Ya don’t need a Lincoln Lawyer for these Great TV Recommendations. Although the Super Bowl does make it hard to #SetTheVCR for anything else. Go Sports!
Monday, February 02
Love, Brooklyn (Anytime / Starz)
Three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. Roy Wood Jr. yo!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ELEANOR THE GREAT (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
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“Great” is a strong word for Eleanor the Great. Honestly, as a movie it’s not terrible, nor is it amazing. Eleanor the Great is fine, it’s acceptable slightly respectable, you can bring it home to mom but it’s unremarkable. It fades from memory before the end credits stop scrolling. Maybe that’s the problem — it’s all too… nice. The film’s marketing hook is that it’s Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut. Johansson seems intent on capturing small, human moments rather than cinematic boldness. Admirable, sure, but in the end, Eleanor the Great feels like it’s chasing the human condition without ever locating its soul. The title promises a triumph, a transformation — a greatness earned. What we see instead is an ordinary woman who tells extraordinary lies to make her life feel bigger. And to keep her dead friend–alive. So I dunno…check it out, it’s fine as a streaming movie.
Tuesday, February 03
The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Anytime / Starz)
On the final day of their cross country road trip, a couple’s vehicle breaks down, forcing them to take refuge in a remote Airbnb. As night falls, three masked strangers terrorize them until dawn.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SECRET MALL APARTMENT (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all involved.
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Recently, Black Phone director Scott Derrickson tweeted out his list of top ten documentaries of 2025. (Dope list!) And Secret Mall Apartment is on that list. Well, now the Secret is out. I so wanna see this strange documentary. I’m an ‘80s kid, I grew up with malls. (I also grew up with the horror movie Chopping Mall but I don’t think that is related.)
Wednesday, February 04
The Muppet Show: Special (Anytime / Disney+)
It’s “The Muppet Show!” Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang are back with a brand-new special event. Music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos are bound to ensue when The Muppets once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BOOKWORM (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
11-year-old Mildred’s world is turned upside down when her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise, comes to look after her and agrees to take her camping to find a mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
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Gather around the campfire, oh children of the ‘80s. Have I got a movie for you! Here’s the TV Guide description of Bookworm…I’ll put my flashlight under my chin to share this: “11-year-old Mildred’s (Nell Fisher) world is turned upside down when her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood), comes to look after her and agrees to take her camping to find a mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.” You know Elijah Wood aka Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. That production was shot entirely in Jackson’s native New Zealand. Good things usually happen when Elijah Wood is shooting a movie in New Zealand. Add Bookworm to that list. And after Stranger Things 5 you so know Nell Fisher. She was one of the few bright lights in that awful season. You’ll want to keep an eye out for her. Bookworm is a dope follow up if you just met her during Stranger Things. As for the Canterbury Panther? Unlike Elijah Wood and Nell Fisher it’s not real. Or is it? A real Bookworm would know… For fun here is the MSL conversation I had with Bookworm’s director Ant Timpson.
Thursday, February 05
Field Generals: History of The Black Quarterback (Anytime / Peacock)
The four-part sports docuseries documents the stories of the trailblazing and pioneering quarterbacks who transformed the game – from the AFL-NFL merger through the turn of the century. By placing their journeys in full historical and social context, the series reveals how politics, culture, and race shaped both their struggles and their triumphs. Featured interviews with former and current quarterbacks include James “Shack” Harris, Warren Moon, Doug Williams, Randall Cunningham, Vince Evans, Chuck Ealey, Rodney Peete, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson, in addition to Michael Wilbon, Rich McKay, Joe Gibbs, Michael Eric Dyson, Jayne Kennedy, Bomani Jones, Michael Beschloss, Bob Costas and more.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE LINCOLN LAWYER: SEASON 4 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
Mickey Haller faces his toughest case yet as he and his team work tirelessly to prove his innocence in the murder of a former client, Sam Scales. To clear his name, they must unravel Sam’s final scam, forcing them to go head-to-head with the DA’s office, the FBI, and ghosts from Mickey’s own past.
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“Wanna play hardball? I’m gonna play even harder.” Excellent line from the Season 4 trailer. Like, really: who comes this far and does all this work just to back down? Mickey Haller is on trial for murder but we all know he’s gonna take a flamethrower to this place. (Shout out to Scent of a Woman.) The Lincoln Lawyer is back in session. Season 4 adapts Michael Connelly’s sixth Lincoln Lawyer novel: The Law of Innocence. All rise…the season shall begin. Programming Note: The Lincoln Lawyer has been renewed for a fifth season. I like that; less pressure to watch it. Sometimes I can’t get to it on opening weekend.
