I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always understand what’s happening in the world of reality television, both for the things that are already on the air and the things that make it to the development stage. And I’m absolutely stumped by NBC’s new series Better Late Than Never, which will be an adventure-ish comedy series starring the unique quintet of William Shatner, Henry Winkler, Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman and Jeff Dye. It’s like The Surreal Life with an age handicap.
Better Late Than Never is a quasi-adaptation of the South Korean series Grandpas Over Flowers, in that it follows the travels of several entertainment veterans as they make their way through the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Chang Mai. However, this won’t just be a vacation of a lifetime for the men, as they’ll be navigating the cities on their own without the help of their mangers and agents along the way. So they’ll have to figure out how to communicate with everyone and ascertain where the best food is and what local traditions are that they should get into. (They’re just like us!)
Each of the celebs has a “bucket list” of things they want to do, and they’ll have to rely on each other for the entire trip through all the inevitable twists and turns, promoting cooperation and encouragement. In the end, they’re apparently trying to “demonstrate that friendship is the ultimate gift.” Now let’s get a refresher course on each of these celebs.
Pictured above, William Shatner is the Emmy-winning actor who starred in the original Star Trek series and films as Captain James T. Kirk, along with such TV series as The Practice, and Boston Legal.
Best known as the too cool for school The Fonz from Happy Days, the Golden Globe-winning Henry Winkler had a second life in acting thanks to shows like Arrested Development, Childrens Hospital, Royal Pains and Parks and Recreation. He was most recently seen in Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant, but we might not want to talk too much about that.
One of the most successful NFL players of all time, Terry Bradshaw led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during his long tenure at quarterback. He’s appeared in such TV shows as The League and Malcolm in the Middle, and he’s currently one of the analysts on Fox NFL Sunday.
One of the greatest boxers of any generation, George Foreman had a professional career that lasted over 25 years. Before he even retired, he had a shortlived sitcom called George and launched a business enterprise selling the fat-reducing George Foreman Grill.
Perhaps the oddest addition to this group, Jeff Dye is a stand-up comedian and one-time Last Comic Standing contestant whose career has been mostly in front of the camera as a host or contributor of such shows as Money From Strangers, Numbnuts and Girl Code.
Better Late Than Never is set to go into production in August, and will probably air on NBC in the midseason.
