#SetTheVCR: November 09-15, 2026

Monday, November 09

Pass the Salt (Anytime / Hollywood Suite)

When two women of different faiths fall in love (Muslim-Iranian and Jewish), they must find a way for their traditional families to break bread.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MISTY GREEN (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

A former Hollywood star finds her second act when she reconnects with a famous director and her volatile brother while rediscovering the glamour of Los Angeles.
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You can only famous…ya can’t be unfamous. Even if you fall outta popularity or get cancelled by morons…you’re still popular. You can only become infamous. You can never become unfamous. Vanilla Ice is still famous. You’re famous forever. Once upon a time, Misty Green was an Emmy-winning powerhouse with a legendary voice. Cut to today and her career has taken a serious nosedive…much like her life. Enter stage left: the filmmaker who once fired her returns to offer a role in a Dreamgirls project that might just be her second act. That is, if she can keep her bad habits from self-sabotaging the whole thing. She might be on her second act but she’s way past second chances. Chris Rock is the reason to give this a shot. I hope he continues to make these intimate Woody Allen meets Spike Lee movies. Top 5 was the one he made before Misty Green. I dig the comedy, of course, but I wanna see what kind of director he becomes. I saw this at TIFF and the third act is flawed and sloppy. It didn’t leave me Misty.

Tuesday, November 10

The Greatest: Limited Series (Anytime / Prime Video)

This 8-part series traces Muhammad Ali’s coming of age story, following a young Cassius Clay through the personal, professional and political battles he fought inside and outside the ring. Set against a changing America, The Greatest follows a once-in-a-generation talent fighting for the right to become his own man. Through the fights that made him a champion and the convictions that made him an icon, a young man from Louisville transforms himself into Muhammad Ali, the greatest of all time. Jaalen Best stars as Cassius Clay
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WE CHOSE TO GO TO THE MOON (8:00 P.M. / PBS)

Directed for the stage by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, this immersive theatrical experience tells the dramatic tale of America’s race to space and decision to land a man on the Moon in one of the most ambitious scientific and exploration achievements in history. Bringing together a 45-piece orchestra and band – including a rare theremin – along with Broadway vocalists, breathtaking photographs, and narrative drama, the production creates an emotional history unlike any previous telling of mankind’s journey to the Moon. The program also features flags that have traveled to the Moon and back and have witnessed some of our nation’s most emotional and patriotic moments, making history themselves.
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Huh, wow. We Chose To Go To The Moon, a new “living documentary” about America’s space race. Blending live music and storytelling in a vivid on-stage experience, this special theatrical event was created, written and narrated by writer and historian John Monsky. I dunno who that is or what his accomplishments are. One of the many, many highlights of 2026 was NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026. Going to space is always cool. As JFK said: “We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” Let’s Go!

Wednesday, November 11

The Body: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

After a dance-team initiation gone wrong, a group of badly behaved Catholic school girls begin having prophetic visions that set off mass hysteria in their town. “You should watch out for the weirdos, mister.” “We are the weirdos, mister.” This isn’t Craft…this is Crap. 8 episodes too! Now that’s a sin.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: AVEDON (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

The life and work of legendary photographer Richard Avedon come into focus through archival footage and new interviews in this intimate documentary. From world leaders to pop culture icons and international supermodels, Richard Avedon’s influence helped create the blueprint for our image-driven world. His photographs didn’t just reflect culture, they shaped it. Avedon traces the life and legacy of an artist who used photography to reinvent the world around him. Drawing on unprecedented access to his personal archives — never-before-seen stills, intimate behind-the-lens footage, and new interviews with his closest collaborators — the film explores how his singular eye both reflected and reshaped the visual language of the 20th century and why even the most iconic image is only half the story.
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Richard Avedon is having a moment. On October 13, 2026, Abrams Books released Richard Avedon: The Harper’s Bazaar Years, a classic coffee table book that beautifully documents his creativity and visual storytelling. At the same time, The Image Centre on Toronto’s Ryerson University campus is hosting Richard Avedon: Immortal, an outstanding exhibition that covers his portraits of aging from 1951 to 2004. Even after all that, if you find yourself wondering who Richard Avedon really was, look no further than this Netflix documentary by Ron Howard. This intimate feature captures the extraordinary life and paradigm-shifting legacy of the visionary photographer. Granted unprecedented access to the artist’s personal foundation archives, the documentary weaves together never-before-seen stills, rare behind-the-lens footage and insightful new interviews with his closest collaborators. From capturing defining portraits of world leaders and civil rights giants to documenting his father as he slowly passed away, Avedon reveals how Richard’s singular eye radically shaped 20th-century visual culture and America’s perception of beauty and aging. After all, good photography is just eye commentary.