Friday, February 06
Hockey Fanatics (Anytime / Crave)
Hosted by Canadian comedy icon Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall), this eight-episode docu-travel series explores the soul of hockey fandom across North America. From multi-million dollar memorabilia collections to deep-rooted community traditions, Foley and celebrity superfans—including Mike Myers, Jay Baruchel, and Jason Priestley—go behind the glass to discover why the game means so much to the people who live for it.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ELLA MCCAY (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)
At 34 years old, Ella McCay becomes the governor of the state she was born and raised in. However, navigating relationships with her husband, father and brother may just be her biggest challenge yet.
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Weirdly, Hulu issued a press release: it counts Paradise: Season 2 as “Black History Month” content. Not everything hasta be MLK or Love & Basketball but that seems borderline. Anyways, take a break from Hulu’s Black History Month offerings and check out Ella McCay. From writer-director James L. Brooks (The Simpsons) and featuring Julie Kavner (The Simpsons), Albert Brooks (The Simpsons) and Tracey Ullman (The Simpsons…kinda.). You can watch it on the same streamer you watch…The Simpsons on. You crack that Dan Brown Da Vinci Code yet?
Saturday, February 07
Looney Tunes Library (Anytime / TCM)
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Starting on February 2nd at 8 p.m. PT, the iconic Looney Tunes library — more than 750 cartoons in all — will begin running on TCM as part of a new six-year deal. Forty-five shorts featuring Bugs Bunny— TCM’s Star of the Month! — will screen through February 7: Rabbit of Seville (1950) and What’s Opera Doc (1957) will set up A Night at the Opera (1935); Tortoise Beats Hare (1941), Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) and Rabbit Transit (1947) will lead to Walk, Don’t Run (1966); Apes of Wrath (1959) will precede King Kong (1933); Buccaneer Bunny (1948) will set up Mutiny on the Bounty (1950); Captain Hareblower (1954) will lead to Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951); Bugsy and Mugsy (1957) and The Unmentionables (1963) will precede The Roaring Twenties (1939); and A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959) and many more.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: 30 FOR 30: THE PHILLY SPECIAL (ANYTIME / ESPN APP)
The Philly Special tells the story of the moment that propelled the Eagles to an upset win over the Patriots for their first Super Bowl title in 2018, told through the perspectives of the players, coaches, and fans who experienced it.
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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. More? This 30 for 30 features “Jason Kelce, Nick Foles, Doug Pederson, Corey Clement, Trey Burton and more, the documentary explores how one bold play call during Super Bowl LII became a cultural symbol that captured the spirit, resilience, and underdog identity of the Philadelphia Eagles and their city.” Fly, Eagles, Fly. Programming Note: In 2020 before the Eagles won the Super Bowl, 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.
Sunday, February 08
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials: Hall of Fame Countdown (Anytime / Paramount+)
This year’s special, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, raises the bar with the Hall of Fame Countdown, as Nate and Daniela curate their top 10 greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time. From iconic classics to modern favorites, they’ll count down the best of the best and relive the moments that made fans laugh, cry and talk for decades before revealing their top two picks.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SUPER BOWL LX (6:30 P.M. / NBC & PEACOCK)
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the U.S. National Football League (NFL), a federation of professional gridiron football teams. The NFC champion Seattle Seahawks take on the AFC champion New England Patriots in a high-stakes rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. Eleven years after their last title bout, the Patriots seek a record-breaking seventh Lombardi Trophy under Mike Vrabel, while Sam Darnold leads the Seahawks’ quest for redemption at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara
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It’s chili and chicken wings o’clock. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots battle it out for NFL supremacy and historical greatness at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Bad Bunny is the halftime headliner. (Ugh: I don’t find Bad Bunny any good…his Kobe song (6 Rings) is decent. But there’s little to be excited about. I’d be up for like Karol G or someone creative like that, yet here we are. (It’ll never happen but Coyote For Hire…Product Of Immigration is TV ready.) And you know what? This has the potential to be a solid Super Bowl. I anticipate a close game, the Seahawks have a strong defense and Drake Maye, the Patriots QB, is only in his second year so he has so much freedom. Sadly, the early batch of Super Bowl commercials have been lackluster. Hopefully, that all picks up. It’s only fun if the commercials are as spicy as the chili. Oh and for sports fans who are also nerds…it won’t all be Tide commercials. What good and glorious trailers can we expect during Super Bowl LX? Disclosure Day? Avengers: Doomsday? The Mandalorian and Grogu? Supergirl? Something else to bet on. Anyways. Go sports!
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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.
