#SetTheVCR: September 09-15, 2024

Have I Got News for You: there’s lots of TV recommendations from this Old Man. So find a Quiet Place and prepare to #SetTheVCR.

Monday, September 09

Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior (Anytime / HBO Max)

From Producer Michael Bay this is a deep dive into the actions of Hadden Clark, a lesser-known serial killer. Born Evil explores his life and crimes. Over five episodes, the docuseries delves into the inner workings of the volatile and dysfunctional Clark family, Hadden’s path of depravity, and the shocking confessions he made to his cellmate that sent investigators on a search to solve the cold cases allegedly linked to him.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

A young woman named Sam finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.
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Hopefully you don’t hear the words that are coming out of my mouth. I’m uncertain what value a A Quiet Place prequel offers. Move the story forward rather than sit around like seniors at an old folks home reminiscing about the past. This is a prequel-sequel. Mostly set in 2 or 3 New York City blocks this movie lacks the alien invasion intimacy of Signs. And it’s not as terrifying as say Alien. It Is What It Is.

Tuesday, September 10

I Used To Be Funny (Anytime / Netflix-US)

Sam, a stand-up comedian struggling with PTSD, weighs whether or not to join the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE MONEY GAME (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Amidst one of the most unpredictable and intense years of college athletics to date, The Money Game provides an exclusive, all-access pass inside LSU Athletics. The docuseries examines a historic turning point in the NCAA upon policy changes on NIL rights – guaranteed to shape the trajectory of college sports forever – highlighted by the surreal experiences of LSU’s top players, coaches, and administrators.
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Is The Money Game the first or one of the first NIL documentaries? I long for a complex NIL documentary brimming with accurate criticisms. I’m not sold on NIL; the benefits are dubious. Is it working for the companies who do it? How does losing affect NIL status? I won’t buy something from a loser…the reason why Jordans are so valuable is because he was a winner. Even when they came out in ’84 and ’85 before he won a championship his playing drove the marketing. Going viral on TikTok for dunks don’t mean you’re good or successful. How you play matters more than going viral. So, far I’ve heard all the arguments for paying college athletes but I’ve rejected em all. What’s next? Let’s see what questions this six-part docuseries answers and which new questions it prompts.

Wednesday, September 11

The Real Murders on Elm Street (Anytime / ID & HBO Max)

The six-part series The Real Murders on Elm Street explores about small suburban towns across America that have been torn apart by murder. It asks how in a single night, these residential streets descend from peace and tranquility into horror, senseless death and tragedy. Each episode will examine a murder investigation that occurred on one of the many Elm Streets across America.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NAPOLEON: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

Joaquin Phoenix stars as the French emperor and military leader. The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.
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Now this is a Director’s Cut I can get behind: Suck It (twice) Ayer’s Suicide Squad. (Get that garbage outta here!) Joaquin Phoenix is Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby (who you’d recognize from recent Mission Impossible movies) is Joséphine. As you’d expect Napoleon tells the story of ruthless rise to power and his relentless fall from grace coupled with his volatile relationship with Josephine. Where the Ridley Scott film shines is it features violent depictions of six epic battles. Though in the course of his research Scott points out, Napoleon took part in 66 battles over the course of his career. So cannon fire, horseback and infantry ruckus all showcasing Napoleon’s superb warfare strategies. And sigh…yes conquering Egypt. Let’s go: I’m in the mood for ruckus. Napoleon: The Director’s Cut features 48 minutes of new, never-before-seen footage. That’s…a lot. It might put the nap in Napoleon. (As always, shout out to Bill & Ted!)

