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Hot and Bothered

Hot and Bothered

Not Sorry Productions

306 episodesENserial

Show overview

Hot and Bothered has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 306 episodes, alongside 24 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 180 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 5th season.

Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 21 min and 50 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-language Arts show.

The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed yesterday, with 18 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2020, with 71 episodes published. Published by Not Sorry Productions.

Episodes
306
Running
2018–2026 · 8y
Median length
30 min
Cadence
Fortnightly

From the publisher

Hot and Bothered is all about the power of romance culture. We analyze romance novels and movies to better imagine our own happy endings. Episodes release weekly on Tuesdays.CURRENT SEASON: Hot and Bothered (Movie Edition)We make Hot and Bothered because we are interested in the way that love stories have impacted our lives and culture. For our fifth season of the show, we’re turning our attention to romantic films. Vanessa and Hannah McGregor dig into the canon of romantic films, from Titanic to Twilight to When Harry Met Sally, (just to name a few). Every other week they do a close scene analysis of how each movie ends, always asking the question ‘what does this movie believe about love?’SEASON 4: Live from PemberleyIn Live from Pemberley, we continue our deep-dive into the classic texts of romance literature. This season we take a close look at the most famous Romance novel of all time: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Every episode, Vanessa Zoltan and Lauren Sandler read through the book, talk with experts, and ask themselves the question ‘is this still a story for our time?’SEASON 3: On EyreVanessa Zoltan and journalist Lauren Sandler embark on the English class you always deserved, diving deep into Jane Eyre through the themes of power and desire. Discussions range from ideas of class and colonialism to sex and gender as Lauren and Vanessa explore the roles of oppression and inequality, empowerment and rebellion in the text. Major “Eyreheads” and first-time readers alike are invited into Lauren and Vanessa’s conversation as they grapple with this complicated work—and as they try to figure out if Jane Eyre is a book they want to pass on to their daughters, and to future generations.SEASON 2: Twilight in QuarantineYou may remember BFFs Vanessa & Julia from their all-star advice giving in Hot and Bothered Season 1. In this season they’re sheltering in place in different cities, but they’re getting on the phone three times a week to read and talk about Twilight. On Twilight in Quarantine, they work their way through the Twilight saga one chapter at a time, giving brilliant well-informed advice to Stephenie Meyer’s characters along the way. Advice like: “have you considered talking to each other about your feelings?” and “maybe you shouldn’t kidnap people.”SEASON 1: Writing RomanceSeason one of Hot and Bothered follows ten first-time romance writers as they try to write their own romance novels. Each episode explores a particular romance trope and why we love it so much. Along the way, Julia Quinn, writer of the Bridgerton series, gives weekly assignments so listeners can follow along in the process. Season one was made in collaboration with Spoke Media.Hot & Bothered is produced by Not Sorry Productions, a feminist organization that produces podcasts, educational content, live shows, and immersive experiences with the explicit goal of addressing the spiritual needs of its participants. Through community, rigor, and ritual, we treat traditionally secular things as if they were sacred. To learn more about what we do, visit https://notsorryworks.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes

View all 306 episodes

Shakespeare in Love

May 12, 20261h 2m

Ending Of: Roman Holiday

May 5, 202631 min

Roman Holiday

Apr 28, 20261h 10m

Ending Of: Sense and Sensibility

Apr 21, 202630 min

Sense and Sensibility

Apr 14, 20261h 10m

S5 Ep 95Ending Of: The Phantom of the Opera

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of The Phantom of the Opera. They discuss the black-and-white frame narrative of the film, what makes the phantom hot (and not), and the show's similarity to Beauty and the Beast.Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of The Phantom of the Opera with Vanessa and Hannah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 7, 202630 min

S5 Ep 94The Phantom of the Opera

Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet in a Parisian opera house to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about The Phantom of the Opera.This week we discuss daddy issues, queer aesthetics, and Susan Sontag's definition of 'camp.' We finish the episode by calling Dr. Dominic Broomfield-McHugh to get his take on the film.---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 31, 20261h 13m

Special Edition: Why Do We Love Mystery Novels?

