Somebody Feed Phil: 5 Ingredients That Make Phil Rosenthal's Netflix Travel Show a Delicious Treat
Somebody Feed Phil, returning for Season 8 this Wednesday on the streamer, follows comedy writer and Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal as he travels the world making friends and trying exotic new cuisines. Travel shows are a dime a dozen, of course, and Somebody Feed Phil does hit a lot of the familiar notes we know so well from the genre. But there's something exceptional about it, too: a special sauce, if you will, that makes it one of the most consistently satisfying and uplifting shows anywhere on television.
More from TVLine
Land of the Lost Reboot in the Works at Netflix
The Sandman's Final Season Trailer Features Dream's Return to Hell, Warns 'All Good Stories Come to an End'
For First Time, Streaming Viewing Topped Broadcast and Cable Combined in May
With Somebody Feed Phil serving up a new season that takes him everywhere from Amsterdam to Guatemala to Las Vegas, we thought we'd take a closer look at the five ingredients that make the show such a joy to watch. If you're already a fan, you may be able to guess what's on the menu. And if you haven't watched yet? You're in for a treat. Plus, join us in the comments below for a buffet of your favorite memories.
The success of any travel show hinges on its host, and luckily, Somebody Feed Phil has an excellent one in Phil Rosenthal. Goofy and enthusiastic, Phil brings an everyman approach to his travels: He's not a food expert, but he's a food lover, diving into strange local delicacies with an infectious curiosity. (His wide-eyed stares and delighted yelps when sinking his teeth into a new dish are a staple of the show by now.) He's also a veteran sitcom writer, so he knows how to tell a joke, and Phil never fails to crack up strangers on the street who don't even speak his language. Food and laughter are two international languages, and Phil speaks both fluently.
Somebody Feed Phil's cinematography is top-notch, with gorgeous shots of delicious food being prepared and served that could double as glossy magazine spreads. (Try to get through an episode without drooling.) Phil's adventurous palate leads to some amazing discoveries as well, with him trying everything from feijoada stew in Rio de Janeiro to deep-fried hot dogs in Chicago. He doesn't always love what he tries, to be honest, but along the way, he's introduced us to dozens of far-flung foods that we'd love to sample.
Through seven seasons so far, Phil has traveled the world and back, heading to more than 40 cities around the globe and exposing us to cultures we'd never be able to see at home. At least once per season, Phil's travels have shown us a beautiful international location that goes straight onto our travel bucket list, from Bangkok to Madrid to Kyoto. And it's heartwarming to see Phil instantly make friends with people from another land and find ways to connect with them despite their many differences. Travel is an unparalleled education, and Somebody Feed Phil is certainly an education in the myriad ways humanity can thrive.
Phil might travel solo, but he's not really alone: His brother Richard is the showrunner and travels with him, and the two have a hilarious sibling rivalry that pops up in just about every episode. Phil also checks in with famous friends on his travels, with cameos from Patton Oswalt, Tracy Morgan and NBA legend Dwight Howard.
His most reliable travel companions, though, were his parents Helen and Max, who Phil checked in with every episode via laptop video for an endearingly awkward chat. Helen and Max passed away in recent years, and the show paid tribute to them in a lovely Season 6 episode, and since then, Phil's friends like Ray Romano and Ted Danson have joined him on video to keep the tradition alive. It's that kind of heart that places Somebody Feed Phil a cut above the rest of the travel show pack.
A lot of Netflix shows have us reaching for the 'Skip Intro' button… but we wouldn't dare touch it when the Somebody Feed Phil theme song comes on. A boisterous tune from the band Lake Street Dive that lays out Phil's mission in hummable form, the theme song is a perfect introduction to the show and a fantastic warm-up for all the fun ahead. We love it almost as much as we love the show that follows it.
Are you a frequent flier with ? Let us know what you love about the show in a comment below.
