#SetTheVCR: July 13-19, 2026

You got Lucky…have I got TV Sweetness for you. Your next TV Obsession awaits like a patient Hawk. You won’t put this week’s #SetTheVCR in Cold Storage.

Monday, July 13

MLB Home Run Derby 2026 – LIVE (8:00 p.m. / Netflix)

The best sluggers in baseball put their power to the test and chase home run glory live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Confirmed participants include: Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) and Ben Rice (New York Yankees). You can track the full, updated roster and find bracket information on the MLB T-Mobile Home Run Derby page.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MILE END KICKS (ANYTIME / NETFLIX-US)

In 2011, Montreal’s indie music scene, Grace Pine, a 24-year-old music critic moves to the Canadian city to write a book on Alanis Morissette’s classic Jagged Little Pill album. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she gets romantically involved with members of an indie band for whom she serves as their publicist.
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It’s poutine o’clock in 2011 Montréal’s indie scene. And You Oughta Know Barbie Ferreira plays Grace, a young music critic who moves to the kinetic city to write a book about Alanis Morissette. And isn’t it Ironic…instead of writing her book, she unexpectedly takes a job as a publicist for an aspiring indie band. Of course…while Paris is the undisputed “City of Love,” Montréal is widely celebrated as the Paris of North America…so you can guess what happens next. She gets messily, je t’aime entangled with two bandmates, which makes sense since the band is called Bone Patrol. This is a follow-up from filmmaker Chandler Levack, who previously wrote and directed I Like Movies. Before making Head Over Feet movies, Chandler was a music journalist who interned at SPIN Magazine in the summer of 2007, covering bands like Broken Social Scene and Metric. I’m sure she’ll sprinkle Mile End Kicks with some sweet Almost Famous flavour.

Tuesday, July 14

Quarterback: Season 3 (Anytime / Netflix)

The Netflix NFL series returns for Season 3, giving viewers exclusive, unprecedented access to four quarterbacks throughout the 2025 NFL season, pulling back the curtain on the grind, glory, and grit that define one of the game’s toughest jobs, on and off the field. This year, cameras go behind the scenes with Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans) and Joe Flacco, shockingly traded midseason to the Cincinnati Bengals, as he embarks on a new chapter.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SWEETNESS (ANYTIME / CRAVE)

When a chance encounter with her rockstar crush leads 16-year-old Rylee to discover that he’s a dysfunctional drug addict, she takes it upon herself to help him, ultimately forcing her teenage fantasies into reality.
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We just witnessed the unhinged and super unhealthy celebrity obsession with Taylor Swift’s corny wedding. So, the streaming timing of this Canadian-Misery is the ideal spark to reconsider your own teenage celebrity obsessions. (To be fair, while we had lots of Duran Duran passions back in the day, we were not as darkly, stalkery gross as we just witnessed with Taylor’s silly wedding. To quote William Shatner on SNL: “People! Get a life!!”) Directed by Emma Higgins, Sweetness follows a goth teen who decides the best way to save her favourite rock star crush from his demons is to…kidnap him. Sweet plan, right? We often talk about the way pop stars and their fantastic music change our lives—well, isn’t it time we up the Sweetness and take a moment to change their lives? If you’ve gone online anytime in 2026, you’ve seen the vampiric, parasocial fandom that is now fashionably Britney Spears toxic. None of this is limited to just Taylor Swift…though she is the patron saint of this pervasive mental illness, along with Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. (We have all these performative conversations about mental health and yet we rarely extend any of em to include this noxious fandom.) Ain’t nothing sweet about carnivorous intensity, but for this horror movie it effortlessly creates a perfectly gothic, dark humour.

Wednesday, July 15

Ride or Die (Anytime / Prime Video)

Ride or Die follows best friends Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) and Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham), who thought they knew everything about each other, except Judith turns out to be an international assassin. When a mysterious figure emerges from Judith’s past, and a hit goes horribly wrong, both of their worlds are turned upside down as they’re forced to go on the run together. It’s a race against time and a road trip across Europe, with law enforcement, highly trained assassins, and some very dangerous criminals at their heels.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: COLD STORAGE (ANYTIME / MGM+)

When a mutating, highly contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility, two young employees – joined by a grizzled bioterror operative – must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.
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An infectious reminder that horror can just be clever, propulsive and fun again. In a horror landscape obsessed with trauma and prestige dread, it is refreshing to delight in projectile vomiting and enjoy aggressive green puke. In conversation, director Jonny Campbell described Cold Storage as: “It’s like The Goonies for grown-ups.” You better believe I asked him about that in this MSL episode. What is going on in Cold Storage? Rather than share all the cold-facts, actor Joe Keery has a supa dupa line in the movie: “This is some horrific repugnant shit, man. I have never seen anything like this in my entire goddamn life and I’ve seen some crazy shit.” Indeed. Joe plays Teacake and his co-worker is Naomi, played by Georgina Campbell. While Liam Neeson is a grizzled bioterror operative representing the American government. And that’s who is gonna prevent the extinction of Mankind. I wrote about all this in a previous My Pal Sammy: In Praise of Green Puke and there…you can enjoy my conversation with director Jonny Campbell where we get into Doctor Who as well. Programming Note: Cold Storage streams on Prime Video-Canada on July 24.

