Vox’s Eater & PBS Align with Chef Marcus Samuelsson for New Show

PBS and Vox Media’s Eater have unveiled the launch of No Passport Required, a tentatively titled original series presented by famed chef Marcus Samuelsson.

No Passport Required will explore different cultures as Samuelsson—co-owner of New York’s Red Rooster Harlem—travels to different cities across the U.S. The 6×60-minute show begins production this year for broadcast on PBS in 2018. It is being produced by Vox Entertainment, with Samuelsson, Marty Moe, Chad Mumm, Amanda Kludt, Jim Bankoff and Samuelsson serving as executive producers.

“Chasing flavors has been my lifelong passion,” stated Samuelsson. “To now be able to bring viewers on that journey with me to these amazing communities in cities across the U.S. is truly a dream come true. We get to go deep into the markets, pull up to the roadside stands and be welcomed into homes—all the places where people share and celebrate food together.”

“Vox Media and PBS have a shared mission to present world-class innovative content and quality storytelling through our rich networks of local affiliates and Eater’s local city platforms, and we’re excited to partner with PBS to present this exciting new multimedia series,” noted Moe, the president of Vox Media. “In No Passport Required, Chef Samuelsson explores the intersection between food and culture and the ways in which immigrant communities in various cities have come together to enhance the American experience.”

“We’re excited to partner with Vox Media and Marcus Samuelsson to give PBS stations and viewers an opportunity to explore the rich cultural diversity available in our own cities, towns and rural areas,” added Beth Hoppe, the chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming at PBS. “No Passport Required continues our tradition of exploration, using the love of food as the common language that connects us all.”