In September we left the Wilderness to check into The Continental. Friday September 15 was an heart racing #CouchWorthy Battle: Fast X playing in traffic vs Shudder’s Elevator Game. And did Wilderness mean The End of Sex? What did you enjoy in September as we wrapped up Summer and settled down to the bussinss of…
September Highlights
The Wheel of Time: Season 2 (Anytime / Prime Video)
Though Rand thought he destroyed the Dark One, evil is not gone from the world. Threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world. The woman who found and guided them is now powerless to help, and so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light…or the Dark.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ENCOUNTERS (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
The landmark four-part series travels the globe to explore four extraordinary true stories of encounters with otherworldly phenomena. The series goes beyond the science to highlight the profoundly human impact of these encounters on lives, families, and communities.
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A four-part docuseries that travels the globe to explore four extraordinary true stories of encounters with otherworldly phenomena. This is compelling because most of our UFO discourse is filtered through a North American lens. How do other people in the world view UFOs? What does their culture tell them about UFOs? Each episode tells a single story: “strange lights in the sky over small-town Texas; submersible space crafts haunting a coastal Welsh village; an alien encounter with school children in Zimbabwe and (woah!) non-human intelligence reportedly interfering with a nuclear power plant in Japan.” Yo…let’s do this. The Truth Is Out There…is that what they would say in Zimbabwe?
September Highlights
Sex Education: Season 4 (Anytime / Netflix)
The fourth and final season of Netflix’s British school comedy that sees Otis and the gang now attending Cavendish Sixth Form College. Who will go to the “head” of the class?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE KILLING KIND: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
Can you trust the man you fear the most?
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As a top-shelf barrister, Ingrid Lewis is used to dealing with tricky clients, but no-one rivals John Webster. She wins his case and then wins his heart. But when she decides to collect her legal briefs and exit the relationship; Webster reminds her she didn’t read the fine print. In an ironic twist she defended him in court against harassment; the exact same thing he was doing to her. That’s all past tense when the first of the 6 episodes opens…only John Webster is now back. Is Ingrid Lewis’ life really in danger? Like from somebody other than John Webster? Who can she trust? Paranoia is always fashionable. Programming Note: This was added to Crave on December 1st.
September Highlights
Still Up: Season 1 (Anytime / Apple TV+)
Isn’t Late Night Talking a Harry Styles song? That’s what this is. (Mercifully without the Harry Styles.) Rather than your standard hour and a half rom-com this is an 8 episode TV season. I’m sure Still Up will keep you up as you watch and hope these two crazy insomniacs find each other. True Love…that’s the dream right? (Why isn’t this series called U Up? anyways?)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WILDERNESS: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
How far would you go to get revenge on the person who ripped out your heart?
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Jenna Coleman’s always fun but just don’t treat her like a “companion” and leave her alone in the Wilderness. She’s half of a happily ever after married couple. Or rather she was…now she’s learned about her husband’s affair. Well nothing repairs a broken marriage like a Grand Canyon road trip! For the husband…it’s a chance to make amends. For Jenna…it’s a chance to make revenge. Your classic accidents happen all the time. Dial R for Revenge.
September Highlights
Sam Jay: Salute Me or Shoot Me (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)
In her first HBO stand-up special, comedian and writer Sam Jay takes the stage at Brooklyn Steel for a hilariously frank discussion on embracing our differences, the stresses of long-term relationships, and the power of empathy.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE CONTINENTAL: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PEACOCK & PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)
The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind.
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John Wick’s Batcave gets an origin story. Wick’s dark and delightful world comes to TV in a 3 night burst of action: Night 1 aired on September 22nd (directed by Albert Hughes who handled Nights 1 & 3), Night 2 aired on September 29 (directed by Charlotte Brandstrom) and Night 3 was October 6. All 3 nights are Winston Scott’s Wonder Years (sans Jets jacket) in 1970s NYC. Mel Gibson joins the Wick World for these outings. Gibson is pitch perfect casting; that’s a smart and good hire; he fits in nicely in John Wick’s ugly world. Together all 3 TV movies serve as a prequel for the John Wick movies. I will for sure be checking into The Continental for a 3 night stay. Programming Note: John Wick: Chapter 4 was added on Crave on September 29; same day as Night 2. That movie has a nunchucks vs AR-15 fight! (Nunchucks are my love language…) So…are we getting a John Wick 5? And…these movies…how were they? Did they flesh out the John Wick world?
September Highlights
Welcome to Wrexham: Season 2 (Anytime / FX on Hulu & Disney+ Canada)
Welcome to Wrexham is a docuseries tracking the dreams and worries of Wrexham, a working-class town in North Wales, UK, as two Hollywood stars take ownership of the town’s historic yet struggling football club. Something tasty to tide you over until the next season of Ted Lasso.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)
What follows is an action-packed face-off between Brynn and a host of extraterrestrial beings who threaten her future while forcing her to deal with her past.
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Is this M Night’s Signs without all the heart? Kaitlyn Dever won’t survive this alien invasion…she’s only Booksmart.
September Highlights
The Morning Show: Season 3 (Anytime / Apple TV+)
The stakes are high as the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom. (Yeah I dunno what any of that means either.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE SWARM (ANYTIME / THE CW)
A deadly pathogen spreads into the drinking water. Across the globe, lives are increasingly imperiled, the situation worsening by the day – and yet, nobody can draw a connection between the seemingly random attacks.
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This eight-part series about an unknown enemy that lives deep below the sea launched in Germany earlier this year (it premiered on ZDF! German TBS?). A group of scientists have identified an intelligent life force, dwelling in the deep—capable of manipulating the ocean. So Namor? When the Ocean fights back…can humans survive? Like most environmental problems…only a handful of people truly understand what is happening yet that knowledge traps them as they struggle to figure out how to effectively solve this unsolvable problem. I rather enjoyed Season 1 of Prime Video’s The Rig…I hope The Swarm’s terror matches that. Programming Note: Speaking of Prime Video…Swarm (no The) is a Prime Video TV series co-created by Donald Glover. It premiered on March 17. THE Swarm is based on Frank Schätzing’s bestselling novel and airs on The CW today. It’s a Swarm of stupidity and laziness with these TV show names. We’re still in the golden era of TV?! The Swarm premiered on ZDF between 22 February and 8 March 2023.
September Highlights
The Super Models: Docuseries (Anytime / Apple TV+)
The super duper four-part series spotlights the remarkable careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. That’s hot.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE CHANGELING: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)
The Changeling is a fairytale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed.
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Set in an alternate New York City, a father and husband searches through a magical world for his abducted son and missing wife. Expect dream sequences and wonky chronology. It’s LaKeith Stanfield, right? He has a brand.
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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.
