Opinion: Kitchen Confidential Needs A Reboot

I recently discovered Kitchen Confidential while combating my insomnia via browsing shows on Hotstar. Based on Anthony Bourdain’s bestseller Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and starring Bradley Cooper as Jack Bourdain, I decided to give it a shot (4 am is a lonely time).

Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) I was hooked by the end of the first episode (of course, it didn’t hurt that Owain Yeoman and John Cho featured in the cast). The (sometimes slapstick) humor, combined with Bourdain’s rise from the ashes, and a stellar cast (not to mention the insight into kitchen warfare) made for enjoyable (and informative, I told myself) viewing.

Like any good serial binge-watcher, I finished season one in less than a week (okay, two days, sue me). I was devastated to discover it had only run for one season and that Fox had actually stopped airing the show after just four episodes (the world of television and ratings is cruel indeed).

In the current world of reality cooking shows, a Kitchen Confidential is sorely missed. While we enjoy the drama that a Kitchen Nightmares or a Hell’s Kitchen brings, a longer, food-based narrative could be something worth watching. Although the misogynistic attitude could be tweaked, and the food could be focussed on a bit more, I think the writers of Kitchen Confidential got it pretty much spot on.

Is it too much to ask for a reboot with a new cast or a reunion with the original cast (sans the awful bellbottoms)? Bradley Cooper did don chef’s whites again for Burnt, so perhaps he’s open to the possibility? Well, a girl can dream; of Nolita, Bourdain, bumbling Jim, and Portuguese eel gracing her screen once again.

Feature Image: Fox