New ‘Parts Unknown’ Special Offers Insights on Working With Anthony Bourdain

In the penultimate episode of Parts Unknown, the crew members behind the long-running travel show will share remembrances of their late colleague, author/TV star Anthony Bourdain. This special episode will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the show came together, with insights about Bourdain’s relationship with his trusted crew, and what filming the series meant to the food media star.

“The show became a vehicle for him to meet some of his heroes, for him to kind of live out some of his own dreams, like, some of his own fantasies,” director Lydia Tenaglia explains in a clip from the special. While traveling around the world with the Parts Unknown team, it sounds like Bourdain wasn’t always the most courteous person on set, but as producer Helen Cho notes, “the crew always meant a lot to him.”

The Kitchen Confidential author was filming an episode of Parts Unknown when he died in a hotel in France on June 8. So far, this last season has featured one episode that he completed before his death, three episodes that were finished without his full narration, and a retrospective about Bourdain’s impact. The behind-the-scenes special will air on CNN at 9 p.m. this Sunday, October 28. Parts Unknown will be preempted by election coverage during its regularly scheduled time at 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 4. But the series finale, focusing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, will air on Sunday, November 11.

Check out a few clips from the special below, and stay tuned for more details on the series finale as they become available.

Parts Unknown allowed Bourdain to live out his dreams

Eating with Anthony Bourdain

Meet the fixers of ‘Parts Unknown’

What was Bourdain like off screen?

• All Parts Unknown Coverage [E]