Go Wild With a New Season of ‘This is Love’
Stories of animals, connection, and perseverance from Antarctica, New York City, Utah, and beyond.
From the creators of Criminal, Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer, This is Love explores life’s most persistent mystery. Season four begins before the sun comes up, in the middle of an abandoned Yellowstone National Park. It’s five degrees outside, but one man is awake and waiting for the wolves.
This season, the team is doing less talking and more listening. The season features six new stories about animals, including the family drama of rival wolf packs, a dog who guides his owner out of a tragedy, a retired Central Park police horse, and tiny ice fish in Antarctica who save a woman’s life.
We talked to Phoebe about creating the new season, her favorite experiences while recording in outdoor environments across the country, and how This is Love continues to resonate with listeners through unconventional love stories filled with unexpected resilience and profound moments of connection.
What inspired you to make animals and wildlife the theme for this season?
Phoebe Judge: Some of our favorite episodes of both Criminal and This is Love have been about animals, and I have always loved animal stories. Working on the season, we’ve found that telling these animal “love” stories is not so different from telling the human “love” stories we have told in the past. We are all very connected.
What’s your favorite story from the process of recording?
PJ: Lauren and I went to Yellowstone to meet a man who follows wolf packs. We went in late November, when the park was all but shut down. We had no cell service, and couldn’t find anywhere to eat. We were the only two guests at the Super 8 motel in Cooke City, Montana. We were wandering around on foot, in the middle of a snowy road, trying to find some Pringles or something for dinner. It was surreal.
This season takes place in many different environments, what are some challenges you faced while creating the season?
PJ: Well, when you are dealing with a season completely about animals, there are a lot of things that are challenging. One time we recorded on such a cold day that my microphone cables began to freeze. We had to conduct one interview inside a pickup truck. Another time, I had to get through an interview with a giant white turkey pecking at my hands.
How does this season differ from past seasons of This is Love? What ties it to the other seasons?
PJ: In previous seasons, we’ve done stories like “Something Large and Wild” about a woman who swims with a baby whale, and “One in a Million” about a rare left-coiling snail that cannot find a mate anywhere in the world. We’ve heard from listeners that it’s sometimes easier to connect with stories that aren’t about humans. If we aren’t comparing ourselves to other people, sometimes we can see ourselves with a little less judgment. It’s interesting how much people can connect with a story about a lonely snail.
Like all the other seasons of This is Love, these are not “conventional” love stories, and we always hope to play with the definition of that word “love.”
What can listeners expect to hear?
PJ: We traveled a lot to make this season. Listeners can look forward to stories from Yellowstone, and the low country of South Carolina, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and Central Park in New York City.
The stories this season are about adventure, perseverance and seeing what happens when you stop for a moment and look around.
Finally, what’s your favorite animal, and why?
PJ: I like orangutans. I love how slowly they move when they’re on the ground and how quick and graceful they are swinging through the air. They’re pretty great to look at, too.
