The Complete Guide to Parts Unknown

The Complete Guide to Parts Unknown

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“The more I travel,” Anthony Bourdain said, “the less I know.” It’s one of the tenets of the greatest travel series in television history. But Parts Unknown was more than a clarion call demanding you get out there and learn what you don’t know. It was also funny, poignant, ambitious filmmaking. The Takeout watched and reviewed all 95 episodes of Bourdain’s CNN series, then selected what we believe to be its 20 essential episodes. We hope it does for you what it did for us: Fill you with the urge to pack a bag and take off.

Parts Unknown: Season 1

Myanmar | Los Angeles Koreatown | Colombia | Quebec | Morocco | Libya | Peru | Congo

Parts Unknown: Season 2

Jerusalem | Spain | New Mexico | Copenhagen | Sicily | South Africa | Tokyo | Detroit

Parts Unknown: Season 3

Punjab, India | Las Vegas | Lyon | Mexico City | Russia | Mississippi Delta | Thailand | Bahia, Brazil

Parts Unknown: Season 4

Shanghai | The Bronx | Paraguay | Vietnam | Tanzania | Iran | Massachusetts | Jamaica

Parts Unknown: Season 5

Korea | Miami | Scotland | Madagascar | New Jersey | Budapest | Hawaii | Beirut

Parts Unknown: Season 6

Cuba | Marseille, France | Okinawa, Japan | Bay Area | Ethiopia | Borneo | Istanbul | Charleston, South Carolina

Parts Unknown: Season 7

Manila, Philippines | Chicago | The Greek Islands | Montana | Tbilisi, Georgia | Senegal | Cologne, Germany | Buenos Aires

Parts Unknown: Season 8

Hanoi | Nashville | Sichuan with Eric Ripert | London | Houston | Japan with Masa | Minas Gerais, Brazil | Rome

Parts Unknown: Season 9

Los Angeles | San Sebastian | Laos | Queens | Antarctica | Oman | Trinidad | Porto, Portugal

Parts Unknown: Season 10

Singapore | French Alps | Lagos, Nigeria | Pittsburgh | Sri Lanka | Puerto Rico | Seattle | Southern Italy: The Heel of the Boot

Parts Unknown: Season 11

West Virginia | Uruguay | Newfoundland | Armenia | Hong Kong | Berlin | Cajun Mardi Gras | Bhutan

Parts Unknown: Season 12

Kenya | Asturias, Spain | Indonesia | Tony's Impact | Far West Texas | Under the Tarp | Lower East Side

The 20 Essential Episodes

From a Wong Kar-Wai homage in Argentina to eating noodles with the president in Vietnam, these are the best episodes of Parts Unknown ever made.

Just let it happen: In conversation with Parts Unknown director Tom Vitale

A conversation on the making of Parts Unknown with Tom Vitale, the director behind some of the show's most iconic episodes

Credits

Lead Writer: Allison Shoemaker | Art Direction: Karl Gustafson, Allison Corr, Jimmy Hasse, Claire Favret | Photos: CNN | Social: David Anthony | Special Thanks: Helen Cho, Karen Reynolds, Laurie Woolever, Jamie Levinson | Editors: Kevin Pang, Kate Bernot

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