#SetTheVCR: December 09-15, 2024

Monday, December 09

The Simpsons Funday Football (8 p.m. / Disney+ & ESPN+)

Ever wanted to see characters from The Simpsons inserted into an animated version of a live Monday Night Football game? A Real-Time Animated Monday Night Football Game Featuring the Bengals (Bart) and Cowboys (Homer) in the Iconic Simpsons Cartoon World.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: ECHOES OF THE PAST: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

After losing his sister Nadia in a diving accident, Yehia is wrongfully imprisoned for her murder. 15 years later, he returns to uncover the truth and seek revenge.
~~~

Limited Series Premiere: Egyptian John Wick! It’s got action, it’s got revenge, it’s got Asser Yassin who many people know from Suits and it’s got fun. Shall we as-salamu alaykum the latest Middle East Netflix TV series? Yallah.

Tuesday, December 10

Speak No Evil (Anytime / Peacock)

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare. As the weekend progresses, they realize that a strange side lies within the family who invited them: the untrammeled hospitality of the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner masks an unspeakable darkness.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: JAMIE FOXX: WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS… (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Beloved comedy icon Jamie Foxx returns to the stage to set the record straight in a comedy event that celebrates resilience, humor and the power of community; if he can stay funny, he can stay alive.
~~~

“What had happened was… [laughs] That’s how you know it was bad, when you, “Well, what had happened was…” Alright, uh, shit. Alright. Real talk.” Marlon Wayans from his stand up special: You Know What It Is. Jamie Foxx has hey, wha’ happened jokes: You Know What It Is. Always fun to have Foxx behind the mic and live In Living Color. I’d wager an MGM Bet this’ll be funny.

Wednesday, December 11

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Part 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

In the timeless town of Macondo, seven generations of the Buendía family navigate love, oblivion and the inescapability of their past – and their fate. The series, consisting of two parts of eight episodes each, will debut its first installment on December 11, 2024.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: HOLLYWOOD SUITE: FREE PREVIEW (ANYTIME / HOLLYWOOD SUITE CHANNELS)

Tis the season to be jolly with Hollywood Suite’s nationwide free preview, December 1st all the way to January 5th!
~~~

Now, this is a holiday tradition I can get into. It’s the annual Hollywood Suite Free Preview for Canadians. This year it runs from December 1st to January 5, 2025. Hollywood Suite is a collection of movie channels: one channel is dedicated to the 70s, another to the 80s, 90s, and finally 2000s. All uncut and no edits: swears and sex and satire. Bonus: the movies are also On Demand so basically, it’s like having another Netflix…for free! Some of this year’s fantastic features include Stand By Me, Dope, Taxi Driver, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, As Good As It Gets, Fright Night (the good one from 1985!), The Wiz, Look Who’s Talking, Wings of Desire, Happy Birthday To Me, The Movie Man, The Muppets Take Manhattan…there’s lots more. Notably the first season of the Charlie Cox’s Kin will have its Canadian broadcast premiere; all eight episodes are available on demand starting December 1. Kin tells the story of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war and speaks to the enduring unbreakable bonds of blood. The second season of the series will be released on Hollywood Suite in January 2025. It’s free. I mentioned it’s free yeah? It’s truly a Christmas miracle every year. So now what will you watch first: something classic or something that will become a classic or something that is classically so bad it’s good?

Thursday, December 12

Maria (Anytime / Netflix-US)

Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas: Maria reimagines the legendary diva in her final days in 1970s Paris, as she reckons with her identity and confronts her life. “Dreaming of Maria Callas, whoever she is…” Programming Note: This is only available on Netflix-US. Canadians can see it on Mubi Canada.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: NO GOOD DEED: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

When Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano) decide to move on from their empty nest to forge a new life, they list their gorgeous 1920s Spanish-style villa located in one the most desirable neighborhoods in Los Angeles – and the real estate frenzy begins.
~~~

Series Premiere: Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano play spouses Lydia and Paul; strong start. The TV Guide says: “the dark comedy follows a hodgepodge of families interested in buying Lydia and Paul’s house, a 1920s Spanish-style villa located in one the most desirable neighborhoods in Los Angeles.” Of course, this dream home might also be…a nightmare. We got eight half-hour episodes. More TV Guide: “As they struggle to hide the dark and dangerous secrets that linger inside their longtime home, Paul and Lydia begin to realize that the only way they’ll escape the past is to finally face it.” Not sure what that means. I’ll do a Good Deed for Netflix and watch this, though. 

