Better Late Than Never (TV series)

In late 2014, NBC bought the remake rights for the South Korean series Grandpas Over Flowers from CJ E&M.^[3][11] The original show was one of the first successful programs for cable tvN and had two spin-off shows.^[3][4] It premiered in 2013, reached a high local rating of 12.5 percent, and became popular in other Asian countries, with the combination of veteran actors in their seventies and a popular young actor attracting a wide demographic range of viewers for a reality show.^[12][13]

The show was produced by cast member Winkler, along with Jason Ehrlich, producer of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Tim Crescenti, of I Survived a Japanese Game Show and Storyline Entertainment's two producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, of The Bucket List.^[1][2]

Plans for the series were announced in June 2015.^[1][2] Productions started in Japan in August, and on August 12, 2015, the cast was interviewed by comedian Bibiru Ōki on Japan's Nippon TV talk show PON!, and filmed for the NBC show with the Japanese cast.^[14] Also in August, the cast visited South Korea, arriving in Seoul on August 20 for a three-day trip, including a visit to COEX for filming with cameo guests, K-pop girl group Girls' Generation, and trips to Hwaseong Fortress,^[15] Caribbean Bay, Itaewon, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Japan, including Tokyo and Kyoto, was the first stop for the show, with more trips to include Seoul, Hong Kong, Phuket and Chiang Mai.^[12][20][21]

According to NBC, the five cast members would rely on each other for support and encouragement and demonstrate that friendship is the ultimate gift.^[22] While filming the show in Southeast Asia, Shatner, at age 84, became interested in Buddhism and meditation after spending time with a Buddhist monk.^[23] He said, "The disaster of death is encroaching so I'm more and more aware of how beautiful it is to be alive."^[23]

The cast included actor, producer, writer and director Henry Winkler, best known for his character The Fonz from the series Happy Days;^[1] actor, director and writer William Shatner who starred as, among other roles, Capt. James T. Kirk in Star Trek;^[1][20] four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and current football broadcaster Terry Bradshaw;^[22] and former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman.^[22] Like the original show, the older cast was accompanied by a younger cast member, comedian Jeff Dye, from NBC's Last Comic Standing, who took on the equivalent role as Lee Seo-jin's, as "bag carrier and human navigator."^[4]

• William Shatner
• Henry Winkler
• George Foreman
• Terry Bradshaw
• Jeff Dye