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Matt Wrather, Mark Lee, and Pete Fenzel leave Indiana Jones behind to follow the dotted line across across the map of Italy and the history of modern streaming with the self-possessed, adroit, and eternally classy Stanley Tucci, in pursuit of his newly minted cross-platform rival Eva Longoria.

Tucci in Italy on NatGeo/Disney+ and Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain on CNN/HBO Max/Max/HBO Max may have emerged from the same project, but they now face each other as competitors, two curling threads of fragrant steam above that red, messy bowl of Warner Bros. Discovery corporate buccatini. We trace how it started, how it’s going, and how Stanley Tucci maintains his easy masculine confidence through it all. Is he acting? Well, who isn’t?

We think of the Roman Empire, and our own oft-chaotic world, and muse on the grounding power of travel and stillness, that Tuccian dyad. We also connect on our experiences with other shows that deal in travel and food, whether it’s Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations or Jose Andres and Family in Spain, or Conan O’Brien Must Go, or Be My Guest (a.k.a. You Must Go, to the Barefoot Contessa, Who Is In Her House).

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Further Reading

• Stanley Tucci Cooks Spaghetti Aglio e Olio on YouTube
• The Travel Writer’s Dilemma, to Share or Gatekeep, by Pico Iyer, in The New York Times
• Warner Bros. Discovery Is Splitting Into Two Companies, by Jess Weatherbed on The Verge
• CNN to Reboot ‘Searching For’ Travel Franchise, With Eva Longoria Set to Explore Spain (Exclusive), by Alex Weprin, in The Hollywood Reporter
• I couldn’t stop laughing as Conan O’Brien hilariously blasts Stanley Tucci, Eva Longoria travel shows, by Michael Balderston in y! Entertainment
• Tucci Gang Tucci Gang Tucci Gang Tucci Gang Tucci Gang Tucci Gang Tucci Gang