The Librarian of TV Recommendations covers old school basketball and international basketball. And with so much in between this week’s #SetTheVCR is a slam dunk.
Monday, February 09
The Borderline: Season 1 (Anytime / Crave)
When a double homicide disrupts the quiet Thousand Islands region, Canadian Border Intelligence Agent Erica Ross (Tamara Podemski) launches an investigation, suspecting ties to a growing drug trade. Local officer Henry Roland (Stephen Amell) is tasked with keeping her in check, but a discovery at the crime scene sends him on a personal mission of his own that links the lethal case to his childhood best friend, Tommy Hawley. Meanwhile, Ruby Waits draws comic book enthusiast Miles King into a perilous scheme that spirals beyond control. As tensions rise, wealthy newcomer May Ferguson (Minnie Driver) makes her presence known in town, hiding a deeper agenda beneath her charm. With the drug trade tightening its grip, loyalties fracture, and past connections resurface in unexpected ways.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: INDEPENDENT LENS: THE LIBRARIANS (10:00 P.M. / PBS)
Librarians unite to combat book banning, defending intellectual freedom on democracy’s frontlines amid unprecedented censorship in Texas, Florida, and beyond. When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.
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As the stupid Pac-Man gobble up politics and worse chomp-crush pop culture (our pop culture!) with insubordinate book bans (their pathetic attempt to pull smart people down to their infantile level) The Library has become a sanctuary. The Library Card is a special shield against The Stupid. There simply isn’t a viable scenario where censorship is necessary or effective. Shoot. The. Messenger. Always. There’s no such thing as problematic books or movies or music or popular culture of any kind. Nothing in popular culture is problematic. Again. There’s no such thing as problematic books or music or TV shows or movies. There’s no what ifs or what abouts. However, there’s a legion of problematic readers; viewers, listeners, teachers, librarians, school boards etc. So shoot first and ask questions later. Or not at all. In 2026 become addicted to leaving people behind. Resist bullying people to go to the movies or to read books. You should go to the cinema and you should actively read paper books. (Reading is FUNdamental.) And yet lots of folks won’t do either. So leave them behind. Instantly with no doubts. Pop Culture isn’t Nam. Only stupid people advocate for censorship like Book Bans. Their raw stupidity is the problem. Parents aside; do not under any circumstances allow anyone to dictate boundaries or limit your access to pop culture. If you wanna listen to R. Kelly just do it. If you enjoy J.K. Rowling’s books, sweet read em all. If somebody says otherwise or thinks you’re a bad person for those cultural choices…they suck. Freedom is fun. And independence is far more valuable than acceptance.
Tuesday, February 10
The Artful Dodger: Season 2 (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)
Jack Dawkins finds himself staring down a hangman’s noose as Port Victory’s relentless new lawman, Inspector Boxer, launches a city-wide manhunt to catch him in the act. While Lady Belle risks her future to become the colony’s first female surgeon, Fagin drags Jack into an impossible heist that could either secure their freedom or seal their fate forever.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LORD OF THE FLIES (ANYTIME / BBC iPLAYER)
A group of British schoolboys is left stranded on a remote Pacific island after a devastating plane crash. In the absence of adult authority, their initial attempts to build a civil society under the leadership of Ralph and the intellectual Piggy quickly unravel as a power-hungry rival, Jack, leads a descent into tribalism and savage violence.
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Lord of the Flies is, of course…William Golding’s outstanding 1954 debut novel. So. It simply doesn’t matter if contemporary audiences struggle with any aspect of the novel. Including Piggy. Especially Piggy. Fatty’s real name was never revealed and he was scorned and eventually, bullied to death. Don’t be soft. Don’t be weak. Own that. And stoutly present that, as harsh as it is…to a contemporary audience. If anybody struggles that’s entirely their issue. Learn to deal. Success of this challenging adaptation is rooted in the infectious and undaunted courage of the filmmakers. “Jack Thorne’s adaptation is the first for television. Truthful to the original novel – set in the early 1950s on an unnamed Pacific island – Thorne’s adaptation delves further into the book’s emotive themes; human nature, the loss of innocence and boyhood masculinity. Each of the four episodes is titled after a character at the core of the story – Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack – offering a subtly different perspective on the boys’ collective plight and manner in which they cope with their predicament. The series has been made with the support of Lord of the Flies author William Golding’s family.” That sounds solid so far even though all of that is just marketing. I also acknowledge this is a cheat since we do not have access to this Limited Series here, still. Prepare and manage expectations for when this finally crosses the pond.