Best of TVLine
Young Sheldon Easter Eggs: Every Nod to The Big Bang Theory (and Every Future Reveal) Across 7 Seasons
Weirdest TV Crossovers: Always Sunny Meets Abbott, Family Guy vs. Simpsons, Nine-Nine Recruits New Girl and More
ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Forget the Netflix price hikes — score a full year of Binge Premium for less than AU$10p/m
Maintaining subscriptions to the best streaming services is getting harder for the average Aussie, with prices always on the rise and content constantly moving around. Thankfully, a homegrown streamer has dropped a seriously cracking deal on its annual subscriptions, discounting them by 35%. From now until August 31, 2025, Binge has discounted its annual subscriptions across its three tiers, with savings of up to AU$63. While Binge's basic tier will cost just AU$48 for the full year, the best deal is on its Premium subscription, which is down to just AU$116p/y, from AU$179. Binge's Premium subscription is on par with Netflix's most expensive offering, providing viewers with 4K streaming on four screens. With this deal, you'll end up paying AU$9.67p/m for the full year – a AU$12.33p/m saving – which is AU$19.32 less than Netflix's impending price hike to AU$28.99p/m for premium. But you'll need to act fast to take full advantage of Binge's discounted annual subscription — this offer is only available until August 31, 2025. Retailing at AU$179p/y for a premium subscription, this Binge deal knocks a massive 35% off the first year. When broken down, it'll cost you just AU$9.67p/m, which is AU$10.32 cheaper than the average premium streaming subscription (AU$19.99). With this annual sub, you can access all of Binge's content catalogue and stream up to 4K on four screens. Some of Binge's upcoming releases include "The Office US" spinoff, "The Paper", arriving on September 4, and the first season of reality competition show, "The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown", on August 22. New movies on the streamer include "Gladiator", "Sonic The Hedgehog 3", "The Brutalist" and "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy". Winter live sports are heating up in Australia, and the easiest way to stream them live and on demand is on Binge. With an annual subscription on any tier, you'll be able to stream the upcoming AFL and NRL grand finals on September 27 and October 5, respectively. You can even stream the NRLW and AFLW matches, too. In terms of news and lifestyle channels, all Binge subscribers can access Foxtel's most popular channels, such as Fox News, Sky News, BBC and Bloomberg. Premium subscribers gain the added bonus of 4K streaming on four screens, which is a big step up from Binge's standard tier (offering up to 1080p HD streaming). Plus, you won't have to sit through ads while viewing, and that's a major win in our books. But, if you find that the streamer isn't up your alley or don't want to pay the ongoing annual rate of AU$179 after your offer ends, you can always cancel your Binge subscription at any time.
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Netflix has racked up 20 No. 1 shows in 2025 (so far) — here are the 5 you shouldn't miss
Netflix has already brought us a ton of new movies and shows throughout 2025, and there are still some major releases waiting in the wings ("Stranger Things" season 5, anyone?) Having a steady stream of new releases is a big plus, obviously, but it can also mean keeping up with what's on Netflix — and all the best streaming services, for that matter — a tall order. And I say that as someone whose job is literally to keep up with what's happening in the world of entertainment. With that in mind, I've been keeping a close eye on the shows that have risen to the top throughout 2025 and put together a shortlist of shows I think viewers ought not to miss. If you read my last round-up of must-see Netflix No. 1 shows, feel free to skip ahead to my picks. Otherwise, I'll just quickly explain how I made my decisions. I checked what the No. 1 show on Netflix U.S. was every single week (via Netflix's handy Top 10 list on Tudum) from the start of the year through to August 3 (the latest published data set) and built up a list of 19 initial shows. After noting them down, and adding in an extra by checking Netflix's homepage each day for the past week (to bring us up to an even 20), I whittled that shortlist down to 5 choices. Because Netflix only shares weekly data in this way, some top watches didn't quite fit the criteria: sorry, "Dept. Q.". Nevertheless, with that explanation out of the way, here's my top five Netflix No. 1 shows of 2025 (so far). 'Adolescence' has been on my list already, and I'm not getting rid of it this time out, either. It had a massive impact upon release, and I'm confident it's going to be remembered as one of 2025's must-see projects. This powerful, four-part limited series sees 'Boiling Point' star Stephen Graham and creator Philip Barantini reuniting to tell the story of a fictional family whose world is turned upside down when their 13-year-old son, Jamie (Owen Cooper), is arrested for the murder of a fellow pupil. Since its release, 'Adolescence' has become the No. 2 Most Popular English-language TV show (second only to 'Wednesday') and has sparked conversations about young people, healthy relationships and online radicalization. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'Adolescence' isn't just worthy of a mention owing to its wider impact: it's also an expertly crafted drama, and one that you should make time for if you haven't already. Watch "Adolescence" on Netflix now "Sirens" may not have won critics over quite as much as Molly Smith Metzler's previous Netflix series, "Maid," did, but this dark comedy-drama was a winning watch for me. Across five episodes, we follow concerned sister Devon DeWitt (Meghann Fahy) as she embarks on a quest to check in on her younger sister, Simone (Milly Alcock). Simone's been sucked into the orbit of wellness guru and wealthy socialite, Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore), waiting on Mrs. Kell as her devoted live-in assistant. Devon shows up at Michaela's lavish estate — unannounced — and tries to stage her intervention across the Labor Day weekend... where she's thrust into the Kells' cultish world and discovers that her sister's boss is a formidable opponent. It's an emotional, darkly funny miniseries that will have you hooked as new secrets come to light. Watch "Sirens" on Netflix now It's important to me that this list has some variety on it, so I wanted to keep a proper comedy on my list. With that in mind, I'm still recommending "The Four Seasons" as one of the best Netflix originals I've streamed this year. This hilarious, eight-part series comes from Tina Fey, Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield and follows a group of friends, charting how their dynamic shifts when one of the couples in the mix decides to call it quits. It's a gentle, warm comedy that should make for some easy viewing. Watch "The Four Seasons" on Netflix now If you love compelling, character-driven mystery thrillers, then "Untamed" deserves to be on your radar. Released last month, "Untamed" is the latest project from Mark L. Smith ("American Primeval") and Elle Smith ("The Marsh King's Daughter") that whisks us off to the beautiful environs of Yosemite National Park. There, Investigative Services Branch Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) is on the trail of a killer. Naturally, that investigation sees him stumbling on some dark secrets lurking within the wilder parts of the park. It's a suspenseful six-episode series that many of us at TG enjoyed (fellow writer Alix Blackburn also recommended "Untamed" earlier in the year), and one that belongs on your watchlist if it wasn't already. Watch "Untamed" on Netflix now "Wednesday" is the exception to the rule that I mentioned above. While (at the time of writing), Netflix hadn't published its weekly data for Aug. 4 - 11, every time I've looked at the Netflix homepage since the series launched last week, Wednesday Addams was staring right back at me from the top of Netflix's charts. And seeing as the first season is Netflix's most-watched series of all time... I think it's a sure bet that season 2 will come out on top. If not, I'll replace Wednesday with another choice entirely once the data's live. Regardless, even though we've only gotten half of the new season, I'm already all-in on "Wednesday" all over again. The production design is just as impressive, the mystery's got me hooked, and Jenna Ortega's proven every bit as engaging in the title role. It's just devilishly fun stuff. I can't wait to see what's still in store when the remaining episodes drop, and I feel confident it'll still be one of my favorite Netflix shows of the year going forward. Watch "Wednesday" on Netflix now Below, you can find the full list of the 20 Netflix shows that have been a No. 1 series at some point in the year, based on Netflix's weekly data (listed alphabetically). Already streamed all five of my Netflix picks? Check out our round-up of the best Netflix shows for tons more streaming recommendations to help build out your watchlist. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle Makes a Prince Harry Confession in 'With Love, Meghan' Trailer That Sparked the Reaction, ‘And You Married Him?'
The Duchess of Sussex referred to Prince Harry in the preview of season 2NEED TO KNOW Meghan Markle talked about her husband, Prince Harry, in the new trailer for the next season of With Love, Meghan The Duchess of Sussex revealed what food Harry isn't into while chatting with chef José Andrés Season 2 of the show will premiere on Aug. 26Meghan Markle is spilling the beans on what food Prince Harry isn't into. On Aug. 12, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared the detail in the first official trailer for season two of her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan on Netflix. As seen in the sneak peek, Meghan revealed the seafood that her husband of seven years isn't interested in while in the kitchen with chef José Andrés. "You know who doesn't like lobster? My husband," the Duchess of Sussex said about Prince Harry, 40. "And you married him anyway?" Andrés joked in reply. Meghan previously revealed that the celebrity chef would be a guest on the next season of With Love, which PEOPLE exclusively confirmed would return to Netflix for a second season this fall. Meghan's admission that Harry doesn't like lobster follows her previous insight to PEOPLE about the foods her family loves. "My husband and Archie both love fried eggs," she said about Prince Harry and their 6-year-old son, Prince Archie. "There's a lot of bacon around here. And then sometimes you don't have time for all that, and you just put a frozen waffle in the toaster and call it a day. And there's no shame in that either." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! The new trailer revealed that season two will premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 26, and welcome many new guests as well as a returning cameo. The second season of With Love, Meghan will feature appearances from Chrissy Teigen, Tan France, David Chang, Samin Nosrat, Christina Tosi, Clare Smyth, Jay Shetty and Radhi Devlukia. Meghan's friends Heather Dorak and Jamie Kern Lima also join, while her longtime friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin makes a return after appearing in season one. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
