Last week, CNN’s popular travel- and food-themed documentary series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, officially got the boot. (And no, not the good capital-B kind.)
CNN had previously announced that it would be pulling back on production of much of its original programming, but it was Tucci who publicly confirmed his show’s cancellation during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Aware that our readership at Italy Magazine overlaps heavily with Searching for Italy’s audience, our editorial team moved quickly to solicit reader feedback on the series’ cancellation.
It’s been a week since we first asked for your thoughts via our weekly email newsletter, and responses are still trickling into our managing editor's inbox (after an initial flood). While we expected to hear from distraught super-fans and satisfied naysayers, we were surprised — and fascinated — by the rich variety in responses. Divergences in perception often made it seem as if people were watching entirely different shows: Some of you praised Tucci for going “off the beaten path” and spotlighting “ordinary people,” for example, while others said he showboated about in only the glossiest restaurants and locations.
The majority of responders fell into four broad categories: Die-hard fans ready to drop everything and travel with Tucci; “network naysayers” whose critiques were largely leveled at CNN or other platforms and not the show itself; those who watched for the “Italy factor” but found Tucci uninspiring as a host; and, finally, folks who watched and enjoyed but had some constructive criticism to offer.
It's worth noting that most people fell into either the first or the final camp, and that we heard from virtually no full-on "two thumbs down" types.
One thing’s for sure: Many, many of you were watching — and plan to continue if the show is picked up elsewhere. Below is a small sampling of the responses we received.
Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Some highlights from the Stanley Tucci super-fans
“Funny, warm, fabulous stories about fascinating people and places, delivered with priceless humor and style. We were always surprised by what Stanley knew and by the places he took us to in Italy that somehow we had never heard of before. Let’s face it: TV network executives cater to the low brows. Stanley is simply out of their league. We were lucky to have his show as long as we did.”
— Mark and Lori W.
“We all accept that reality TV is not exactly reality, but at least this host was charming, and his experiences felt authentic.”
— Barbara M.
“A few fun points. I’m African-American and like many of us, I am a beautiful chocolate milkshake of the world’s ethnic DNA, including 5% Italian. Secondly, I just returned from Italy this past week. I am there three to four times a year. I’ve been to nearly every region of Italy and I thought the show brought out what I love most about the country: the people, the lifestyle, the heritage, the geography, the food and wine, and the language.
Who cares what food critics think! I never watched the show to know what Stanley thought about the food; I watched it to see how he chose to discover it and how the people around him expressed their connection to their province, customs, heritage, family, and the food. Stanley and I are the same age, and I like to think we share some attitudes about life and living. That’s neither here nor there in the grand scope of things, but isn’t that why we choose to enjoy someone, especially someone we don’t really know and only watch on television? I found so many people of all ages and backgrounds who loved him and his show that I think Tucci would be wise to find a new network and bring the show back.” — Nicholas S.
“We watched every episode, and even used it to help plan future visits. It was far more than just a food show.” — Dale M.
“We live in Liguria and his visits there were very true-to-life and entertaining.” — Clare K.
“I think Stanley Tucci is a genius. He knows food, he knows film, he knows travel. He knows Italy. He's a real Italian, right? His show shouldn't have been canceled.
I think people get frightened when someone becomes 'older.' Look what happened to poor Anthony Bourdain. As for Stanley, I will say, however, that I also enjoyed the food-travel-humor films and shows with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. I wouldn't call them food mavens either, but they were cultured and hilarious and respectful and knew a good meal when they had one.” — Jane C.
“Married to an Italian here in Scotland. My wife and I have traveled all over and enjoyed Stanley Tucci’s easy, relaxed and genuine love of Italy and its food. I detect a hint of jealousy in the views of his ‘professional’ detractors. I fervently hope he gets the chance of another series.” — Bob
“From the perspective of a chef and a lover of Italian travel, I am greatly disappointed that Searching for Italy has been terminated. Having been in Venice and the Veneto shortly after the Searching for Italy Venice episode aired, we traveled to many of the sights Tucci visited and even made it up to Cormons to check out wineries in the Collio DOC. What a great trip for our group of four.” — Big John C.
Feedback from the network naysayers
“Why do that, CNN? We need more (not fewer) ‘feel good’ shows. I guess 'delightful' is not popular. Tell the knucklehead who did this at CNN to watch him in Big Night. That’s not acting; the man loves food. CNN, Big Mistake! On another note, I’m the interior designer of [Tucci’s] restaurant that he once owned in New York state. The man is passionate about food for sure!” — Maryanne S.
“Watched each episode at least twice. CNN just can’t get it right.” — Christine K.
“It is the only programming we will watch on CNN. Good old-fashioned liberalism is fine; far-left progressivism is not. Tucci kept the lefty talking points and ‘hip-cool-woke’ to a minimum, and in doing so, he united his audience in our shared love of Italy: the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.” — Jane D.
