#SetTheVCR: July 21-27, 2025

Monday, July 21

Amy Bradley Is Missing (Anytime / Netflix)

This three-part true-crime series investigates the 1998 disappearance of a 23-year-old woman from a Caribbean cruise and her family’s tireless search for answers. Amy Lynn Bradley is an American woman who went missing during a Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas in late March 1998 while en route to Curaçao. Her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: MONSTER SUMMER (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

A mysterious force disrupts Noah and his friends’ summer fun. They team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.
~~~

Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard in the mid-’90s, where Noah has an ambition…he wants to be a hard-hitting journalist. This is Goonies meets Stranger Things? Something like that. We got a quiet suburb, ten-speed bikes, Mel Gibson is a reclusive old neighbour who is really a retired detective and strange unexplained happenings. Oh, in the 80s we used to put children in so much danger. Let’s return to that…let’s have a Monster Summer.

Tuesday, July 22

Red Eye: Limited Series (Anytime / Hulu)

A red eye flight from London to Beijing becomes a thrilling journey after Dr. Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is arrested and accused of murdering a woman.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: HIP HOP WAS BORN HERE (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

Hosted by LL Cool J, the five-part docuseries will chart the creation, evolution and ongoing legacy of Hip Hop not just as a genre but as a culture.
~~~

In 2016 Netflix released Hip Hop Evolution: a four-part docuseries where Shad K interviewed noted hip-hop and rap artists to explore the origins of the dynamic genre slash culture. Season 1 was DJ Kool Herc and rap’s origin story: Block Parties. Season 2 was gangsta rap and 90s glory: House Parties. Season 3 is Jay-Z, OutKast, Snoop Dogg and more: Award Show Parties. Season 4 came out on January 17, 2020 and focused on The Super Producers (the Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye and J Dilla). So…we’ve done this before. A talented rapped hosting and interviewing a rap origin story on a streamer. How is LL’s douseries any different? “All five episodes will be available to stream (it’s a bine release), taking viewers on a journey through Hip Hop history – meeting OGs and future icons, visiting the neighborhoods, studios, and places that fostered early styles, as well as watching beloved artists analyze their favorite tracks. Featuring interviews with Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Method Man, Rev Run, and more, Hip Hop Was Born Here promises to deliver a new level of insight into how hip-hop first emerged and how it evolved into the global sensation it is today.” Alright then. Programming Note: All four seasons of Shad’s Hip Hop Evolution is streaming on Netflix-Canada.

Wednesday, July 23

Washington Black: Limited Series (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Washington Black follows the 19th-century odyssey of George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation, whose prodigious scientific mind sets him on a path of unexpected destiny. When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom, and love. As he navigates uncharted lands and impossible odds, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of society.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE: A TEENAGE HOLY WAR (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War focuses on the controversial organization Teen Mania – once America’s largest youth ministry, attracting millions through their wildly popular stadium shows known as Acquire the Fire. The series bursts with peak Millennial nostalgia and cringe, featuring colossal stadiums filled with teens enraptured by religious rock anthems, inspired to swear purity oaths and eagerly embark by the thousands on culturally questionable global missions. But beneath the wholesome youth group illusion lies a darker undercurrent: a high-pressure pipeline of brutal spiritual bootcamps, surreal role-playing scenarios, and relentless psychological control – all under the command of a charismatic leader with endlessly expanding ambitions.
~~~

Directed by Nicole Newnham and Cori Shepherd, Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War “focuses on the controversial organization Teen Mania – once America’s largest youth ministry, attracting millions through their wildly popular stadium shows known as Acquire the Fire. More TV Guide description: “The series bursts with peak Millennial nostalgia and cringe, featuring colossal stadiums filled with teens enraptured by religious rock anthems, inspired to swear purity oaths and eagerly embark by the thousands on culturally questionable global missions. But beneath the wholesome youth group illusion lies a darker undercurrent: a high-pressure pipeline of brutal spiritual bootcamps, surreal role-playing scenarios and relentless psychological control — all under the command of a charismatic leader with endlessly expanding ambitions.” There’s always an underbelly, right? But as always with these documentaries are these legitimate criticisms or petty grievances?

Thursday, July 24

The Sandman: Season 2 – Volume 2 (Anytime / Netflix)

A reunion of the Endless thrusts Lord Morpheus onto a perilous path, where a fateful choice makes him the target of a relentless quest for vengeance. The Sandman Season 2 premiered with Volume 1 (Episodes 1–6) on July 3. Today is Volume 2 (Episodes 7–11). And finally, expect a special bonus episode on July 31.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: CODE OF SILENCE: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / BRITBOX)

Told through the point of view of Alison Brooks (Rose Ayling-Ellis), a Deaf canteen worker. Alison is struggling to make ends meet, juggling two jobs, one in a police canteen and another in a local bar, while also doing her best to support her Deaf mum, Julie (Fifi Garfield). It’s not long before Alison is pulled into a high-stakes police investigation when DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie) asks that she use her lip-reading skills to monitor a dangerous criminal gang.
~~~

