I found this series last year via a scene from an actor’s showreel on YouTube and it offered some comfort during Lockdown 1.0.
Hug It Out tells the story of Gwen, a recent divorcee from LA who restarts her life as a professional snuggler (someone who is paid to cuddle or snuggle). Cue all kinds of awkwardness, inappropriate exposure, emotions, and swearing from a host of characters.
Kincaid Walker executive produced the web series and stars as Gwen alongside Jason Eksuzian who directed.
Hug It Out isn’t relatable on the surface—I neither have the money nor the necessity to hire a snuggler, in or out of a pandemic—but the subtext resonated with me a little. Having to start again after a relationship break up and not knowing where to go or how to navigate your new life is difficult and Gwen’s character had her fair share of mishaps throughout the series. But she grew into her new job and gained some confidence back for herself, expertly shown in one episode where she confronts an old friend who she’d fallen out with after Gwen’s marriage and subsequent breakup.
All 6 episodes are streamable on Vimeo or you can watch them via the Hug It Out website. And there’s a special COVID-19 short which answers the question “how the hell does a professional snuggler survive during a pandemic that dictates social distancing?” In case you were wondering.