Stanley Tucci seeks new home for ‘Searching for Italy’ after CNN axes show

Actor Stanley Tucci’s Emmy Award-winning CNN show “Searching for Italy” is searching for a new home.

The star of cinematic hits like “Big Night” and “The Devil Wears Prada” confirmed his food- and travel-centric show was a victim of CNN’s cost-cutting bloodbath this month.

“Unfortunately, CNN has canceled all of their original programming, so hopefully we’ll end up on another streamer network, we don’t know,” Tucci revealed to Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday’s episode of “The Tonight Show.”

The series aired on CNN on Sundays at 9 p.m. and was one of the few shows to grab eyeballs on the ratings-challenged network, drawing more than 1.5 million viewers when it debuted in 2021.

Tucci went on to tape 14 episodes over two seasons — feasting on regional cuisine from the heel of the country to the mountains in the north — and scooped up Emmys for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series in both years.

“I loved it so much,” Fallon fawned. “I wanna get into all — all the details, but I loved everything.”


tucci on the tonight show speaking with jimmy fallon
Stanley Tucci told Jimmy Fallon that “Searching for Italy” is looking for another streaming network to pick it up.
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Image

“When the show came out … it was during the pandemic. During lockdown. So we had a captive audience,” Tucci replied. “People were desperate to get out and they sort of lived vicariously through us.”

Fallon pressed the star about continuing the series.

“I have plans to do Season 3. So searching more,” Tucci said.


Stanley Tucci
Tucci confirmed that CNN canceled his show amid sweeping budget cuts at the network.
Getty Images

“So ‘Searching for Italy’ is searching — for a new network,” Fallon quipped.

“Not as appetizing,” Tucci shot back.

Aside from original programs, CNN also cut hundreds of jobs at the cable news network and gutted sister network HLN.