The Reluctant Traveler

A chic mix of high and low sails through the eight-episode season, every voyage is buoyed by Levy’s consistently hilarious combination of jokes and anxieties.

With some nifty maps and graphics, plenty of slick editing, and those gorgeously photogenic locales (other stops include Venice, Costa Rica, Utah, Lisbon and Tokyo), “The Reluctant Traveler” wins us over on two levels: We get to see some beautiful, exotic, fascinating pockets of our wonderful world, and we get to spend some quality time with Eugene Levy.

Although the vicarious tourism is part of the appeal — the show looks good and gives an excellent sense of its diverse settings, from Lapland to Lisbon to the Utah desert — it’s best when Levy is most visibly nervous (which is also when he’s at his funniest) or emotionally moved or connecting with locals.

The reluctancy feels increasingly forced as the season goes along. I’m not saying I don’t believe Eugene Levy when he says that he doesn’t like water, only that the set-up for each episode gets less and less intriguing as this promising travel show unfolds.

Meandering, less revelatory, and not very funny.