#SetTheVCR: October 06-12, 2025

With these week’s TV recommendations say goodbye to John Candy and the Woman In Cabin 10. But say hello to #SetTheVCR.

Monday, October 06

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Anytime / Disney+)

Happy Halloween!! A villainous carnival owner, Mr. Dark, preys upon unsuspecting Midwestern townsfolk by granting wishes, but for a price. I’ve never seen this Ray Bradbury adaptation from 1983.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SNEAKER WARS: ADIDAS V PUMA (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

With exclusive access to two of the biggest brands in the world, “Sneaker Wars: Adidas V Puma”, offers an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the fierce, decades-long rivalry between two global sportswear giants, born from a family feud. Brothers Adi and Rudi Dassler founded Adidas and Puma, turning their personal conflict into a battle for dominance in the athletic world.
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Oh, no. Some clown on TikTok is gonna ta-da reveal adidas and Puma have direct Nazi links. Sigh. We. Know. It’s called Common Knowledge for a reason. Well sense is also supposed to be common but it clearly ain’t. Especially online. (It all got rehashed, too when the Kanye-adidas meltdowns.) Otherwise, I wanna see where this docuseries goes. In 2019 Kyle Kuzma signed a five-year deal with Puma to become the face of sneaker company. Eh, Seems apt. Neither brand is particularly good or exciting. Before that the Jay-Z Puma partnership signed Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith…anybody else? I wanna focus on the modern machinations, less on the complicated Nazi history and the fall out of the founding brothers. I know how we got here, I wanna know where we’re going. And on that road I wanna rock fresh kicks.

Tuesday, October 07

Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home (Anytime / Crave)

This intimate film follows the final three years of Ozzy Osbourne’s life as he and Sharon plan a return home after 25 years in LA and prepare for the ultimate farewell gig.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OZZY: NO ESCAPE FROM NOW (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

The two-hour film provides an all-access, intimate view of the rock icon’s six-year health battle as he fights to get back on stage one last time.
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On August 19, shortly before it aired “An Ozzy Osbourne doc set to air on the BBC Monday night was pulled from the schedule at the request of his family.” Guys! We should totally overreact to the BBC pulling the Ozzy documentary. This comes after Colbert’s cancellation and ESPN pulling the Kaepernick doc. Clearly this is all President Trump. This isn’t the time to be rational. Or even to seek logical alternatives narratives. Right?! Like all these things it turned out it wasn’t a big deal. The BBC Ozzy doc (Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home) is streaming on Crave, if you wanna check that. It was filmed over three years with “unique and intimate access” to the whole Ozzy family. The one hour doc shows the Osbourne family’s return to the United Kingdom after many years living in the United States. While over on Paramount+ Ozzy: No Escape From Now is an account covering the last six years of his life. That includes making new music and preparing for his final concert. Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025 and his funeral was live broadcast/streamed on July 30th. It was a dense and magical outpouring. And truly, it’s tied to Tipper Gore’s wretched legacy. Her pathetic attempt to dam the darkness ultimately damned her. For all of his obvious flaws and numerous sins, Ozzy was adored. The grief was real. While even in death Tipper Gore will remain despicable. Her heinous family values war conscripted a vicious army and they rose up with one voice on the day that Ozzy Osbourne was buried. Pop Culture is wonderful and freedom is fun; it’s worth defending from the fangs that consume so much and harm so much. Today, grief Ozzy and celebrate all the cultural freedoms we enjoy. Take nothing for granted and be grateful.

Wednesday, October 08

Stay (Anytime / Hulu)

Happy Halloween!! Stay follows Kiara, a PhD author of African spirituality, and Miles, a former MMA fighter, facing the end of their once beautiful marriage. As it appears matters can’t get any worse in their lives, they begin to encounter soul-shaking, supernatural forces and go from fighting one another to fighting for their lives. The key to survival lies within their ability to conquer their darkest moments with courage and love.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WICK IS PAIN (ANYTIME / STARZ)

Wick Is Pain was filmed over a decade and shows the behind-the-scenes reality of creating John Wick and its subsequent franchise films up to John Wick 4.
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Wick Is Pain tells the story behind the behind John Wick’s Excellent Adventure—and how it almost never happened. What began as a troubled independent film became a blockbuster franchise loaded with cool kills and tons of nutritious ruckus. While I expect some classic behind the action sequence reveals, I do wanna learn how difficult it is to make a good movie. What started as a small-scale revenge thriller (granted, “Scorn” was set in a fantastic world!) has blossomed into a billion-dollar franchise. That’s another magic trick…another how did you do that? How much Pain does it take to get here when all you have is a Pencil?

Thursday, October 09

Halo: Seasons 1-2 (Anytime / Netflix-US)

Sci-fi action series based on the hit video game franchise, starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief with Natascha McElhone and Jen Taylor. Produced and originally released by Showtime/Paramount+ now streaming on US-Netflix.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SAQUON (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

When Saquon Barkley hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in Philadelphia Eagles green, it marked the perfect culmination of a journey defined by unwavering self-belief. This feature-length documentary gives viewers a firsthand account of Barkley’s journey by utilizing five years of video diaries recorded by Saquon as he navigated his career’s most challenging chapters: methodically battling back from ACL surgery with the same explosive power that defines his playing style, while enduring tense contract negotiations with the team that drafted him, ultimately leading him to a bitter division rival.
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The last Super Bowl back in February 2024…was such a disappointing outcome. A Chiefs 3-peat would have been thrilling. Still, as always: success is denying others glory. The Eagles successfully did that. I’ve never understood the media’s undying passion for underdogs. Like, why? It’s always…always…always better being a top dog. When Saquon Barkley played for the Giants he was an underdog. Everybody across sports and pop culture begins as an underdog. And it sucks. There’s no glory in being an underdog. It’s not even noble. But now, post-Super Bowl Saquon is a Top Dog. And that’s worth celebrating with a sports documentary. Fly, Eagles, Fly. Programming Note: In 2020 before Saquon joined the Eagles, I welcomed director Kyle Thrash to My Summer Lair to discuss his Eagles fandom documentary: Maybe Next Year. That doc ended in heartbreak, Philly didn’t win the Super Bowl that year. Fandom is hard yet talented players like Saquon make rooting for the home team much easier.

