#SetTheVCR: May 01 – 07, 2023

Monday, May 01

The Office: The Complete Series (Anytime / Crave)

Dunder Mifflin comes to Crave for those Craving the Office Space sitcom…the American remake of the BBC hit.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS: LIMITED SERIES (9 P.M. / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

The real scandal of the Watergate scandal is how badly these political crimes were executed.
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E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), accidentally toppled the presidency they were zealously trying to protect. Turns out All the President’s Men suck. Programming Note: The 5-part limited series will also have an official podcast where, over five episodes, political journalist Olivia Nuzzi will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series while investigating its balance of fact versus fiction. Hint: It’s mostly fact.

Tuesday, May 02

1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (9 p.m. / HBO Max & Crave)

W. Kamau Bell explores the experiences of mixed kids and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Same spark as Chris Rock’s Good Hair; though Rock is a better filmmaker. (And comic! Shots fired?)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JIMMY O. YANG: GUESS HOW MUCH? (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Yang dives into love languages, loser friends and negotiating with his Asian parents.
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You may recognize Yang from his TV work on Space Force or most especially Silicon Valley. And on TV his first late-night stand-up appearance was on The Arsenio Hall Show. How cool is that? Jimmy Yang is back with this second Prime Video special. Good Deal from August 2020 is still on the streamer if you wanna do a comedy double bill. Otherwise here ya go: wanna Guess How Much this special will be?

Wednesday, May 03

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (Anytime / Paramount+)

Lyle and Erik Menendez infamously killed their parents in 1989. Menudo was the first mega-boy band to take the world by storm. In this 3-part docuseries, viewers will learn of the connection that links the two stories and could corroborate the brothers’ decades-old accusations against their father, Jose Menendez.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ED SHEERAN: THE SUM OF IT ALL (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

Ed Sheeran has scored a Last Dance.
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Don’t sleep on this Ed Sheeran 4-part docuseries. I dunno if it’ll give you Shivers but it should reveal his Bad Habits via never-before-seen personal archive with his friends and family. Ed will also be Thinking Out Loud as he explores the universal themes that inspire his music and why he likes to Sing. I assume there will be a Photograph or two which will frame Ed’s world. Each episode, Ed faces themes and emotions that most people experience giving colour to the Shape of You. Like an MTV Cribs episode viewers will explore Ed’s Lego House only the house is his heart. I Don’t Care if you didn’t enjoy that clumsy analogy; there is live concert footage as well. So gather Beautiful People around Disney+ this is Ed Sheeran.

Thursday, May 04

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 (Anytime / Disney+)

Nine new shorts from 9 studios from around the globe (Spain, Ireland, South Korea etc.). Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars. (Also on Disney+ is Rogue Not Quite One another classic Simpsons Star Wars themed short.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BUPKIS: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

A sitcom that follows Pete Davidson as he attempts to work through unique family dynamics and the complexities of fame to form meaningful relationships.
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Just like Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm only replace Larry with Pete Davidson and Curb with Bupkis. Over 8 half-hour episodes Davidson explores this simple premise noted in the trailer: “I googled myself yesterday. People think I’m, like, a joke for some reason.” (Joe Pesci responds with: “They think you’re a joke because you are a joke.”) You’ll recognize most if not all of the guest stars. Oh and this is a Binge drop; all 8 episodes are out today. Bupkis looks like it can be fun, capeesh? Programming Note: Bupkis premieres in Canada on Thursday, May 25 at 9 p.m. on Showcase.

Friday, May 05

Poker Face (Anytime / Prime Video-Canada)

Nope; not the rather popular Peacock mystery TV show…rather the Russell Crowe directed movie from 2022: A tech billionaire hosts a high-stakes poker game between friends, but the evening takes a turn when long-held secrets are revealed, an elaborate revenge plot unfolds, and thieves break in.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SILO: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

In a ruined and toxic future, thousands live in a giant silo deep underground. After its sheriff breaks a cardinal rule and residents die mysteriously, engineer Juliette starts to uncover the shocking secrets and the truth about the silo.
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How about a dystopian mystery based on the Silo series of novels by Hugh Howey? Silo is the story of the last ten thousand people on earth, their massive 144-story underground bunker protects them from an unnamed fatal and toxic environment. Sounds good; one slight problem: you must also live in an information silo as a well. No one knows when or why the silo was built and any who try to find out face fatal consequences. Fun! Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer, who doggedly seeks answers following a loved one’s murder. She tumbles onto a underground mystery that goes far deeper than she could have ever imagined. Like the best sci-fi this…will not end well. Programming Note: debuts today with the first 2 episodes; before switching to a weekly release: 10 episodes in total.

Saturday, May 06

Fired on Mars: Season 1 (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

Saturday Morning Cartoon: After taking a one-way trip to the Red Planet, graphic designer Jeff Cooper finds himself adrift when his bosses unceremoniously eliminate his role.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE CULT OF ELON (ANYTIME / TUBI)

From Tesla to Twitter, Elon Musk has become the most influential businessman ever, but it required the masses to support his seemingly unreachable visions – the cult behind the man.
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In early April we learned Vice News will produce eight documentaries for Tubi and it all starts with The Cult of Elon, about Elon Musk. It’s the story of Musk and Tesla’s success, examining his path to becoming one of the most influential, and controversial, businessman by creating an immensely powerful cult of personality. This isn’t journalism, it’s smarmy reporting: we’ve seen this before with Steve Jobs and other mostly tech related figures. Lately J. K. Rowling narratives prompt the same response lately. Lazy media profits off “controversial” people by reporting on did you hear what they said??! kinda thing. It’s great Tubi is unleashing documentaries; I’m just curious about the quality of em. Programming Note: Following The Cult of Elon; Vigilante, Inc., streams today! This project will investigate the volatile world of online vigilantism. Two Tubi docs for your viewing enlightenment.

Sunday, May 07

M3GAN (Anytime / Prime Video-Canada)

A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

Carl and Yaya, a couple of influencers, are invited to a luxury cruise ship alongside a group of out of touch wealthy people. The situation takes an unexpected turn when a brutal storm hits the ship.
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A dark comedy that mocks the state of the modeling industry, social media influencers and the helplessness of millionaires, despite all their money. Plus Woody Harrelson shows up as a drunk ship captain. Told in 3 parts imagine Gilligan’s Island with sarcastic class warfare. Programming Note: This was added to Hulu (for Americans) on March 3rd.

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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.