Thursday, September 12

Emily in Paris: Season 4 – Part 2 (Anytime / Netflix)

Split into two parts (Netflix does this a lot, now): these latest five episodes explore this high school drama: After the dramatic events of Camille and Gabriel’s misbegotten wedding, Emily is reeling: She has strong feelings for two men, but now Gabriel’s expecting a baby with his ex, and Alfie’s worst fears about her and Gabriel have been confirmed. The five-episode Part 1 is now streaming.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE OLD MAN SEASON 2 (10 P.M. / FX)

In Season 2, former CIA agent Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and former FBI Assistant Director Harold Harper (John Lithgow) set off on their most important mission to date—to recover Emily Chase after she is kidnapped by Faraz Hamzad, a powerful Afghan tribal leader. With all three men claiming her as their daughter, Emily finds herself in an identity crisis that has dire implications.
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Spies don’t retire…well I mean they get retired. “The Old Man centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.” That’s classic spycraft and a decent Season 1 description. Season 2 immediately follows Season 1, with Dan Chase and Harold Harper on a Grumpy Old Spies mission to retrieve “Emily” after she was kidnapped by the terrorist Faraz Hamzad. That means an all-inclusive trip Afghanistan to retrieve her. As Jeff Bridges said to John Lithgow towards the end of Season 1: how far are you willing to go? The Old Man is lots of action and spies and coverups and reveals and old man knees that pop like a gun with a silencer. That’s always delightful. This is John Wick violence as well: smooth and methodical. Precise shooting. Raw fighting. Programming Note: Premieres with the first two episodes of the eight-episode season. It’s broadcast weekly on FX on Thursdays until October 24, 2024 (though all the episodes will stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+ Canada). That’s some good intelligence in case you want to launch a clandestine operation and watch this TV show.

Friday, September 13

Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark (Anytime / Peacock)

Peacock’s first-ever live comedy special (Saturday Night Live Weekend Update duo) was broadcast yesterday. It featured “drop-ins featuring Colin and Michael’s favorite NYC club comics, fresh faces, and maybe even some names you already know and love.” So…who showed up? Figured with it being Friday the 13th we could all use some comedy today. So even though this was live yesterday, it’s more valuable on this cursed day.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: UGLIES (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In a futuristic world that imposes a cosmetic surgery at 16, Tally is eager for her turn to join the rest of society. But when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.
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So the Uglies is just Twilight Zone’s Eye of the Beholder for the TikTok kids?! Or is the Uglies just Black Mirror for the TikTok kids?! Either way this is all recycled sci-fi. Adapted from Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel of the same name. It’s directed by McG so that has my attention. Well, things are about to get Ugly…it is after all…Friday the 13th!

Saturday, September 14

Universal Basic Guys: Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Universal Basic Guys centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed. FOX has already given Universal Basic Guys an early Season Two renewal. This new animated series premiered on Sunday, 8th September 2024, on FOX. New episodes are available at Hulu. (However, the series won’t be available on Disney+ internationally at this time: watch it in real time: Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on Fox following The Simpsons.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (9:00 P.M. / CNN)

This comedy panel series delivers comic observations, from the satirical to the surreal, through the lens of a news quiz show that tests the knowledge of rotating collection of guests including notable entertainers, political figures and comedians.
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“This comedy panel series delivers comic observations, from the satirical to the surreal, through the lens of a news quiz show that tests the knowledge of rotating collection of guests including notable entertainers, political figures and comedians. (Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black will serve as regular panelists alongside weekly guests.) Always relevant and topical, Have I Got News for You serves up a smart and edgy take on the news of the week from host Roy Wood Jr.” Roy is amazing! Some of his comedy to sample.

Sunday, September 15

Tulsa King: Season 2 (Anytime / Paramount+)

In season two, Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) and his crew continue to build up and defend their growing empire in Tulsa, but just as they get their bearings, they realize that they’re not the only ones who want to stake their claim.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CIVIL WAR (ANYTIME / HBO MAIX)

Tells the story of a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington D.C. before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
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Civil War tried so hard to be a blockbuster…however it was ultimately doomed by lousy writing. Flawed American political commentary (watch The Purge instead) it’s revealed like a corny Scooby-Doo monster to be a tepid meditation on…well, nothing substantial. Civil War committed the cardinal sin of failing to establish the world: it provides fraught danger with no consistent direction. What it does have is a character called Sammy, a female journalist (so that’s weird. The gender not the occupation.). I dunno…it’s streaming now, so check it out. Programming Note: This’ll stream on Prime Video-Canada on September 17th.