# Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013)

> Anthony Bourdain travels to overlooked corners of the world, using food and dining rituals to meet local people and reveal their cultures.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/50472

## Facts

- Seasons: 12
- Episodes: 95
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary, reality
- Network: CNN
- Cast: Anthony Bourdain, Michael Ruhlman, Penn Jillette, Oscar Goodman, Daniel Boulud, Anabel Hernández, Zamir Gotta, Dave McMillan
- TMDB rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2845786/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: candid, wry, curious, warm, contemplative, sardonic

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the series for its curious, humane travelogues that treat food as a window into local cultures and lives.

## Synopsis

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013-2018) is a American cable docuseries created by Zero Point Zero and produced for CNN, hosted by chef and writer Anthony Bourdain. Across twelve seasons and ninety-five episodes of roughly forty-two minutes each, Bourdain travels to little-known towns, cities and regions, sitting down with local cooks, families, and ordinary citizens to eat and talk about their lives. Each installment is a self-contained trip, so viewers can start anywhere. The engine is curiosity: Bourdain pushes past tourist destinations and into neighborhoods where a shared meal opens conversations about history, work, politics and daily routine. Some episodes travel into war-torn places, where the food becomes a way of understanding resilience and ordinary life. Occasionally he is joined by an internationally lauded chef who shares a table with him and his hosts. The tone is candid and wry, with sardonic humor balanced by real warmth toward strangers. Fans of No Reservations, Somebody Feed Phil and Ugly Delicious will find the same appetite for food as a path into culture. Its anthology structure rewards dipping in and out, making it a contemplative, unhurried companion for food lovers and travelers.

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- [Somebody Feed Phil (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/66095)
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- [Street Food: Asia (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/74579)
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