When CNN said “ciao” to Stanley Tucci’s Emmy-award-winning Searching for Italy last year, it was heartbreaking. After all, the show, which followed the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor around Italy, was certainly an upgrade from how the star has been keeping busy most recently — which, if you haven’t seen, is TikTok cooking tutorials and a collaboration with GreenPan at Williams Sonoma.
But as Food & Wine reports, there’s good news: Tucci is back. National Geographic recently confirmed that it is set to begin filming a new show in Italy, with none other than Tucci as the star. The ten-part docuseries, called “Tucci — The Heart of Italy,” produced by Tucci’s Salt Productions and BBC Studios’ Factual Production, will see the star explore ten yet-to-be-disclosed regions in the country.
While it certainly sounds like Searching for Italy, just on a new network, is that really the worst thing? However, Tom McDonald, executive VP for global factual and unscripted content at National Geographic, aimed to debunk these claims, saying, “National Geographic is the perfect home for Stanley to share his knowledge and passion for Italy’s people, food and culture. Our programming is all about inspiring a deeper connection to the world. With Stanley as their guide, audiences will be transported to places and to flavors they’ve never experienced before.”
It sounds great, and fans of Tucci’s second chapter as a gourmand will be delighted that the actor-writer-director has found a new home for the show, something he has been hinting at for over a year now, after an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show where he said that, hopefully, he’d “end up on another streamer [or] network,” after news of CNN canceling his show was first announced.
“National Geographic is all about adventure and exploration, and I am honored to take viewers once again to explore Italy through the lens of food,” Tucci said in a statement. “In Italy’s many distinct regions, there is always something new to discover, and I’m more than excited to begin the process in partnership with BBC Studios.”
A premiere date has yet to be announced, but we can’t wait to tune in.
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