#SetTheVCR: March 02-08, 2026

Monday, March 02

American Classic: Season 1 (Anytime / MGM+)

American Classic tells the story of Broadway star Richard Bean who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns home to the family theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. Once there, his extreme behavior sets off a series of crises among those closest to him: his ex-girlfriend (now the town’s mayor) married to his brother, his brother himself, and his beloved niece who dreams of a life in the theater. As old loves resurface and buried secrets emerge, Richard must confront the consequences of his past actions and the family and town he left behind for fame and glamour. Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art. This debuts with two episodes then weekly leading up to the series finale on Sunday, April, 12.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: 30 FOR 30: I’M JUST HERE FOR THE RIOT
(ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

A game seven Stanley Cup finals loss to the Boston Bruins sparked a massive riot in downtown Vancouver. Police cars were overturned and burned, windows shattered, stores were looted, and waves of young people were caught in the mayhem.
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While we wait for the all obnoxious and phony outrage over the USA Hockey team to finally subside (there is no betrayal. Solidarity is vastly overrated.) check out a legit hockey riot and the aftermath. Kathleen Jayme and Asia Youngman’s I’m Just Here for the Riot is about the infamous 2011 Vancouver riot following a Canucks loss to the Boston Bruins during the Stanley Cup final. It’s our first smart phone riot. Big win for humanity, right? The documentary chronicles the event (which was bad) and its aftermath (which was worse than the event!) while also raising deeper questions about fandom, violence, and the shocking power of an angry crowd. I’ve talked to the filmmakers and covered it in a My Pal Sammy: 30 for 30: Shame On You! Because with hockey the “goal” should aim to be better and yet we fail so often. These days most especially but also clearly…in the past.

Tuesday, March 03

The Secret Agent (Anytime / Hulu)

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non violent refuge he seeks.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SCTV: THE COMPLETE SERIES (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

The staff of Melonville’s TV station put on programming that is unique in its own silly way. One of Canada’s most influential and groundbreaking sketch comedy series will be available to stream in its entirety for the first time, with six seasons and 135 episodes available to Prime members nationwide. Created by Toronto’s renowned comedy institution The Second City, SCTV originally aired from 1976 to 1984 and became a cultural phenomenon, launching the careers of Canadian comedy icons Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, and Dave Thomas. The series’ sharp satire and distinctly Canadian point of view earned it multiple awards and a permanent place in television history.
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I hope SCTV on Prime Video is brought to us by Tex and Edna Boil’s Organ Emporium. When you watch the Ryan Reynolds produced John Candy documentary (on Prime Video) Conan, Tom Hanks etc. notable prominent Americans dig SCTV. And now with Catherine O’Hara’s passing it should be streamed for everyone. Give everyone a chance to says thanks for the laughs. (Though communal SCTV was so strange and even startling when I saw the John Candy doc at TIFF. That was the first time I’d ever seen SCTV with an audience. Like most Canadians I’d only watched it at home by myself. And yet—in 2025—we collectively laughed. As strange as the experience was; watching SCTV all together, it was still super funny.) Canadian sketch comedy wasn’t just content…it was Must See TV. And yeah…we really did hafta #SetTheVCR for this. Programming Note: Marty, Life Is Short combines never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive interviews with a star-studded list of friends and collaborators to tell Martin Short’s story. More SCTV celebrations. The Martin Short documentary premieres on May 12 on Netflix.

Wednesday, March 04

Young Sherlock: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

From Guy Ritchie, witness the legendary origin story of Sherlock Holmes in this irreverent, action-packed mystery that follows the iconic detective’s early adventures. It Is What It Is. This is a binge release: all 8 episodes are out today.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE AMATEUR (ANYTIME / CRAVE)

After his wife is tragically killed in a London terrorist attack, a CIA cryptographer demands his bosses go after the killers. When it becomes clear they won’t act due to conflicting internal priorities, he blackmails the agency into training him and letting him go after them himself.
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Back in 2024 shortly before Christmas my Egyptian mom was happy, she met Mena Massoud. Me, her Egyptian son was so annoyed: That guy is a loser down to his DNA. Why would we ever allow him to represent us, our culture…anything of value really? When the actor sucks…Representation Sucks. At least Rami Malek is taking on James Bond and making movies like The Amateur. Ironically, amateur applies to Mena Massoud. Programming Note: This is still on Disney+ Canada and on Hulu, on Crave this made its debut. How many streamers are TV viewers expected to have?

