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October 15, 2018
Eater: Netflix’s International Culinary Competition ‘The Final Table’ to Debut This Fall
By Greg Morabito on
Netflix is expanding its roster of food shows with a new program that will pit chefs from around the world against each other in a grand battle overseen by nine titans of cuisine.
The Final Table will feature 12 teams of two competing in regional-themed challenges, which will be be judged by critics, “celebrity ambassadors,” and the culinary mega-stars from those countries. The winner of the final round will earn a spot at the Final Table with the famous chef-judges. Each of the first nine episodes will highlight different cuisines from the superstar chefs’ homelands. Here are the nine chefs who will determine who gets to sit at the Final Table, and the countries they represent:
Enrique Olvera, Mexico
Andoni Aduriz, Spain
Clare Smyth, UK
Helena Rizzo, Brazil
Vineet Bhatia, India
Grant Achatz, USA
Carlo Cracco, Italy
Yoshihiro Narisawa, Japan
Anne-Sophie Pic, France
The show will feature former Bon Appetit restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton in the hosting role, and MasterChef veterans Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton are on board as producers.
The Final Table will be released worldwide this fall, although the exact premiere date and the names of the competing chefs have yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more casting details as soon as they become available.
• The Final Table [Netflix]
• All Food TV Coverage [E]
October 15, 2018
Deadline: Netflix Launches Unscripted Slate Including Cooking Competition ‘The Final Table’
by Peter White on August 23, 2018 6:00am
Netflix is doubling down on unscripted series with a raft of new titles including a new cooking from the producers of MasterChef and a pair of magic projects.
The SVOD service has ordered The Final Table, Death by Magic and Derren Brown: Sacrifice alongside confirmation of projects including football doc Sunderland Till I Die and Jackass-meets-Wipeout-style gameshow Flinch.
The new shows were unveiled by Brandon Riegg, VP of Unscripted Originals and Acquisitions for Netflix, at the Edinburgh International TV Festival.
The Final Table is a global culinary competition series that features the world’s most renowned chefs fighting for a spot at the top table. The series features 12 teams of two chefs from around the world cooking the national dishes of Mexico, Spain, England, Brazil, France, Japan, the U.S., India and Italy. Each episode focuses on a different country and its cuisine. Celebrity chefs that will appear in the show include Enrique Olvera (Mexico), Andoni Aduriz (Spain), Clare Smyth (UK), Helena Rizzo (Brazil), Vineet Bhatia (India), Grant Achatz (US), Carlo Cracco (Italy), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan) and Anne-Sophie Pic (France). The series will be presented by Bon AppétitEditor at Large Andrew Knowlton.
The show was created and exec produced by MasterChef producers Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton and is produced by theoldschool and is set to launch later this year.
October 15, 2018
Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Unveils 5 New Unscripted Originals
At the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday, Netflix unveiled four new unscripted original series and one original special that will debut later this year.
In a “Game Changer” session, vp unscripted originals & acquisitions Brandon Riegg announced that the streaming giant would launch the global culinary competition show The Final Table; Death by Magic, a series uncovering the stories of magicians who died performing the dangerous stunts; the game show Flinch; and a show about the soccer club Sunderland.
He also outlined his vision for reality and other unscripted programming offered by the streaming video giant and its expanding work with U.K. production firms and talent.
“We are looking for stories that resonate globally,” Riegg explained. “We are a U.S. company, but global network.” He added that the streamer was also typically leaning towards innovative projects or new angles and twists on known propositions. Beyond big-scale shows, niche projects with a passionate audiences are also of interest to the streamer, Riegg explained.
Ideas can come from around the globe, he emphasized. “We’re looking to do programming from around the world,” Riegg explained, adding that the U.K. was a particular focus area as it was the birthplace of some of the “most innovative” formats in the world.
Is anything missing from Netflix’s unscripted programming? “I don’t think there’s a category that’s missing,” the exec said. “We want to increase our volume” and ensure breadth. Asked if Netflix has had any failed unscripted shows so far, Riegg said no, just shows with varying degrees of success. He also shared that “we get on average 40 to 50 pitches a week.”
Asked about his team’s involvement in productions, Riegg highlighted that “Netflix prides itself on having a lighter touch,” meaning it mostly supports the producers as much as possible.
Some unscripted shows could get localized versions over time, the Netflix executive also told the Edinburgh crowd. Riegg said that Netflix is looking to localize successful unscripted formats in more than one country with the help of the original production firm, if it can work on them.