Friday, December 13

30 for 30: The New York Sack Exchange (8:00 p.m. / ESPN)

Narrated by lifelong Jets fan Method Man, this latest 30 for 30 documentary, directed by Ken Rodgers and James Weiner, takes a nostalgic look back at the sensational defensive line of the 1980s New York Jets. This group of larger-than-life personalities not only terrorized quarterbacks but also captivated an entire city with their flamboyant style and relentless drive. Programming Note: This is also streaming on ESPN+.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: CARRY ON (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Every holiday season millions travel safely by air. This Christmas will be different. A mysterious traveler blackmails a young TSA agent into letting a dangerous package slip through security and onto a Christmas Day flight.
~~~

So Carry On is what? Just Wes Craven’s Red Eye only set in the airport instead of the airplane this time? (Though it is hard to take Jason Bateman as a terrorist seriously. He was a lousy teen werewolf…and often he’s Smarless.) This is totally acceptable as a streamer movie. It keeps all the Hallmark Holiday Hell movies at bay.

Saturday, December 14

Secret Level: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

Saturday Morning Cartoons & Series Premiere: Each episode of Amazon’s new adult animation anthology series is based on a different video game, including new games like Concord and New World: Aeternum, classics such as Pac-Man and Mega Man, plus Ghost of Tsushima, Warhammer 40,000, The Outer Worlds, Spelunky, Armored Core, and more. Voices come from Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Luna, Temuera Morrison, Claudia Doumit, and more. All 15 episodes are streaming this is a binge release. Game On!
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

Elton John: Never Too Late follows Elton John as he looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, intimate and uplifting full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time to recount the extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows of his early years and how he overcame adversity, abuse and addiction to become the icon he is today.
~~~

Elton John gets a Last Dance. Back in high school English, the cheat was to watch a movie adapted from an assigned book…especially the Shakespeare junk. So, if you didn’t read Me Elton John’s official autobiography from 2019 this documentary is the movie version to avoid reading the book. All the stunning visuals of a flamboyant life that only Elton John could live. It’s Elton John. That’s it. What else can be said? Cue Almost Famous…

Sunday, December 15

Bookie: Season 2 (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

The this darkly funny comedy follows veteran Los Angeles bookie Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) as the potential legalization of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good. Full of relatable mishaps, Bookie chronicles one man’s journey to adapt to an ever-changing world as he attempts to charm and con his way to the top.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: CALL ME TED (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

An inside look at media titan Ted Turner, the series debuts in time for Turner’s 86th birthday.
~~~

On October 6, 1987, Ted Turner announced the launch of Turner Network Television (TNT)—his fifth basic cable network venture, following SuperStation TBS, CNN, Headline News (now HLN) and the short-lived Cable Music Channel. Heading into this NBA season there was so much consternation over the fate of Inside The NBA. Thing is, we don’t get Inside The NBA with Ted Turner’s penchant for establishing cable TV channels. Inside the NBA debuted after TNT acquired the rights to broadcast NBA games during the 1989–90 season. Plus Ted broadcast NBA games for us, especially in Canada as the Raptors were starting out and oh how they sucked. I’m grateful for TBS and TNT; even though I watched very little else on those channels. The early days of CNN are fascinating as well. How do you create a 24 hour news channel before blogs and podcasts; we take 24 hours news for granted, now. While this 6-part docuseries is an exploration of Ted Turner’s personal and professional lives; it’s also a reflection on the magic of cable. We’re a streaming society now but this is how the TV industry operated. Yes, dude gets a (well-earned) Last Dance but so does old school TV. Oh, we’ve seen so much and done so much and lived through so much.

–28-

Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.