#SetTheVCR: August 03-09, 2026

Monday, August 03

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (Anytime / Crave)

Springsteen Deliver Me from Nowhere chronicles a pivotal moment in Bruce Springsteen’s life as a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LIONESS: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

In Season Three hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals collide. Joe walks the line between duty and home as unseen forces circle her world. Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish, and paths rearrange. Guided by Kaitlyn and Westfield, Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life.
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The high-stakes thriller—Miami Vice but with global terrorism instead of drugs—returns and finds the Lioness program under heavier pressure. While Zoe Saldaña’s Joe McNamara anchors the fight on the ground, institutional powerhouses Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman navigate the backroom political crossfire in Washington. With unseen foreign operatives infiltrating the homeland and trust cracking within her own squad, Joe is forced to walk an impossibly thin red line between her duty and her family. This season…will she roll with honour and make the honour roll?

Tuesday, August 04

Holy Days (Anytime / Crave)

A lost boy in search of heaven, three odd nuns on a mission, a car powered by God (and stolen money). This is a road trip like no other. A comedic near-tragedy that just keeps going South.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MORTAL KOMBAT II (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

Johnny Cage joins other fighters in the ultimate, no-holds-barred battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn, a powerful tyrant who threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.
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I’ve yet to step into the arena for any of these recent Mortal Kombat reboots. Maybe for streaming I’ll let my Sub-Zero response thaw and start Raiden these movies. Eh…I doubt any of em will be…a flawless victory.

Wednesday, August 05

Ted Lasso: Season 4 (Anytime / Apple TV)

In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE SHARDS: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.
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Ryan Murphy is a pretentious fop who sucks at making compelling TV, but Shards? I’ll check out. Even though this mostly looks like Elite with with stoned white people. “Seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.” Blah, blah blah: that’s all Shards of a classic TV cliche. Ah…Kaia Gerber was the hot lass from Saturday Night, the SNL movie. She ain’t no Ester Expósito but that’ll do. And we got Trawler, a serial killer stalking teenagers across the Valley. That helps. This is Bret Easton Ellis so gay or straight you’re gonna get some freaky fun. As long as the cocaine isn’t designer, the rich-kid paranoia is authentic and the 80s details are accurate…these Shards could be enough to make something whole. Programming Note: Shards launches with a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly episode drops every Wednesday.

Thursday, August 06

My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 3 (Anytime / Netflix)

The path of true love never runs smooth, especially in Silver Falls. The last time we saw the Walters, Jackie and Cole finally confessed their love for each other, only for Jackie’s boyfriend – and Cole’s brother – Alex to overhear. But their conversation was interrupted when Walter patriarch George was rushed to the hospital. Season 3 sees the Walters realize what’s important in the fallout from this – and discover that it’s okay to go after what you want.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: STERLING POINT: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

The series is led by 17-year-old Annie Jacobson. Raised in New York City with her twin brother and loving adoptive father, Annie’s life takes a turn when she inherits her mysterious grandfather’s island in Canada. There, she finds new friends, budding romances and untold family secrets.
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For folks like myself who have zero interest in hockey TV shows like Heated Rivalry and Shoresy… here is Sterling Point. It’s Prime Video’s latest offering of a moody YA drama, trading in the played out ice rink for a Canadian lake house. “Annie’s life takes a turn when she inherits her mysterious grandfather’s island in Canada. There, she finds new friends, budding romances, and untold family secrets.” Whatever Annie. Let’s see if her drama is at all charma.

Friday, August 07

Anna Pigeon: Season 1 (10 p.m. / USA Network)

The series follows Anna Pigeon (Tracy Spiridakos), a former city slicker who became a park ranger after a devastating loss changed the trajectory of her life forever. While Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way. Programming Note: This’ll stream on Crave on August 8.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE LAST HOUSE (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

A family of four are suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out. They must work together to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat that is keeping them trapped.
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The Last House is Passengers meets I Am Legend: Take the high-concept, isolated sci-fi setting of Passengers with the lonely, claustrophobic survival elements of I Am Legend (just without the vampires.) The sci-fi thriller follows a tightly knit family whose charming suburban life is completely shattered when they become trapped in their home. And it’s not just…them. Is it everyone? As paranoia and frustration rots the house, the family must figure out if the real threat is out there or keeping them in there. What would you do if you were…The Last House?

Saturday, August 08

Alley Cats: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Alley Cats is an adult comedy animation series from the razor-sharp mind of Ricky Gervais. It follows a gang of foul-mouthed feral cats who cause havoc while musing on the meaning of life and fighting for survival in a brutal human world.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: FUTURAMA: SEASON 14 (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+)

Brace yourselves… The future is about to get a whole lot stranger! It’s a non-stop onslaught of swaggering space pirates, lab-grown meats, sexy scams… plus the shocking return of Dr. Zoidberg’s lost love! You didn’t see that coming, prior to being told about it just now!
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Futurama doesn’t get as much love (or memes) as The Simpsons, Family Guy etc. But they offer a lot of quality gold. It’s a If You Know You Know show. So I won’t write a lot here. Rather I’ll recommend: Voice-A-Versa a memoir by Billy West: he voices Philip J. Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, and Professor Farnsworth (and more) on Futurama. Out now from Abrams Press. A little bit of #NewBookSmell with your #SetTheVCR. I’m making magic happen, yo!

Sunday, August 09

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live) (Anytime / Paramount+)

The concert film is directed by multi-Academy Award(R) winners James Cameron and Billie Eilish and was released earlier this year on May 8 to critical acclaim, with Variety hailing the event as, “a concert film that doesn’t look and feel like other concert films. It’s a true experience, because of a combination of the show itself and the way that Cameron has filmed it.” RogerEbert.com also praised the film as “One of the best concert films of recent vintage” and Empire Magazine coined it “a concert movie made for everyone.”
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: FAMILY TIES SINGLE-SERIES CHANNEL (ANYTIME / PLUTO TV CANADA)

Family Ties is an American television sitcom that follows Steven and Elyse Keaton, former 1960s hippies, and their children: Alex, Mallory, and Jennifer. The show explores generational and political clashes as the liberal parents raise a conservative, ambitious son. It was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1982 – May 14, 1989 (7 seasons, 176 episodes).
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On October 14, 2025, Flatiron Books published Future Boy by Michael J. Fox. “A poignant, heartfelt, and funny memoir about how, in 1985, Michael J. Fox brought to life two iconic roles simultaneously—Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and Marty McFly in Back to the Future. An amazing true story as only Michael J. Fox can tell it.” There’s something so…80s about Michael J. Fox’s Future Boy. Shooting 9 episode of Family Ties during the day, then shooting Back to the Future at night. Replacing Eric Stoltz a full month into production. That Hollywood gumption seems gone, now. There’s an episode where Alex P. Keaton had to explain what a B & B is…that it’s a Bed & Breakfast. It was a 1987 episode…did late ‘80s audiences not know what a B & B was?! There’s an episode where Tom Hanks is drunk and belligerent. There’s many valid reasons to check out Pluto TV’s dedicated Family Ties channel.

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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.