Better Late Than Never

I do not like reality TV. And yet, for some reason, a reality show about a bunch of old actors and sports stars traveling around Asia caught my attention.

OK, it's not that hard to define why Better Late Than Never sounded interesting. Henry Winkler, Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, and Bill Shatner? Have to believe you can get a few hours of good entertainment just by sitting them in a room together, much less going to Japan, Korea, and other destinations in southeast Asia.

The first couple of episodes have not disappointed. The guys staying in a Tokyo capsule hotel was hilarious. Terry is always giving Shatner grief about his age, and he's happy to give plenty back. Winkler had maybe the best single line thus far when, at a ninja training exercise, he said "I'm Japan's only nin-Jew." Foreman doesn't say a whole lot, but when he does it's generally hilarious.

Every once in a while, you'll see a factoid or two about the places that the guys are visiting. That's good, since otherwise most of the show is about clumsy Americans failing to understand and/or appreciate cultural differences. It doesn't seem that anyone's intentionally being rude, but it certainly reinforces the "rude and obnoxious American" stereotype. I hope anyone watching this overseas has a good sense of humor. Or at least has a forgiving nature toward old dudes.

I wouldn't say Better Late Than Never is great television, but I'm still enjoying it. I'll stick with them for the rest of the season.