Vox Entertainment and Eater’s NO PASSPORT REQUIRED with Marcus Samuelsson Returns for Second Season on PBS

Today PBS, Vox Entertainment and Eater, the lifestyle network focused on food and travel from Vox Media, announced that the series NO PASSPORT REQUIRED, hosted and executive produced by renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson, will return for a second season this fall.

“We are thrilled to be working with PBS and Marcus to continue capturing these authentic stories focusing on the communities that make this nation so rich and dynamic,” said Marty Moe, President, Vox Media. “Serving both the PBS and Eater audiences with premium nonfiction television inspired by great journalism, next generation talent, and a collective deep curiosity about the world, is a priority for Vox Entertainment.”

The second season of NO PASSPORT REQUIRED will join Marcus as he travels to six American cities for an in-depth look at the rich diversity of immigrant traditions and cuisines woven into American food and culture: Houston, home to one of the highest number of West African expatriates of any city in the U.S.; the Filipino American community in Seattle, who are an important part of its Chinatown International District; Los Angeles, where the world’s second largest Armenian community resides; Boston, where Marcus explores Portuguese-speaking cultures and cuisines from Brazil, Cape Verde and Portugal; the Chinese American community in Las Vegas, which has grown tremendously over the last 20 years, and Philadelphia, where Italian Americans have thrived for generations.

In each city, he’ll visit local restaurants, markets and family homes, learning about each community’s cuisine and heritage.

An immigrant himself — born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, now a celebrated chef, restaurateur, author and resident of Harlem — Marcus Samuelsson is passionate about sharing and celebrating the food of America’s vibrant communities. Each episode shows how important food can be in bringing Americans — old and new — together around the table.

“I’m so happy to be working on a second season of NO PASSPORT REQUIRED,” said Samuelsson. “We have only begun to scratch the surface of the amazing range of immigrant cultures and cuisines found in the U.S. It’s exciting to go on this journey once again and bring attention to these diverse communities that contribute so much to our nation.”

The renewal of Eater’s NO PASSPORT REQUIRED on PBS, marks the second project renewal in the last three months for Vox Entertainment, the production studio from Vox Media, with both OTT (Vox and Netflix’s ”Explained”) and cable (Eater and PBS’s NO PASSPORT REQUIRED) partners.

“NO PASSPORT REQUIRED was one of our freshest and most popular new shows last year,” said Pamela A. Aguilar, Senior Director, PBS Programming. “It included new perspectives and provided a unique lens that brought younger audiences to PBS who connected with Marcus and the culture and cuisine of these diverse communities. We’re delighted to present a new season of this inclusive series that is part of the PBS commitment to provide programming that is reflective of all Americans.”

“Season one of NO PASSPORT REQUIRED was Eater’s first foray into television and we’re proud to be working with PBS on a second season to celebrate America’s diverse cultural mosaic with these six new locations and communities,” said Sonia Chopra, Eater’s Director of Editorial Strategy and a co-executive producer on the show. “Offering a platform for immigrant communities to share their stories is what truly makes this docu-series so special.”

NO PASSPORT REQUIRED is executive produced by Marty Moe, Chad Mumm, Amanda Kludt, Jim Bankoff, Sonia Chopra, Joanna Forscher, Maureen Giannone Fitzgerald, Max Heckman and Marcus Samuelsson for Vox Entertainment. Pamela A. Aguilar is the executive in charge for PBS.

Read more about the announcement on Eater. Catch up on what you missed on season one of NO PASSPORT REQUIRED here.