Wednesday, February 11
Cross: Season 2 (Anytime / Prime Video)
Detective Alex Cross and the FBI launch a high-stakes joint operation to protect a ruthless billionaire after he receives a gruesome death threat linked to the murder of a fellow tycoon. As Cross and partner John Sampson hunt a highly skilled female assassin who leaves a trail of precision-cut clues, the investigation pushes the team into a darker, more dangerous chapter of vigilante justice in Washington, D.C.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ORIGIN: THE STORY OF THE BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE (ANYTIME / ESPN APP & CRAVE)
Origin documents the creation and launch of the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America, a pan-African professional basketball league in partnership with FIBA featuring 12 top club teams from across Africa’s 54 countries competing in a caravan format. The series captures the realization of a vision decades in the making, spearheaded by Amadou Gallo Fall and Masai Ujiri, who transformed their long-held dream of elite African basketball into reality, and goes behind the scenes throughout BAL’s first season as it follows the stories of key players, coaches, and teams as they compete to be the historic first BAL champions.
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I’m not invested in the WNBA. However BAL (Basketball Africa League) has been super entertaining. It’s a whole different style from the NBA. (The WNBA is like MLB…it’s always there but it doesn’t capture my attention. Caitlin Clark hasn’t shifted my position; I’m sure she’ll be fine but I won’t be watching. I happily watch scrappy BAL games; I’ve seen full BAL games. Never watched a whole WNBA game.) Basketball as a culture is impressive. You wouldn’t think it works and yet here it is. The cultural challenges (especially the play by play announcers…many clearly coming outta soccer) have deepened my NBA gratitude. Show me more of how the BAL is growing…how are the journalists and writers and podcasts? Are they good? Do they understand the game? I had so many questions going into this 4 part docuseries at TIFF 2025. I watched the first two episodes. It’s filled with familiar faces: Steph Curry, J. Cole, Joakim Noah, Obama, Masai Ujiri and more. Masai Ujiri’s Tribute to Toronto was released shortly after he was fired by the Raptors on June 27, 2025. (The city is determined to saint him but his final track record, some of the recent trades…it is clearly a jagged legacy. Like all GMs, really.) My hope is his time and experience is now BAL focused. I wish Masai takes on a Theo Epstein like role for the BAL. As this docuseries reveals BAL’s infrastructure could be stronger and bolder. It’d be great win for Masai and BAL fans. Like for example…here in Toronto at every level we have basketball gyms. Churches have gyms, high schools, colleges and universities. Outdoor hoops and indoor hoops. We also have the ACC where the Raptors (and Leafs) play, the SkyDome where the Jays play and BMO Field where the soccer team plays and so much more. Cities like Philly and NYC and LA can host multiple professional franchises. Until I watched this documentary I just took all that sports infrastructure for granted. It’s just been part of the landscape for every major city in North America. That isn’t the case for many cities in Africa. Large populations…cities: traffic, buildings all of it. But little to no sports infrastructure. Wow, huh. That was startlingly to see. So as the BAL grows, as they shift away from soccer many African cities will hafta begin building sports infrastructure hoops at ever level. This is only one thread in this special documentary. Programming Note: The following day, February 12 offers Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association on Prime Video. Yes, classic ball with Dr. J and those wonderful puffy afros and short shorts.
Thursday, February 12
F*ck Valentines Day (Anytime / Prime Video)
Gina hates her Valentine’s Day birthday and travels to Greece to prevent her boyfriend’s proposal. With help from vacationers Johnny and his sister Mickey, she schemes to delay it – while questioning her relationship.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SOUL POWER: THE LEGEND OF THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
Soul Power is the definitive story – and first docuseries – of the American Basketball Association. The series chronicles the 1967 launch of the enterprising league and explores how a collection of franchises – the majority of which relocated or folded – challenged the NBA on and off the court for nine riveting seasons, and examines the lasting impact of the ABA on the sport of basketball…
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I trimmed the TV Guide description for this fantastic ABA docuseries: which “examines the lasting impact of the ABA on the sport of basketball, including the introduction of the 3-point shot; the All-Star Game slam dunk competition; the addition of former ABA franchises like the Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs to the NBA; empowering women to play a more substantial role in the business of sports; and the rise to fame of superstar players and pro hoops contributors like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Spencer Haywood, George Gervin, Rick Barry, and George Karl. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the ABA’s merger with the NBA.” Programming Note: This docuseries follows Luke Epplin’s ABA biography: Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball published on February 10. Good ball month!
