Four guys go on an adventure around the world and get into a heap of trouble while away. No, that’s not the premise for the latest “The Hangover” movie or for a Seth Rogan/James Franco movie – that’s the description for Henry Winkler and William Shatner’s new NBC show “Better Late Than Never.”
The show, which premieres Tuesday, August 23 at 10:00 p.m., takes four American icons, Winkler and Shatner along with heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman, football legend Terry Bradshaw and comedian Jeff Dye on a journey across Asia. The gang meets new challenges, experience different cultures and are constantly thrown into situations that take them out of their comfort zones. The brotherly bond that these four active seniors didn’t expect made this a once in a lifetime experience that Winkler wouldn’t hesitate to do again.
“Our relationships started to change as we really got to know each other, and more comfortable with each other,” the actor, best known for his icon role as Fonzie on “Happy Days” around the world.
“We met families, we met children everywhere that we went, and there was no language between us. And like with George. George would sit down, and all of a sudden it was like these children, who had no idea who this gigantic human being was, didn’t understand him, they could have been his grandchildren. They found games to play, and punching, and sitting and jumping. It was truly emotional.
For Shatner it was a chance to travel to Japan for the first time. Travelling for work for the past 50 years has only made him want to stay home. So the actor jumped at the chance to travel in this unstructured way.
“You know, actors fly someplace, and they go to a hotel, and they do the job, and then you think, the lumpy mattresses and bad food; I want to get home. And you don’t see the location. We go on locations all the time, but never see the location.”
“We had a great time,” Shatner continued. “These were cultures that we had never visited before. These were people that we really didn’t know each other. Casual showbiz knowledge here and there; but not really intimately; not really under stress, whereby you’ve got to keep your good humor and your manners, and whether you’re on camera or off camera. Because you’re always on camera.”
For Dye, 33, the resident “sidekick”and tour guide of the group, says it was like travelling with 4 of your grandfathers. He was open to the challenge and said yes immediately to the chance to experience a different culture.
“I’m a stand-up comedian. I’ve been one for eleven years and I’ve headlined in every state, except Alaska, “said Dye. “So I’ve seen everything in America. But I’m not very cultured; admittedly. I’ve never been to other places or have seen other cultures. If you ‑‑ if they didn’t bring their culture to America, for me to experience a little bit of it, I don’t know nothing about it. So I was just excited. When I heard their names, I was, like, I’m in already. But then the idea of just being able to go and learn stuff about other people from other countries and stuff was what I’m most excited ‑‑ was what I was most excited about doing. And I feel like sometimes people think, like, oh, this is a show about guys going to some weird place and ‑‑ but it’s not; it’s more than that. Like, we got to be in it.”
The August 23 premiere kicks off in Tokyo, Japan, where right upon landing the guys are immediately out of their element and can’t even find their way out of the train station. Highlights of their Tokyo visit include staying at a capsule hotel, appearing on a popular Japanese game show, trying crazy culinary delicacies and visiting the top of the world-famous Tokyo Tower. Then they are off to see Mt. Fuji on a fun karaoke bus trip that completes the first leg of their incredible journey.
“Better Late Than Never” premieres Tuesday, August 23 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
