New NBC Show Based on CJ E&M's Mega Hit TV Series 'Grandpas Over Flowers' Films in Korea

Published on 2015/08/24

Asia's leading content and media company CJ E&M says that four American actors, namely Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman were in Korea from August 22 through 24, to film a new American travel show based on CJ E&M's mega hit reality series Grandpas over Flowers.

For the show, titled Better Late than Never, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the aforementioned veteran actors will go backpacking across Asia, making stops at countries like Korea, Japan and Hong Kong over the next month. Korea was the second leg of their journey following Japan, where the members experienced the charm of Korea culture, and be fascinated by the uniqueness of the country's tradition. Jeff Dye also joined as the young guy who does chores for the elderly actors.

Last September, the format of Grandpas over Flowers was sold to NBC, making the show a first unscripted Korean format to be adapted by an American broadcast company.

Seo Jang-Ho, head of International Sales and Acquisitions at CJ E&M says, "We are thrilled to welcome those four honorable actors and their filming in Korea". Seo adds, "We cannot wait to see how CJ E&M's originality and creativeness gets adapted into an American version. We're dedicated to producing content that is attractive to a more global audience".

Initially aired in 2013, Grandpas over Flowers is a travel-themed reality show, starring veteran actors in their 70's who visit various destinations, accompanied by a popular young Korean actor. Reaching the highest TVR at 12.5%, the show has received stellar reviews from fans and critics alike for its amusing portrayals of inter-generational interaction and the new kind of leisure being explored by many adventurous elderly. Later, Grandpas over Flowers has spawned two successful spin-off series, called Sisters over Flowers and Youth over Flowers respectively.