IGX

I've had mixed feelings about this guy or at least his television persona and on the one cooking show that the wife and I watch, Top Chef, where he's been an occasional judge, he's been a bit of a dick and would deserve a slap if the cameras weren't running. With that being said, I've watched a few of his various shows on the Travel Channel such as The Layover and No Reservations...not regular viewing but I've seen more than just a few and thought they were well produced and narrated. But I will say this show on CNN, Parts Unknown, is really a beautifully filmed, narrated, thoughtfully constructed series. They just aired the first episode of Season 4 on Sunday in Shanghai and I was mesmerized by it...fuck I don't know anything about China but I did learn just a little bit from this show. He seeks out various players in the local community...in this episode he talked to a university professor educated in the U.S., a local multi-millionaire, a regular guy English teacher, and a well known, at least within his area of expertise, computer hacker now running some kind of social media based start-up. The conversation is topical and interesting but not too heavy or political and they're of course eating and he'll mostly do a voice over when talking about the food. He does a great job of weaving in history, current events, local customs, and some streetscape walking and flyover style filming. I'd highly recommend checking it out. If this motherfucker doesnt' have one of the best jobs in television/media I don't know who does.