Thursday, March 05

Vladimir: Limited Series (Anytime / Netflix)

When a passionate but reckless professor’s world begins to unravel, she finds herself dangerously fixated on her magnetic new colleague. Seduction and obsession collide in Vladimir – a provocative limited series brimming with forbidden desires, razor-sharp wit, and charismatic, unpredictable characters. As boundaries blur and secrets simmer, she’ll risk everything to bring her most scandalous fantasies to life. Based on the acclaimed novel by Julia May Jonas. So…Vladimir is just 8 episodes where Rachel Weisz is so horny but so embarrassed to just rub one out? What’s the value offer for the viewer?? Either have the affair or stay in your dull marriage. What do I care what ya do? Or who ya do? This is a binge release.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TED: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

It’s 1994, and senior year of high school is underway for Ted the foul-mouthed teddy bear and his best friend, likable but awkward John Bennett. Together they live in a working-class Boston home with John’s parents (Matty and Susan) and cousin (Blaire). Matty is a blustering, blue-collar Bostonian who sees himself as the unequivocal boss of the house and doesn’t like anyone challenging him, particularly his liberal-minded niece. Susan is kind, selfless, and almost pathologically sweet when it comes to caring for her family. Blaire is an outspoken college student who often finds herself at odds with her more traditional-minded relatives.
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Ted is ridiculously dumb TV; which is why it’s all gold. If you grew up in the ‘80s and eagerly told Helen Keller jokes this comedy is your jam. And a confession: I often rail against prequels (i.e. look how wretched Welcome to Derry is.). But Ted as a prequel works because they don’t wink-wink at the audience. Prequels are condescending (i.e. all pre-Kirk Star Trek is utter garbage.). They successfully avoided that. They treat the audience like adults. (Which is reflective of the comedy.) Granted Ted as IP doesn’t offer a strict continuity so there’s a notable freedom there. (Which is reflective of the comedy.) And look man: I did the Ted movies. And I begrudgingly watched Ted: Season 1 where they successfully won me mover. It was good. I can’t wait for Season 2. Just lowest common denominator funny. But that’s it. I’m 100% out for the upcoming Ted animated series. This story doesn’t need to exist in 3 different mediums. A talking bear is not like RoboCop or Terminator. Not all IP is the same. Still for now; Ted Season 2. I’ll watch this Ted over Ted Lasso any day. Programming Note: Ted: Season 2 is a binge release on Peacock. In Canada Ted: Season 2 premieres Thursday, March 5 at 9 p.m. on Showcase and is released weekly.

Friday, March 06

Outlander: Season 8 (Anytime / Starz)

The series’ final trailer hints at heartwarming and heartbreaking moments for the Fraser family, with several familiar faces returning and reuniting. A devastating prophecy, in the form of Frank Randall’s book predicting Jamie’s death, shakes the family to the core. Knowing they’ve been unable to alter history in the past, the Frasers grapple with the question of whether Jamie’s fate is sealed. Smell Ya Later.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WAR MACHINE (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

On one last grueling mission during the final stage of U.S. Army Ranger selection, an elite team’s training exercise turns into a fight for survival. Now a combat engineer must lead his unit in a fight against a giant otherworldly killing machine.
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“Remakes Lead The Way!” “All The Way!” Alan Ritchson is great bur War Machine is a Syd Field 3-act screenplay remake of Arnold’s classic Predator. (Terrible title too!) They even have a Black dude to replace Carl Weathers. So then in this paint by numbers debacle…who is Jesse The Body Ventura and who plays the Native solider? Gotta have him. This sucks and yet Alan Ritchson is so far doing his best to fill in the Arnold gap. We won’t have Arnold for much longer. So I can at least appreciate that. Something The Rock sucked at and currently sucks at. Hit the bricks thick-neck. We got a fresh new War Machine.

Saturday, March 07

Aquaman: The Complete Series (Anytime / Tubi-US)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Aquaman is an animated series from Filmation that aired on CBS from September 9, 1967 to June 1970. It is a 30-minute version of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, repackaged without the Superman and Superboy segments. The series follows the adventures of Aquaman, the “swift and powerful monarch of the oceans,” and his teenage sidekick Aqualad as they guard the seven seas against the forces of evil.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NUREMBERG (ANYTIME / NETFLIX-US)

The Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a US Army psychiatrist (Rami Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Herman Göring (Russell Crowe).
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Ignorance is a conscious choice: there’s no need to read the room if the room ain’t well-read. So I’d rather a Nuremberg documentary but I understand old school footage can be limited. I’ll take this…just so wary that Hollywood movies offer a liberal journalism (if any journalism at all). I went to Berlin in October and seeing elements of World War II up-close has sparked an interest in that dense and hurtful history. How did we pull that off? So often those in charge made the correct decisions. It’s a moral fiber entirely absent from culture these days. Back then people understood what justice was. These days we can’t even spell the work let alone understand it.

Sunday, March 08

The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control (Anytime / Paramount+)

Female Viagra! The bold and boundary-pushing film examines the cultural, scientific, and political battle behind the first United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada-approved treatment for women’s sexual desire.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ROOSTER: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author’s (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter.
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Lately, I have been impressed by Bill Lawrence. No, I don’t care about Ted Lasso…if you do, have at it. Just as Heated Rivalry is vapid hockey; Ted Lasso is vapid soccer. I don’t do Scrubs, either. Rather in 2023 Bill released Shrinking and in 2024 Bad Monkey. Both Apple TV shows are fantastic. So, just based on Bill Lawrence when this Rooster crows, I’ll listen. Can he pull off TV magic one more time?

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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.