Ah, this has so much potential. Code of Silence is a Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out of My Mouth? British crime thriller. The deaf girl works for the police but she’s not a copper. (However, the chick from You is a proper copper!) Rather, she’s a deaf canteen worker. And the police have recruited her to use her lip-reading skills to monitor a dangerous criminal gang. Only…of course: she’s ASLed her way into the dangerous gang and become involved with one of the key suspects. What’s the ASL sign for oh boy…she’s in way over her head?

Friday, July 25

Death of a Unicorn (Anytime / HBO Max)

A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: HAPPY GILMORE 2 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Thirty years after winning his first Tour Championship, retired golfer, Happy Gilmore, returns to the sport to pay for his daughter Vienna’s ballet school.
~~~

“Just Tap It In.” Happy Gilmore is one of my favourite Sandman Movies. But…Happy Gilmore 2? I get it…more is already built into the title. But. Well. Still. I gotta say The Sandman’s track record with his sequels isn’t great: Grown Ups 2 and Murder Mystery 2. One was lousy and the other was frowzy. I dunno that this Adam Sandler movie demanded a sequel but here we go. Guess it’s better than Big Daddy 2: The College Years or something, right? Let’s see if this’ll land in the rough…

Saturday, July 26

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes (Anytime / Disney+ Canada)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: This Fantastic Four cartoon ran from September 2, 2006 – February 25, 2010. Also “World’s Greatest Heroes primarily features original stories, though elements from various comic iterations of the Fantastic Four were used in the series.”
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: UNTIL DAWN (ANYTIME / NETFLIX-US)

A group of friends trapped in a time loop, where mysterious foes chase and kill them in gruesome ways, must survive until dawn to escape it.
~~~

Until Dawn is another video game to horror movie movie. That’s the Silent Hill I will die on, that genre is often terrible. However, Until Dawn is a horror/time loop movie movie. So, Happy Death Day 2U. I am sucker for time loop movies. Unlike video game movies. Until Dawn is another video game to horror movie movie. That’s the Silent Hill I will die on, that genre is often terrible. However, Until Dawn is a horror/time loop movie movie. So, Happy Death Day 2U.

Sunday, July 27

The Woman In The Yard (Anytime / Prime Video-Canada)

Ramona becomes crippled by grief after her husband dies in a car accident, leaving her to care for her two children alone in her rural farmhouse. Her sadness soon turns to fear when a spectral woman in black appears on her front lawn, warning her “today’s the day.” As the mysterious figure creeps closer and closer to the house, Ramona realizes she must protect her children from the evil woman who simply won’t leave them alone. Programming Note: This comes to Canada today, it’s been streaming on Peacock since June 27.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: HURRICANE KATRINA: RACE AGAINST TIME EPISODE 1: THE COMING STORM (8:00 P.M. / NAT GEO)

It’s a typically vibrant New Orleans summer when Hurricane Katrina looms. Sitting in the bullseye of a Category 5, the city faces a reality check. With a delayed evacuation order, many are trapped and forced to brace for the storm’s fury. Residents recount for the first time how they navigated the impending disaster, capturing the harrowing experience of preparing for “The Big One.”
~~~

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says, ‘They’re looting.’ You see a white family, it says, ‘They’re looking for food.’ And you know that it’s been five days because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite — because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before, even giving a donation.” Kanye West concluded: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” That seminal pop culture moment is 20 years old, wow. President W Bush struggled with the FEMA-Aftermath post-Katrina; gets blasted. These days President Trump struggles with the FEMA-Aftermath post-Texas flood; he is getting blasted. American politics is a bland vicious cycle. We’ve seen all this before, we’ve (sadly) lived through all of this before. I wish things were different. Sadly, they are not.

-28-

Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.