This fall TV season is unfolding during a contested political cycle but never no worries we got laughs and we got stories for you…you will not be stuck watching the debates. I am Sammy Younan and I approve this message.
Sunday, September 27
The Circus (8 p.m. / Showtime & Crave)
John Lewis: Good Trouble (9 p.m. / CNN)
Fargo: Season 4 (9 p.m. / FX)
Sammy Suggestion: The Simpsons: Season 32!! (8 p.m. / Fox)
Incredibly Season 32 debuts today which means at this point having any feelings or debate about “worst season ever” is not just manageable or credible. It’s 32 Seasons which is an unwieldy beast. And really criticism is not a legit reason to stop now: chalk it up to people saying Boo-urns. Tonight’s episode is Undercover Burns with voices by David Harbour (he’s got a distinct voice he should do more animation work) as Mr. Burns’ undercover persona Fred and Phil Rosenthal as himself. Also, October 18, 2020, is Treehouse of Horror XXXI. That’s it: welcome back: Everything’s Coming Up Milhouse!
Monday, September 28
Sammy Suggestion: Whose Vote Counts, Explained (Anytime / Netflix)
When it comes to voting is ah…is everybody doing it? Is it supposed to burn? Just in time: everything you always wanted to know about the electoral college and much more. Whose Vote Counts, Explained is useful if you’re not the Koch Brothers. (However! Today is my birthday and on October 1st V for Vendetta surfaces on Netflix and it’s one of my favourite movies. It’s also incredibly political so my birthday wish is you check that out.)
Tuesday, September 29
Sammy Suggestion: Welcome to Sudden Death (“No Time” / Netflix)
Ok! Remember Van Damme’s 1995 action thriller Welcome to Sudden Death? It was his Die Hard…at the Pittsburgh Penguins game. Jean-Claude hadda save his daughter and the Vice-Prez. Solid ruckus; decent body count…one of his better movies. Well, Van Damme’s Welcome to Sudden Death has been remade…that’s right a Van Damme remake. (Easily your best example next time you complain Hollywood has no creativity.) This time it’s Michael Jai White (the Black Dynamite dude) and it is now…a generic basketball team so the hockey connected title doesn’t work any more…ummm. It’s not an NBA team either. So Ghetto. Why does this exist?!
Wednesday, September 30
The Glorias (Anytime / Amazon Prime)
Nova: How Writing Changed The World (9 p.m. / PBS)
Sammy Suggestion: NBA Finals: Game 1 (9 p.m. / ABC)
Typically October is when NBA fans begin to look at the new season; training camp reports…predictions of which teams will be good or which will win it all this year. This current season opened on October 22, 2019: preseason began on September 30, 2019, and ended on October 18, 2019. Yet a year later today is the first day of the NBA Finals (as of this writing I dunno who will be in). The Finals could end as early as October 6 in the event of a sweep or run through October. Which is just weird. The Finals were originally scheduled to begin on June 4 and end on June 24, but of course, due to the pandemic, they’ll now be held in October…without fans. I’m looking forward to concluding this one of a kind season.
Thursday, October 1
Sammy Suggestion: Let’s Be Real (9 p.m. / Fox)
So yes this is an election comedy special from Fox titled however I’m recommending it for two reasons: 1) It’s from Robert Smigel who as a puppet master you can’t poop on that and B) similar to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog this election comedy special will feature puppets! I mean politics is all about who pulls the strings right? So meta. Let’s give this a shot and see where this goes. From his Hulu Election special 4 years ago here is a clip…a taste of what to expect.
Friday, October 2
Monsterland: Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu)
Kingdom of Silence (9 p.m. / Showcase & Crave)
Vampires vs. The Bronx (Anytime / Netflix)
Sammy Suggestion: Song Exploder: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)
I miss R.E.M.! And yes I know Michael Stipe has slowly been releasing solo songs but it’s just not the same. According to the Netflix media release: “Song Exploder, based on the hit podcast, spotlights some of the world’s greatest musicians as they reveal how they brought one of their songs to life. Featured artists include Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda, R.E.M. and Ty Dolla $ign.” While I can do without Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ty Dolla $ign it will be dope to sit down with Alicia Keys and R.E.M. Great to have the boys back…smart marketing too since it’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
Saturday, October 3
Sammy Suggestion: Downhill (8 p.m. / HBO)
It’s Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus! Though granted this is a comedy remake of the international movie Force Majeure still it’s fun to spend time with Will Ferrell. What a weird career: out of all the SNL cast members who became movie actors did you expect this? Or did you think he’d just go “downhill” like so many others? (In Canada this premiered on Crave on October 2nd.)
