‘Parts Unknown’ premiere honors Anthony Bourdain’s legacy

The Tribeca TV Festival premiered the first episode of the 12th and final season of Anthony Bourdain‘s “Parts Unknown” Saturday, three months after his death.

Sharing Bourdain’s journey to Kenya with “United Shades of America” host W. Kamau Bell, the powerful episode colorfully displayed a tiny sliver of what it’s like to live in the bustling city of Nairobi, while also honoring Bourdain’s memory in a subtle way, which would have likely pleased the private star.

“Over the course of 18, 19 years, [Bourdain] just evolved into almost a cultural anthropologist,” said Bourdain’s longtime producing partner, Lydia Tenaglia, following the episode. “Having traveled everywhere, the journey just got deeper and richer with every new location… I think the show really just exploded into the direction it had wanted to go all along.”

Joined by the show’s director, Morgan Fallon, showrunner Sandy Zweig, CNN anchor John Berman, who moderated the panel discussion, Tenaglia and fellow producer Chris Collins also touched upon Bourdain’s final moments in front of the camera, specifically his fearlessness.

“If there’s anything Tony taught us, it’s how to be a good guest, so for me it was like, ‘Whatever you want me to do man, I will do it,'” said Bell.

Fallon also agreed that Bourdain taught him how to step out of his comfort zone.

“It’s really abandoning fear of other people and really whole heartedly be able to throw yourself out into the world,” Fallon explained. “He did that in so many ways and shared so much of himself. So freely was [he] open about all his failings and complexities.”

He added, “[‘Parts Unknown’] brought that out to the world. It’s kind of like, ‘Here I am sitting down at the table. This is who I am. Everything’s pretty much fair game. Who are you?’ and he did it without fear.”

Though the series depicts Bourdain’s love of food, travel and storytelling, the crew agreed “Parts Unknown” did not showcase hours spent behind the cameras, where the chef perfected his life’s work.

“He was a phenomenal television producer,” Fallon said. “He was behind all of this. He taught me so much about making television and telling stories. He knew it intimately and handled it very well.”

While the loss of Bourdain has left a void, the crew members forged a timeless bond during their time together.

“It was a very synergistic relationship and it comes along very rarely when you have that kind of deep love and collaboration with somebody,” Tenaglia said. “I think it gave us and the audience an opportunity to see the world in a very intimate way… It’s a friendship and a working relationship that was very unique.”

Season 12 of “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on CNN.