Television series
The Layover
Other titles called The Layover: the 2017 film.
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
A bite-sized travel show where Anthony Bourdain has 24-48 hours to unearth a city's best food, people, and hidden corners. It's enthusiastic, restless, and built on the premise that layovers aren't dead time—they're an excuse to do something real. For people who want to travel smart, eat well, and see cities as locals do, not tourists.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy watching a restless, opinionated host cram a city's food, nightlife and back-alley favourites into a day or two, and you like travel viewing with a sharp, affectionate edge.
Skip it if you want slow, immersive travel documentaries that linger on one place, since each episode rushes through a city in a whirl of stops and the host's energy rarely lets up.
What it asks of you: Hour-long episodes, each a brisk sprint through one city, so the pace is quick and you can stack several in one sitting with little fuss.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations2005
The predecessor and spiritual home of Bourdain's method: immersive, digressive, driven by genuine curiosity about how people live and eat. Long enough to breathe, short enough to stay sharp.
But Some episodes drift into travelogue; the pacing can feel leisurely where The Layover sprints. Early seasons show their age.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown2013
Bourdain's most mature work, visiting places most travel shows avoid—conflict zones, closed societies, complicated histories. Food is the entry point; humanity is the story.
But Heavier and more serious than The Layover. Sometimes the weight of the subjects can be tough to sit with.
Chef's Table2015
Obsessive, visually sumptuous deep dives into how great chefs think and work. Each episode is a meditation on craft, ambition, and what food can be.
But Slower and more contemplative than Bourdain's style. Some episodes focus on techniques that won't interest casual viewers.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Layover
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011
Both understand that the best way to know a place is through what it eats, but Jiro inverts The Layover—instead of racing through 48 hours, he spends a lifetime mastering one thing. Same reverence for food, opposite pace.
A documentary about an 85-year-old sushi master that becomes a portrait of obsession, perfectionism, and the search for meaning in repetition. Quiet, meditative, transcendent.
But Slow, minimalist, almost no dialogue. If you're used to Bourdain's chattiness, this silence might feel like deprivation. No jokes, no personalities, just one man and his craft.
More like this (4)
Somebody Feed Phil2018
Phil Rosenthal travels the world eating and talking to people with infectious warmth. The same DNA as The Layover but gentler, more interested in connection than proving anything.
But Less edge, more earnestness. If you loved Bourdain's cynical bite, this might feel too sincere.
The Mind of a Chef2012
Bourdain hosts a series following five chefs into their kitchens and heads. Shorter format than No Reservations but still room for actual thought.
But Focuses on American chefs; less travel, more kitchen philosophy. The format feels more structured, less spontaneous.
Ugly Delicious2018
David Chang exploring food across the world with intelligence and humor. Episodes on pizza, dumplings, fried rice—unpretentious and genuinely funny.
But Takes a hard left into academia and theory in places. Some episodes feel more like food essays than travel.
Midnight in Paris2011
The Layover is about squeezing a city into a layover; this film is about the delicious fantasy of being a tourist who actually gets to *live* somewhere for just long enough. Same love of place, one real and urgent, one romantic and impossible.
A love letter to Paris that captures the real secret: a city's magic lives in its cafés, its wandering, its ability to make you feel like you belong there for 48 hours. Funny and bittersweet.
But Woody Allen doing Woody Allen; lots of whimsy, some of it precious. The fantasy elements might feel thin if you want grounded reality.
People
Cast
Production
- Anthony BourdainExecutive Producer