Friday, February 13
Black Phone 2 (Anytime / Prime Video-Canada)
As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: PREDATOR: BADLANDS (ANYTIME / HULU)
Set in the future on a remote planet, a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
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Fools. After the first one the entire Predator franchise has literally been “Bad Lands.” I didn’t even bother with Prey in 2022. The audacity to ask people to return to Predator following Predator 2, Predators oh and Shane Black’s The Predator, a wretched abomination is all have a apartment in Suck City. (I also ignored the animated 2025 movie Predator: Killer of Killers.) There’s also 2 vs Aliens Crap Carnivals as well to further stain the Predator’s track record. Predator…for such a long franchise how has it only cranked out 1 good movie…the Arnold OG? There’s clearly no bold hunt for quality work. It doesn’t help across all the Predator movies that the alien is the only consistent character. This is the issue that damns all the various Jurassic Park movies. How is this gonna be any different? Or special? Or unique? There’s absolutely no reason to expect good things or have hope for a Predator sequel; ditto for Terminator, RoboCop, modern Alien sequels etc. These beloved franchises are synonymous with inferiority and only invite viewers to tour Badlands.
Saturday, February 14
Boys Go to Jupiter (Anytime / HBO Max)
Saturday Morning Cartoons: In the sun-bleached sprawl of suburban Florida, teenage delivery driver Billy 5000 hustles to make $5,000 before the New Year to escape his dead-end life. His ‘grind’ takes a cosmic turn when he discovers a bizarre alien stowaway named Donut, putting him in the crosshairs of a ruthless juice mogul (Janeane Garofalo) and a mutated dolphin scientist in this absurdist, lo-fi musical odyssey.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: KISSING IS THE EASY PART (ANYTIME / TUBI)
The YA Tubi original romantic comedy tells the story of a straight-A overachiever who makes a deal to tutor a popular wild child in exchange for a college recommendation letter to his dream school, but when sparks fly, school is the least of their problems.
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A teen movie for Valentine’s Day. So clap the lights off, get cozy and…well you know. Kissing Is The Easy Part…
Sunday, February 15
NBA All-Star Game (5 p.m. / NBC & Peacock)
The 75th All-Star Game will feature a new U.S. vs. World format where two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players compete in a round-robin tournament consisting of four 12-minute games. The two teams with the best record after the round-robin advance to a championship game. This season it’ll be held at the Inuit Dome in Inglewood; which according to Dr. Dre is always up to no good.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE SIMPSONS: SPECIAL 800th EPISODE (8:00 P.M. / FOX)
This long-running animated comedy focuses on the eponymous family in the town of Springfield in an unnamed U.S. state. The head of the Simpson family, Homer, is not a typical family man. A nuclear-plant employee, he does his best to lead his family but often finds that they are leading him. The family includes loving, blue-haired matriarch Marge, troublemaking son Bart, overachieving daughter Lisa and baby Maggie. And for this special episode…the family dog, Santa’s Little Helper, reportedly gets fat. Marge’s crusade to get the family dog in better shape leads to her entering Santa’s Little Helper in canine agility competitions and a trip to the National Dog Show in Philadelphia. There, Marge and Homer suddenly find themselves—and the dog—mixed up in a historical conspiracy adventure worthy of a National Treasure movie.
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Suck it Hari Kondabolu. There’s no such thing as the golden era of The Simpsons. That’s an irredeemably Stupid Flanders! thing to say out loud…in public. That never made sense. Anybody/Everybody who issues the absurd premise that a particular Simpsons season was better/it’s past its glory days should be resoundingly Frank Grimes-ed It’s 37 seasons and 800 episodes (plus a full movie and a good handful of shorts on Disney+). It cannot be properly or evenly quantified by traditional TV metrics. That’s flat out Ralph Wiggum-ness stupid. Obviously, anything with that much longevity just has crap in it. Batman’s been around for over 80 years; they weren’t all good years! But there’s lots of great Batman and same for The Simpsons. And duh: the show’s not even done! For sure Swartzwelder, Conan etc. made some impressive contributions in the past. And yet The Simpsons is still thriving; it is one impressive body of comedic work. Appreciate all of it: nothing anyone will ever make will go this long. This is it. This magnificent historical achievement, 800 episodes of The Simpsons means they’ve become generational like the NBA or MLB. There’s no universal experience much less a universal history. As such they should keep going; there’s literally no good reason to stop. Here’s to 800 more episodes. Programming Note: “The 800th episode will feature a look back at the very first episode of the series (Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire), which was when the family originally adopted Santa’s Little Helper. The 800th episode voices include Kevin Bacon, Noah Wyle, Questlove and The Roots, Idris Elba, Viola Davis and Michael Keaton.”
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
