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4 celebrities + 1 month in Asia = NBC series

Terry Bradshaw, William Shatner, comedian Jeff Dye, Henry Winkler and George Foreman star on the new NBC series Better Late Than Never.
Terry Bradshaw, William Shatner, comedian Jeff Dye, Henry Winkler and George Foreman star on the new NBC series Better Late Than Never.

The NBC teaser for its "comedy event series" says it best: "Four American icons. One month in Asia. What could possibly go wrong?"

The new unscripted "fish-out-of-water" post-Olympic filler series Better Late Than Never debuts at 9 p.m. Tuesday. I'm betting NBC makes sure a lot of entertaining stuff goes wrong.

First of all, one quibble. Just as TV overuses the words "event" and "hero," I'm not certain all of these guys rise to the level of "icons," cultural or otherwise. NBC also calls them "national treasures."

Let's just label them celebrities who had some time on their hands and let NBC publicity go hyperbolic.

Who are our celebs? Henry Winkler (who is also an executive producer), William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman.

Lesser-known comedian Jeff Dye (Last Comic Standing) is our host and guide.

In the series, our five travellers head out for "an epic adventure" throughout Asia, traveling on their own, ostensibly "with no schedule and no itinerary," visiting six cities while "immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying exotic food -- all the while dealing with the unexpected twists and turns that any trip presents."

NBC adds, "Each stop is packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists as our legends take on this unforgettable adventure."

By "on their own," NBC explains that the adventure included "no assistants, no limousines and no lattes," because each of the four was "checking off items on their own personal bucket lists" while in search of "an intimate, life-changing experience."

The crew will visit Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Hong Kong in China and Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Each episode is an hour.

The 6-foot-4 Dye, who is 33, jokes that he was chosen to go on the adventure because the show "needs someone young" who is "tech-savvy."

He's probably right. The combined ages of the four "national treasures" is 289, with Shatner being a remarkably spry 85.

"Let me take you way back to a time I call ... April," Dye jokes on the nbc.com website. "I get a call from Henry 'The Fonz ' Winkler. He says, 'It's me and some other guys who are going to be backpacking and we need a young guy to help us out.' Not only do I get to go on this trip to Asia, but I get to go with four of my heroes -- four legends."

Dye added, "You have to be cautious about a lot of things in Asia." He then held up a toy Godzilla. He also said his biggest fear ahead of time was eating "some weird food" with the resulting, let's call it, digestive tract distress.

The show is based on a highly successful South Korean travel reality series called Grandpas Over Flowers (a play on a popular Japanese comic), in which four elderly and one younger actor went backpacking in Europe and Taiwan.

In case you're out of the cultural icon, national treasure loop, here's a reminder about our four travelers.

Henry Winkler, 70. Best known for playing Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on Happy Days (1974-84), Winkler most recently has had a recurring role on USA's Royal Pains. Next spring, he'll co-star in the new HBO comedy Barry.

Winkler is also a director and writer.

George Foreman, 67. The former boxing heavyweight champ (he defeated Joe Frazier in 1973) was also the victim of Muhammad Ali's famous "rope-a-dope" in 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle." Foreman came back to win the title in 1994 (vs. Michael Moorer) at the record age of 45.

Foreman is best known to a new generation as an entrepreneur. He has sold more than 100 million George Foreman Grills.

Oh, yeah. Foreman is also known for having named each of his five sons George -- George Jr., plus George III, IV, V and VI.

Terry Bradshaw, 67. The Shreveport native and Louisiana Tech University grad was the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback for 14 seasons (1970-1983) and has been an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday since 1994.

Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls (1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980), a feat only equalled by Joe Montana.

William Shatner. If anybody comes close to being a cultural icon, it's Shatner -- Capt. James T. Kirk on TV's original Star Trek and in seven subsequent movies.

We'll skip over T.J. Hooker, and mention he also won Emmys for his portrayal of lawyer Denny Crane on The Practice and Boston Legal.

Shatner is also a writer (30 fiction and nonfiction best-sellers) and fancies himself a singer.

HomeStyle on 08/21/2016

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