the live blog at CNN.com/partsunknown and join in the conversation using the #PartsUnknown hashtag on Twitter.
*Source: The Nielsen Company via MultiTrak, 4/13/14-6/8/14 Sunday 9p Parts Unknown premiere airings. Based on Live+7 data stream. P25-54 AA (000s).
About Zero Point Zero Production Inc.:
Zero Point Zero Production, Inc. is an Emmy and Peabody Award winning television and digital production company founded in 2003 by Executive Producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, with partner and Managing Director Joe Caterini coming aboard in 2009. Since its inception, the company has produced hundreds of hours of television in over 100 countries around the world, including the critically acclaimed, award winning series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN) and The Mind of a Chef (PBS). In 2013 ZPZ acquired The Food Republic website, one of the launch properties in a new ZPZ owned digital publishing venture. ZPZ is currently in production on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown season 4 (CNN); The Hunt with John Walsh (CNN); City.Ballet season 2 (a co-production with Sarah Jessica Parker for AOL On Originals); The Mind of a Chef season 3 (PBS); the award winning series, MeatEater with Steven Rinella season 5 (Sportsman Channel); The Getaway season 2 (Esquire/NBC); and I’ll Have What Phil’s Having (PBS).
About CNN Originals Series and CNN Worldwide:
CNN develops original content through strategic partnerships and commissioned productions for television. Amy Entelis, senior vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide, and Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for CNN Worldwide, oversee the acquisition strategy of documentaries for CNN. Malhotra manages the day-to-day operations and works directly with filmmakers to develop original projects.
CNN Worldwide is a portfolio of two dozen news and information services across cable, satellite, radio, wireless devices and the Internet in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Domestically, CNN reaches more individuals on television, the web and mobile devices than any other cable TV news organization in the United States; internationally, CNN is the most widely distributed news channel reaching more than 271 million households abroad; and CNN Digital is a top network for online news, mobile news and social media. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with hundreds of local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company.