FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08/29/2018
Explore “Very Special Episodes” of TV from the 70s, 80s, & 90s with Laughter and Art of Ancient Storytelling
LOS ANGELES, CA: Hugging and Learning, a new podcast hosted by award-winning writers Chelsea Marcantel and Andrew Grigg, is a nostalgic exploration of those very special episodes of television — when light-hearted sitcoms from the late 1970s to early 1990s broke from their regular format to discuss serious issues such as alcoholism, crime, racism, the Challenger explosion, cults, and bootlegging a Doobie Brothers concert. Chelsea and Andrew use the Hero’s Journey, along with many jokes and laughs, to evaluate and explore these special relics of television to see how they hold up today. Anyone who grew up watching shows such as The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Saved by the Bell, The Golden Girls, or simply loves vintage sitcoms will enjoy listening to Hugging and Learning.
Host Chelsea Marcantel on why they started the show, “I like looking back at TV sitcoms that seem ridiculous or out of touch, and evaluating how closely they actually adhere to ancient storytelling structures like the Hero’s Journey. Andrew and I have been doing this un-recorded for years. I most like when we set out to make fun of an episode we remember as clunky, and end up genuinely moved and educated by it.”
The most recent episode of Hugging and Learning features the very special episode from What’s Happening!! in which main character “Rerun” tries to bootleg a Doobie Brother’s concert. Past episodes include looks at Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Punky Brewster. New episodes of Hugging and Learning are available every Friday and can be found at www.HuggingAndLearning.com, iTunes, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts can be found.