Thursday, July 16

Marc by Sofia (Anytime / HBO Max)

An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE HAWK: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Lonnie Hawkins, (Will Ferrell) 2004’s number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic. His body says retire, but his heart says he’s not done yet. His ex-wife and his son Lance (golf’s new golden boy) know he’s through. But with one more major to win to complete golf’s Grand Slam, Lonnie refuses to believe he’s anything other than one stroke away from the greatest comeback in golf history.
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Will Ferrell.
That’s all.
That’s the entire hook: the best reason why you should press play.
P.S. for more Will Ferrell check out Hot Ones: Extra Heat also streaming on Netflix starting on July 13.

Friday, July 17

Exit 8 (Anytime / Shudder)

The story follows a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway, who sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OBSESSION (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
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Obsession is the lonely wish come true of Big meets the unhinged chaos of the wish come true of Liar Liar. Bear sucks…he clearly didn’t watch Bruce Almighty, which revealed the difficulty of managing the world. It’s all wishful thinking. Now this loser is 13 Going on 30 but he just wants to be 17 Again. Just a complete idiot. See for yourself as it’s now streaming.

Saturday, July 18

The Doomies: Season 1 (Anytime / Disney+)

When best friends Bobby and Romy accidentally open a portal to evil, their tranquil coastal town transforms into a hotspot for terrifying creatures of doom. As the ordinary teens navigate this extraordinary mystery, they face off against literal and inner monsters in this epic comedy that combines thrills, chills, and emotional spills. Yo! 22 half-hour episodes, old school.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE BLUE JAYS WAY (ANYTIME / SPORTSNET+)

The Blue Jays Way is a definitive seven-part sports documentary event that chronicles the 50-year journey of Canada’s Major League Baseball franchise. From their snowy 1977 debut at Exhibition Stadium through the legendary back-to-back World Series titles of the 1990s and up to the modern era, the series explores the grit, the culture, and the iconic figures that defined the team’s identity. Through rare archival footage and intimate interviews with legendary players like Dave Stieb and George Bell, it captures how a “badass bird” logo united a city and a nation on the global baseball stage.
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It’s that time…as you do the seventh-inning stretch, reach over and click play on this Blue Jays 7-part docuseries directed by Paul Sidhu. Toronto’s entire 50-season MLB legacy is distilled, from the franchise’s snowy, cold 1977 debut at Exhibition Stadium to the Glory Years in the ‘90s winning back-to-back World Series titles. The docuseries is packed with rare archival footage, while deeply candid, emotional interviews with legends like Dave Stieb, George Bell and Cito Gaston will have fans doing a bat-flip. Considering the recent World Series heartbreak, it’s a compelling offering of the out-of-left-field culture that has defined Canada’s team. (Je suis désolé Montréal.) This is a safe #SetTheVCR recommendation, considering I call Toronto…home. Programming Note: Premieres Sunday, July 12. Full 7-part docuseries available on-demand immediately following the live broadcast.

Sunday, July 19

Tish (Anytime / TVO Docs on YouTube)

Tish Murtha – a mother, fighter, and visionary photographer – used her camera to celebrate overlooked working-class lives and fight for social change in Thatcher’s Britain. In this artistic film, her daughter uncovers her poignant story, unveiling the artist behind the lens. Broadcast info: Saturday, July 18 at 9 p.m. Digital Release on the TVO Docs YouTube Channel: Friday, July 17 at 9 a.m.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LUCKY: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / APPLE TV)

When a multimillion-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life – and a way out.
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We’re so Lucky: we got a heist—and a “one last job” limited series. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Queen’s Gambit this time is stealing a bag containing millions of dollars and expecting to successfully get away with it. Pursued by both a relentless FBI agent and a ruthless crime boss—and you know both of ‘em: Annette Bening and Timothy Olyphant—one last job is now a desperate desire for a way out. Answering “I don’t have it” when asked “Where’s my money?” means things have truly gone sideways. This 7-episode thriller about a con artist adapted from Marissa Stapley’s novel will be sure to leave…a mark. Programming Note: A two-episode premiere on Wednesday, July 15, followed by weekly single-episode drops every Wednesday through August 19.