Friday, October 10

Vicious (Anytime / Paramount+)

Happy Halloween!! When Polly (Dakota Fanning) receives a mysterious box from an unexpected late-night visitor, it comes with one rule: place inside something you need, something you hate, and something you love. When she opens it, she’s pulled into a surreal and shifting nightmare where every choice she makes leads to terrifying consequences.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

From director Colin Hanks and lifelong John Candy fan Ryan Reynolds comes John Candy: I Like Me, an exploration of the life of the Canadian comedic icon. This John Candy film documents his on- and off-camera existence, featuring never-before-seen home videos, intimate access to his family, and candid recollections from collaborators to paint a bigger picture of one of the brightest stars of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. It’s the story of a son, husband, father, friend, and professional driven to bring joy to audiences and loved ones while battling personal ghosts and Hollywood pressures.
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From executive producer Ryan Reynolds John Candy: I Like Me is exactly what you expect: a showbiz archive with classic clips ranging from SCTV to his movies (“I Like Me” is of course a Planes, Trains and Automobiles key scene) and talking-heads-heavy with sentimental reverence. The slightest of edge is revealed when director Colin Hanks acknowledges Candy’s health struggles and the media’s callous depiction of such. (It’s surprising but a lot of media John Candy did back in the day called him fat to his face.) At TIFF this got the expected warm and I’d classify it as polite reception. (What was startling seeing this at TIFF was collectively watching SCTV sketches. We’ve all only watched them solo at home on the couch. This was first time I watched those sketches with a large audience and decades later? They still kill.) It’s not the best documentary of all time but it allows you to grief John Candy, who would have turned 75 on Halloween. An upcoming My Summer Lair episode is a fascinating conversation with Paul Myers who has written John Candy: A Life in Comedy. Paul said to me: “It’s the 75th anniversary of John Candy’s birth. So I’d rather celebrate that than his passing. He would have been 75 and I say should have been 75. So, it’s a great time to celebrate John Candy.” Paul is right. You can pick up John Candy: A Life in Comedy on Tuesday and see the John Candy documentary on Friday.

Saturday, October 11

Family Guy: A Little Fright Music (Anytime / Hulu)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: In the Halloween special, A Little Fright Music, Brian and Stewie realize there is a shortage of quality Halloween songs, so they set out to write a hit, and Peter and the guys discover that lying about trick or treating can have deadly consequences. For years the NFL occupied Thanksgiving and the NBA dominated Christmas. That was the Socs & Greasers holiday divide. Then the NFL said we want Christmas, rude. Similarly, for years Halloween is marked by a Treehouse of Horror, often a Simpsons classic. Now, Family Guy wants to do Halloween? Rude!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Based on the bestselling novel The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. While on board a luxury yacht for a travel assignment, a journalist (Keira Knightley) witnesses a passenger thrown overboard late at night, only to be told that it didn’t happen, as all passengers and crew are accounted for. Despite no one believing her, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger.
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Contempt for rich people is boring, it’s not like poor folk are saints, either. So I’m not all that keen on the mystery thriller setting. Is this gonna offer lame “eat the rich” commentary? So far The Woman in Cabin 10 looks like Menu meets Flightplan. Eh. Though this movie is based on the 2016 Ruth Ware novel. What does vindication for Keira Knightley look like? Or is she going down with the ship?

Sunday, October 12

My Father, the BTK Killer (Anytime / Netflix)

Imagine discovering your father is one of America’s most notorious serial killers. For Kerri Rawson, that unthinkable nightmare became a reality in 2005, when her dad, Dennis Rader, was arrested on his lunch break. An unassuming church congregation president and former Cub Scout leader, Rader had been unmasked by authorities as the notorious BTK Killer — who committed 10 gruesome murders between 1974 and 1991.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ALIENS EXPANDED (ANYTIME / SHUDDER)

An in-depth and innovative documentary that explores the story behind James Cameron’s beloved sci-fi epic Aliens (1986) and its incredible impact.
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A number of notable ‘80s movies fulfilled “exceed my expectations!” demands. Terminator, RoboCop, Aliens…they’re one bad decision away from B-Movie status and yet everyone just delivered. That’s movie magic! The visionary risks that James Cameron took with Aliens (and later Terminator 2) that’s what is missing from a lot of current IP. Even Frank Miller on Daredevil, back in the day is similar. Let’s do something unexpected, bold and even outrageous. Roll the dice and we’ll roll with you. With Alien Ridley Scott fashioned a horror sci-fi movie that tapped into the collective unconscious to generate a significant pop culture conscious altering moment. Whew. And with Aliens James Cameron expanded that world and made the Xenomorph a major movie star. Earlier this week I recommended Wick Is Pain, a behind the scenes reflection on the John Wick movies. Aliens: Expanded is a similar examination. I dig this genre as much as I enjoy sci-fi movies like Aliens.