RECONNECTING ROOTS Season 4


#401 - Photography: “Picture This”

From experiments, to art, to everyday life, we’re surrounded by photos and the memories they keep. But are they still meaningful if we take millions a day? On location at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, National Geographic Explorer Joel Sartore helps host Gabe McCauley understand the power that a single image can wield as we see how the photography industry ‘developed’ from darkrooms to phone screens.

#402 - Food: Around the Table

America’s menu includes family recipes, TV dinners, company luncheons, and everything in between. Gabe breaks bread with James Beard award winner Mashama Bailey in Savannah dinner destination The Grey and helps her prepare one of her favorite dishes based on regional ingredients. We explore the concept of foodways and why Americans now have more culinary choices than most families can agree on.

#403 - Clothing: Cut From Whole Cloth

Clothing is an essential need, but in America, clothes are so abundant they are given away. From seamstresses in textile mills using organic materials, to offshore fast fashion with man-made fabrics, the way we get our looks has changed drastically. Gabe meets with celebrity designer Jeff Garner to find out the true cost of our fast-evolving fashion. Gem Sweater sensation Leslie Hall guest stars.

#404 - Shelter: “House & Home”

From shacks to sprawling mansions, we’ve reshaped the homes we live in - which changed the shape of our lives. We explore the origins of the suburbs, the rise of American home architecture, and the radical changes that happened on the inside. Gabe examines how 3D-printed houses can help the housing crisis, and how the American Dream of owning a home often comes with its fair share of nightmares.

#405 - Weather: “Field to Forecast”

What does it take to keep track of the climate around us? Or to know how to dress for the day? From superstitions to science, The Weather Channel Meteorologist Jim Cantore explains our fascination with the forecast and his passion for experiencing the weather live. Plus, we find out how America formed a worldwide ensemble of weather forecasting technology to plan our days…and maybe even our lives.

#406 - Firefighting: Forging American Heroes

Much of American history has been well-preserved for generations thanks to fire safety, which has not only saved cities, but influenced the way they’re built. But what is it that inspires someone to risk their life against an inferno? Retired chief Paul Hashagan shares emotional stories about bravery and service in FDNY as we see how firefighters transformed from rabble rousers to public servants.

#407 - Journalism: “Pressing American Issues”

Whether it’s opinion or fact, or facts in your opinion—the freedom of the press is so essential, it was listed in the very first amendment to the US Constitution. How the free press forged the American identity and equips the nation with a diversity of information and perspectives. Publisher Rob Orchard gives Gabe the scoop on “slow journalism” as an alternative to the frenzied 24-hour news cycle.

#408 - Games: Rolls to Roles

Gabe rolls the dice with actress/gamer Felicia Day (creator/star “The Guild,” founder “Geek & Sundry”) to discuss the “roles” of gaming and what makes it a valuable use of time, looking not just at how we play, but why we must. From cards to joystick controllers and back again, we see how games and society interact with each other and what spurred the current renaissance of tabletop board games.