Anthony Bourdain Embraces the Melancholy of Buenos Aires

Visiting Buenos Aires in summer might not seem ideal for filming a show there.

Locals, known as Porteños, typically leave the city for Patagonia, their country homes, or the beaches of neighboring Uruguay.

As a result, the city feels quite deserted, which, oddly enough, was exactly what we needed.

To me, Buenos Aires has a unique, melancholic charm — it's a stunning city with an underlying sense of sadness. It's reflected in the architecture, heard in the tango, and felt in the very atmosphere.

There's something uniquely charming and bittersweet about Buenos Aires. Its empty streets and slower pace in the summer feel like the perfect backdrop to me.

Inspired by Wong Kar-Wai’s beautifully shot film, *Happy Together*, we aimed to create a visually stunning and meticulously crafted episode that captures a distinct mood, emotion, and of course, a sense of place.

One of the quirks of Argentina is how commonplace it is for people to see a psychologist or psychiatrist.

It seems almost everyone has one. So, naturally, I went to see one as well. Welcome to the darker corners of my mind.

We use a long therapy session as a storytelling tool, so you’ll learn far more about me than you probably wanted to. For that, I’m sorry in advance.

Did we truly capture the essence of Buenos Aires? I’m not sure.

Whether we succeeded or not, I’ll leave that up to you, our viewers. But one thing I’m certain of: this show looks absolutely stunning, with a meticulous attention to detail that I’m incredibly proud of.