CNN will air all of its remaining episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” and complete the show’s eleventh season. The fate of the completed segments was thrown into question last week following the death of the show’s star.
The news was first reported by CNN in the newsletter of the network’s media reporter Brian Stelter.
“CNN is airing the eleventh season of Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Parts Unknown,’” wrote Stelter late Wednesday evening. “A CNN spokeswoman says the final two episodes of the season will also air as scheduled, this Sunday and next Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. The ‘Remembering Anthony Bourdain’ tribute will re-air this Sunday at 8.”
A spokesperson for the network did not immediately respond to request for confirmation from TheWrap. The network went ahead with its regularly scheduled edition of “Parts Unknown” two days after Bourdain’s death, which included a special introduction by network anchor Anderson Cooper. That came in addition to days of tributes and commemorations.
Last week, the 61-year-old chef was found dead in a hotel room in Paris while on site filming another episode of “Parts Unknown.” In his years hosting the program for CNN, Bourdain had become one of the more beloved figures on the channel, even among frequent critics of the network. He was also a New York Times best-selling author.
CNN’s longterm plans for the show still remain unclear, though a channel insider said they expected the network to keep “Parts Unknown” going with a new host.
“They need to helm it with somebody else,” they told TheWrap. “There’s a lot of opportunity there not to give up on that mission of bringing American audiences people and food and customs with which they’re not familiar with and that mission is important. People need this show.”