CNN to create one final season of 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown'
Thank goodness, CNN is giving Parts Unknown fans a proper send off.
The docuseries' home network has confirmed a final season of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is in the works, according to an LA Times report. Plans are in place for CNN to deliver a fall premiere.
Bourdain's death in June left viewers speculating on the travel series' fate. Many believed the final episode of Season 11 (which aired on July 24) would mark the show's end.
The announcement of new episodes is bittersweet news for the esteemed documentarian's fans. While Season 12 will feature footage of the late chef, Bourdain's iconic scripted narration will appear in only one episode—a collaboration with CNN colleague W. Kamau Bell that concluded production before Bourdain's death.
Series directors will continue to conduct interviews and document the locations Bourdain visited to finish each storyline and complete the Parts Unknown collection.
CNN originals exec Amy Entelis told the LA Times that each episode "will feel slightly different depending on what’s gathered in the field.”
Episodes "will have the full presence of Tony because you'll see him, you'll hear him, you'll watch him."
Entelis added that the episodes "will have the full presence of Tony because you’ll see him, you’ll hear him, you’ll watch him. That layer of his narration will be missing, but it will be replaced by other voices of people who are in the episodes.”
Season 12 is expected to visit Manhattan, Texas, and Kenya. CNN has not announced if the Paris episode Bourdain was filming at the time of his apparent suicide will be completed.
When confirming the death in June, CNN noted Bourdain's "love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much."
The final episode of Parts Unknown will seek to capture this sentiment through an hour-long tribute to Bourdain's life and career. Crew and cast interviews as well as behind-the-scenes footage will be used to reflect on "how Tony affected the world."
If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources.