Thursday, November 12

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 3 (Anytime / Prime Video)

In Season Three, Middle-earth is at war. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron’s armies have marched across the whole of the world, conquering all in their path. Only a few isolated pockets stand between the Dark Lord and total victory – Khazad-dûm, where the Dwarves are now sealed deep within their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings. But deep in the land of Mordor, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils day and night, obsessed with harnessing a power that will bring the last of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to rule them all… Now, all the free peoples of Middle-earth – Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike – must find a way to come together, in a race against time to prevent Sauron from achieving his goal of utter domination of all life…
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: STEPHEN CURRY (ANYTIME / ESPN APP & DISNEY+)

On the verge of becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career three-pointers, Curry reflects on the upbringing, mindset and work ethic that have shaped his extraordinary career. Capturing the anticipation and emotion surrounding the milestone, the film follows Curry leading up to and throughout one remarkable game, weaving together his generational artistry with perspectives from acclaimed artists including Viola Davis, Rick Rubin, Patti Smith and Jon Batiste.
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It’s kinda rude what’s going on with Curry, these past few seasons. Stephen Curry is fading away like Tim Curry after successful years when they were IT. Damn…a Pennywise for your thoughts. I’ve been saying this for years: how is Golden State just gonna waste Curry? I’m so grateful LeBron didn’t go to the Warriors. There’s nothing about LeBron that’s synonymous with a Warrior: he’s soft and weak and not clutch. But still where’s the urgency and the hope?! Where is Curry’s Last Dance? Stephen Curry doesn’t just play basketball. Dude creates. Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry highlights the artistry behind one of basketball’s most transformative players, he really is the greatest shooter of all time. Plus all the impressive creativity, the discipline and the notable imagination that shaped his game, yeah Portrait of an Artist is a fantastic name for a Curry doc. Because sometimes the best artists work with a basketball. I just wish the Warriors would paint a bright future. Programming Note: This documentary will be broadcast on Sunday, November 22 on ABC at 1 p.m.

Friday, November 13

Rivals: Season 2 (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+)

Tony Baddingham and Declan O’Hara’s battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black is forced to confront his own personal demons. Against a backdrop of hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise war, Taggie O’Hara must find the courage to follow her heart, while those around her face the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that can no longer remain hidden. But as series two draws to a close, who will get their happy ending?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: 12 12 12: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV)

Each episode of 12 12 12 unfolds across three timelines of a heist: the 12 months of planning, the 12 hours of the heist and the 12 days following it. The series follows a disgraced FBI agent and an American career criminal as they play a zero-sum game of cat and mouse across Europe. At the center of it all is the daring, epic raid on a bank vault deep beneath the streets of Zurich.
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I heard the word heist and clicked play on the trailer instantly. Heist is my pop culture love language. So yeah, I’ll steal some time and check this out.

Saturday, November 14

Minions & Monsters (Anytime / Peacock & Prime Video-Canada)

Illumination expands its joyful Minions universe with a riotous third chapter featuring all-new characters in the biggest global animated franchise in history. This is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood as movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try saving the planet from the mayhem they created.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ALI G: WHO IZ I? (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

After twenty years spent “chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’”, Ali G is shocked to discover that his long-term girlfriend, Julie, is 8 months pregnant. Faced with an extra mouth to feed, he gets off his batty and heads to America to reclaim his former glory… but soon encounters adversaries who will ultimately threaten his and his child’s very existence.
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A character who is past his prime returns to Prime Video. Is it bad or just bad, bad? Time is a great cultural equalizer. Almost all the culture that has been protested or boycotted, has been branded as the devil or “punching-down” (whatever the hell that means. In comedy there’s absolutely no such thing as punching down or any of that social media junk.) etc. is just blandly mainstream now. From Basic Instinct to 2 Live Crew it’s all accepted over time. Still, I like the 2026 question: Who Iz I? I wanna find out the answer.

Sunday, November 15

The Chosen: Season 6 (Anytime / Prime Video)

The hour has come. Before the sun sets, Jesus of Nazareth will be dead. Season Six captures the historic events of Jesus’ final day through the lives of those who love Him—and those who condemn Him. Pharisees call it justice. Romans call it peace. Followers call it murder. But in the face of loneliness and death, Jesus stands resolute in his plan that has always led to one place: the cross. The Chosen Season Six reveals how Jesus’ final hours changed the world forever.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BEING HEUMANN (ANYTIME / APPLE TV)

The movie follows disability rights activist Judy Heumann, who leads more than a hundred young people in a radical act of defiance as they take over the San Francisco Federal building in a fight for equal rights. What begins as one impulsive act becomes the longest occupation of a federal building in American history, as hundreds spontaneously seize government offices and refuse to leave until the bureaucrat in their way (Mark Ruffalo) takes action. Bringing rebellion in all its forms to the hallowed halls, a movement’s accidental leaders struggle to find their path forward where none has ever been paved for them.
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Being Heumann is just Born on the Fourth of July for Gen Z. Tom Cruise rolled into anti-war activism, of course based on a true story. Ruth Madeley rolls into disability rights activism, of course based on a true story. Both set in the ‘70s. I missed this at #TIFF26 but heard good things. As I am a human, I’ll check out Being Heumann.

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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.