Eater’s PBS Show ‘No Passport Required’ Will Return for a Second Season This Fall

In 2018, we made our network television debut with No Passport Required. Created in collaboration with PBS, and hosted by chef Marcus Samuelsson, it’s a show that Eater was uniquely positioned to make, given our sprawling network of local experts, our overwhelming love of food, and our careful consideration of community. When it premiered in July, it was, in short, a huge hit. “No Passport Required was one of our freshest and most popular new shows last year,” said Pamela A. Aguilar, Senior Director, PBS Programming.

So we are thrilled to announce that it’s returning for a second season this fall.

In Season 1, Samuelsson explored changing and growing food cultures in six American cities, from New Orleans’s Vietnamese community to the Indo-Guyanese neighborhood of Richmond Hill, in Queens. We met memorable characters like Chicago chef Diana Dávila and pastry chef Lena Sareini in Detroit, whose stories resonated with both a massive audience and industry stars. “Thank you. Eater, PBS, Vox, everyone involved. Thank you. We need these stories...these stories are really important. Just thank you,” Tom Colicchio said at the series premiere last year.

Now, Samuelsson will head to Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Houston in No Passport Required’s second season, taking in the evolving food culture across the country. From shopping and prepping meals with professional chefs to eating with home cooks, Samuelsson will take us along on his journey speaking to artists, historians, poets, and storytellers in order to learn more about each city’s immigrant food culture. We can’t wait to share this immersive look at the rich diversity of America’s global cuisines and culinary traditions.

From the PBS press release:

This season, No Passport Required will travel to Houston, home to one of the highest numbers of West African expatriates of any city in the U.S.; the Filipino American community in Seattle, who are part of the city’s longstanding Asian Pacific American heritage; Los Angeles, where the world’s second-largest Armenian community resides; and Boston, where Samuelsson explores Portuguese-speaking cultures and cuisines from three different locales: Brazil, Cape Verde and Portugal. Other episodes focus on the Chinese American community in Las Vegas, which has grown tremendously over the last 20 years, and Philadelphia, where Italian Americans have thrived for generations. In each city, he’ll visit local restaurants, markets and family homes, learning about each community’s cuisine and heritage.

An immigrant himself — born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, now a celebrated chef, restaurateur, author and resident of Harlem — Samuelsson is passionate about sharing and celebrating the food of America’s vibrant communities. Each episode shows how important food can be in bringing Americans — old and new — together around the table.

Season one’s six episodes are available for streaming on PBS (membership required). Stay tuned for more information about season two, and check out Eater’s coverage of season one — including maps of restaurants featured in each episode — right here.