Vanessa Zoltan is joined by friend and mentor Dr. Stephanie Paulsell to discuss the appeal of mystery novels and their relationship to religion. If you're interested in joining Stephanie and Casper on the Agatha Christie pilgrimage, you can learn more at commongroundpilgrimages.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 27, 202613 min

S5 Ep 93Ending Of: Punch Drunk Love

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Mauricio Bruce analyze the ending of Punch Drunk Love. They continue their conversation about light and color in the film and discuss the relationship between humiliation and violence. Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Punch Drunk Love with Vanessa and Mauricio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 24, 202627 min

S5 Ep 92Punch Drunk Love

Vanessa Zoltan and Mauricio Bruce meet-up at a warehouse in the San Fernando Valley to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Punch Drunk Love. This week we discuss the gender politics of this film and Anderson's use of light, color, and music. We finish the episode by calling Dr. Laura Barraclough to give us some background history on the San Fernando Valley.---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Mauricio and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 17, 202658 min

S5 Ep 91Ending Of: Love & Basketball

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of Love & Basketball. Vanessa explains the implications of the one-on-one basketball game and Hannah talks about how careers get prioritized within heterosexual relationships. Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Love & Basketball with Vanessa and Hannah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 10, 202630 min

S5 Ep 90Love & Basketball

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Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up on the courts to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Love & Basketball.This week we discuss double standards, bodies as commodities, and Title IX. We finish the episode by calling Dr. Samantha Sheppard to talk to us about women's roles in sports movies. ---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 3, 20261h 16m

S5 Ep 89Ending Of: Desert Hearts (with Carmen Maria Machado)

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Carmen Maria Machado analyze the ending of Desert Hearts. They discuss femme expression, the bittersweet quality of the ending, and what they would want to see in a sequel. If you'd like to join Vanessa and Carmen in Cornwall on their Rebecca pilgrimage, you can find more information about that here.Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Desert Hearts with Vanessa and Carmen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 24, 202626 min

S5 Ep 88Desert Hearts (with Carmen Maria Machado)

Vanessa Zoltan and author Carmen Maria Machado meet-up on a dude ranch in Reno, Nevada to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Desert Hearts. This week we discuss Westerns, risk as a condition for love, the 'closet' in queer media, and briefly sidetrack into Heated Rivalry discourse. We finish the episode by calling Dr. Michael Higdon to talk to us about why people went to Reno for divorce. If you'd like to join Vanessa and Carmen in Cornwall on their Rebecca pilgrimage, you can find more information about that here. ---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Carmen and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 17, 202656 min

S5 Ep 87Ending Of: The Princess Bride

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of The Princess Bride. They discuss violence as an expression of love and Buttercup's passivity.Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of The Princess Bride with Vanessa and Hannah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 10, 202628 min

S5 Ep 86The Princess Bride

Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up at The Cliffs of Insanity to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about The Princess Bride.This week we discuss frame narratives, parental vs. romantic love, and why literally everyone loves this movie. We finish the episode by calling Dr. Thomas Doherty to talk to us about the legacy of Rob Reiner. ---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 3, 20261h 1m

S5 Ep 85Ending Of: The Wedding Singer

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of The Wedding Singer. They discuss grand gestures and how well Billy Idol aged. Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of The Wedding Singer with Vanessa and Hannah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 13, 202628 min

S5 Ep 84The Wedding Singer

Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up in New Jersey to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about The Wedding Singer.This week we discuss Adam Sandler's star power, the importance of silly bits, and the cultural construction of beauty. We finish the episode by calling Dr. Deborah Anthony to talk to us about the history of marital surname changes. ---Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on InstagramIf we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 6, 20261h 4m

S5 Ep 83Ending Of: White Christmas

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of White Christmas. They discuss 50's nostalgia and why ballerinas are 'Christmas' coded. Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of White Christmas with Vanessa and Hannah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 30, 202525 min

S5 Ep 82White Christmas

Happy holiday season! We're interrupting our mini-season on the wedding industrial complex to bring you our (now) annual holiday movie. Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet at an inn Vermont to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered about White Christmas. This week, we discuss the trope of the 'tricky Jew', minstrelsy, and nostalgia. We finish the episode by calling Dominic Broomfield–McHugh to talk about the connection between this movie and President Eisenhower.---If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus scene study from Vanessa and Hannah about White Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 23, 20251h 20m