“Like many, I was disappointed, to say the least, when I read that Searching for Italy had been canceled. Oddly enough, it could only be watched here in Australia via Foxtel, an absurdly expensive paid cable TV service owned by the Murdoch ‘evil empire,’ which is rapidly losing popularity due to all the streaming services now available. It’s been very difficult to actually watch. My wife and I absolutely loved the show, not just because [Tucci] was such a good host, but because we loved the insights into Italian food.” — Ben W.
These viewers were sold on the setting, but less so on the host
“We felt that [Tucci’s] comments were simplistic, sophomoric and repetitious, like ‘Wow! That’s delicious!’ over and over again. Enjoyed his clothes and seeing different parts of Italy, but lost patience with him.” — Suzanne and Joseph C.
“I thought the production of Searching for Italy was excellent, particularly the photography and editing. Had the show had a host with even a modicum of personality, it would have been great.”
— Greg C.
“I am not surprised. While Tucci is an engaging actor, as a host of the culinary travel show, he left a lot to be desired with his inane and banal commentary. I watched his show mainly for the travel vistas and glimpses of Italian cuisine.” — Sid P.
“The overall show was enjoyable but I did not care for Stanley Tucci. He pushed his liberal agendas in almost every episode and he used God’s name in vain continuously. I wrote to the show and complained about these things.” — Geno C.
"Tucci's knowledge of Italian language is limited. Not impressed that eateries he featured were on the high end; they didn't reflect a true down-home experience of each region. Spoken by an Italo American who has spent a lot of time in Italy." — Marilyn L.
“The title for the show was all wrong. There is so much more to Italy than [what Tucci] was offering. I like Mr. Tucci, and he's pretty good at acting, but his personality is a bit austere for this type of show. In other words, I never felt any kind of warmth coming from him. One can get bored watching him eat bites of pasta throughout different regions. Italy has so much to offer in the arts, culture, and music, in addition to celebration of life through food and wine, and Tucci just never pulled it off.” — Miriam P.
“I hate shows about men who are paid to travel and eat! First it was Anthony Bourdain and now Stanley Tucci. If they had a woman traveling and eating her way around Italy or the world, it would seem silly. But for a man, it's an occupation!” — Barbara G.
“Having been to almost all the places Tucci goes in the series, I felt his choices of where to explore and eat were often too far off the beaten path and represented his own more elitist points of view, bypassing deep-rooted cultural traditions for Michelin star meals. Frankly, I could do a better job than Tucci — it’s just that I’m not famous. But I'm Italian on all FOUR sides!” — Lisa A.
These fans enjoyed the show, but had constructive criticism
“At times, this seemed a shallower knockoff of Anthony Bourdain’s show, minus the deep thinking that Bourdain inspired. Tucci slowly approached that in the later episodes and it became more enjoyable to watch. Disappointed it’s canceled.” — Kevin S.
“Absolutely loved the series, as did many of my friends. As a presenter, [Tucci] is excellent. However, for me, there were too many ‘oh my Gods’. It's become a standing joke for my friends and me. So sorry the series will not be shown for another [season]. It was sheer escapism.” — Jeannie N.
“Very much enjoyed the series, and Stanley is, of course, his urbane and hugely likable self with a delicious touch of humor. But, just as one or two of the food writers mentioned in the article [said], we know about pizza, risotto, ragù and mozzarella. In the UK, we have many TV chefs (including two well-known Italians) and most people have visited Italy at least once so we are familiar with basic Italian cuisine.
More Stanley, please, CNN, but exploring the lesser-known areas and food. The best Italian meal we ever had (and we've stayed on several occasions from north to south) was in an agriturismo up an unassuming farm track in the middle of the Valpolicella hills. The friends who accompanied us still rave about it six years on!” — Pam A.
“There are only so many times one can watch anyone, even someone as handsome as Mr. Tucci, take a bite of a meal, and with a full mouth say, ‘Oh, this is so good.’ Idea for a great new show: Take some gorgeous, actual Italian men and women, with reasonable but not perfect English skills and great Italian accents, and have them explore each region of Italy in a Ferrari one week, a Lamborghini the next, then a Maserati, an Alfa Romeo, and so on, with drives in the Dolomites and along the undulating roads in Tuscany, and stop-offs for meals, with cameras away from the diners to instead take in the broad scenes of the towns. Interviews with the chefs would be great, but no commentary is needed on the food, which everyone will already know tastes ‘so good.’ One could incorporate the wonderful opera houses of Milan, Palermo, and Naples, or highlight the high-end, luxury manufactured products, food items, wines, historical sites, artistic masterpieces and so on. I volunteer to be an on-site consultant on the show, just to be sure to include the perspective of a statunitense. I can start tomorrow!” — Charles G.
“At first, I resisted the whole idea of replacing Bourdain with Tucci! I know that wasn’t exactly what was going on. But I missed Bourdain’s savvy, prowess and sex appeal, plus his ability to connect us to the humanity of others in Italy and world wide! Tucci, sexy? Seriously?! Ultimately, I embraced the show! I think it should return!” — Patricia d.B.
“It was quite interesting and enjoyable. I wonder what Tucci’s record for saying ‘Oh my God’ was in a single episode. That should be the title of his next recipe book! My best to Stanley and I will be watching out for his new projects.” — Joe D.
