#SetTheVCR: December 29, 2025 – January 04, 2026

Monday, December 29

Shoresy: Season 5 (Anytime / Crave)

In season 4, Shoresy explored life after hockey, and the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs contended with the distractions of summer in Sudbury. In season 5, Shoresy and the Sudbury Bulldogs battling to preserve North American hockey’s gritty, physical style against a tide of European finesse, as the team unites former rivals 2 episodes streamed on Thursday, December 25, 2025 on Crave in Canada; new episodes are out on Thursdays.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: AIR (ANYTIME / CRAVE & PRIME VIDEO)

Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.
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You know how Moneyball wasn’t about baseball even though it was about baseball? Air is about Jordan signing with Nike but it’s also not about Jordan signing with Nike. “Forget about the shoes. Forget about the money; you’re gonna make enough money. It’s not going to matter. Money can buy you almost anything. It can’t buy you immortality that you have to earn. I’m gonna look you in the eyes and I’m going to tell you the future. You were cut from your high school basketball team. You willed your way to the NBA. You’re gonna win championships. It’s an American story and that’s why Americans are going to love it. People are going to build you up. God, are they going to. Because when you’re great and new we love you. And we’ll build you into something that doesn’t even exist. You’re going to change the fucking world. But you know what? Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can they’re going to tear you back down. It’s the most predictable pattern, we build you into something that doesn’t exist and that means you have to try to be that thing. All day. Every day. That’s how it works. And we do it again and again and again. I’ll tell you the truth. You’re going to be attacked, betrayed exposed and humiliated. And you survive that. A lot of people can climb that mountain. It’s the way down that breaks men. Who are you, Michael? That will be the defining question of your life. And I think you already know the answer, And that’s why we’re all here. A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it. Then it has meaning. The rest of us just want a chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes.” Much needed inspiration to close out 2025 and spark a bold 2026.

Tuesday, December 30

SYFY‘s Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon (Anytime / SYFY)

SYFY’s annual New Year’s marathon of The Twilight Zone episodes kicks off today in the morning (5 a.m. on the 31st technically) and the twisty extravaganza stretches over four calendar days ending on Thursday January 2nd. Nothing like a Nightmare at 20,000 Feet to welcome a fresh year. (That episode is on January 1 at 6:15 p.m.) So put down your To Serve Man cookbook (Jan 1: 5:25 p.m.) and invite the Monsters on Maple Street over (Jan 1 5:50 p.m.): this is a fantastic holiday tradition. I wrote anytime because you just watch anytime you want…but Time Enough At Last is on at 7:55 pm December 31st! The full schedule is the link above.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RICKY GERVAIS: MORTALITY (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Ricky Gervais takes on his own mortality in a brutally honest and darkly funny stand-up special about his life, death and the state of the world.
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Netflix finishes 2025 strongly…guns empty: first Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable then Ricky Gervais as a follow up. Thankfully, we don’t live in dark times. Still, there’s enough Stupid out there that should be mocked. And Dave and Ricky are two fantastic comics adept at mocking The Stupid. Laugh your way into 2026. And make a resolution to laugh more and mock the devil and when you can The Stupid.

Wednesday, December 31

Together (Anytime / Hulu)

With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh. Programming Note: This’ll be on Prime Video-Canada on January 6.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: STRANGER THINGS 5 – SERIES FINALE (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time.
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Smell Ya Later Stranger Things. July 15, 2016 – December 31, 2025: 41 measly episodes. What are the over/under odds Stranger Things sticks the landing? Hope is for first dates and newborns, it ain’t for TV shows 5 seasons in. One. Last. Time.

Thursday, January 01

Run Away: Limited Series (Anytime / Netflix)

A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case – and stumbles upon secrets which could destroy his family for good. Run Away is one of 13 Harlan Coben titles produced for Netflix. Fool Me Once, Safe, The Stranger, Say Close, Innocent etc…they’re often like low-rent Mary Higgins Clark. As if the Netflix algorithm is trying to manufacturer a BBC detective TV series. As always most of em drop on January 1st. This is the 2026 offering.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: I’M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU’RE NOT (8:00 P.M. / CNN)

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not charts Chevy Chase’s rise from breakout Saturday Night Live phenomenon to box-office royalty, thoughtfully examining the complexities and challenges that have shaped his legacy. With biting wit and disarming candor, Zenovich unpacks how the man once crowned America’s comedy golden boy became its favorite cautionary tale. At its heart, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not is the story of a performer with outsized gifts, who could make a nation laugh – but who could not always outrun his own contradictions – and whose films still circulate in the zeitgeist, quoted and rediscovered by new generations.
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“For one thing, you need a lot of self-confidence to be on the top of your field. There are times probably where I appear to be over-confident or arrogant. It’s really in the eye of the beholder.”
~ Chevy Chase

Friday, January 02

The 2026 NHL Winter Classic (8:00 p.m. / TNT)

The NHL Winter Classic 2026 features the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami. I’m an NBA Dude but even I’m aware of how special this. And this year MLB confirmed they’re bringing back the Field of Dreams game and makes that a baseball classic.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE PROSECUTOR (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Inspired by an actual legal case in Hong Kong, The Prosecutor follows the story of a man who falsely pleads guilty to drug trafficking after being framed. Despite the confession, the veteran policeman-turned-prosecutor (Donnie Yen) handling the case is convinced of the man’s innocence and pursues his own investigation, risking both his career and his life to bring the real perpetrator to justice.
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Some dope balls to the wall ruckus to avoid all the Horny Hallmark Holiday movies. When there’s no Christmas miracle to be had…I’m always up for some sweet street justice.

Saturday, January 03

The Bad Guys 2 (Anytime / Prime Video)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RED EYE: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / HULU)

DS Hana Li is plunged into a new conspiracy when a murder at the US Embassy forces her to team up with former colleague Clay Brody, confronting their complicated past as a deadly threat emerges, targeting both the embassy and MI5 Director Madeline Delaney on a government jet, forcing a desperate race against time to uncover the treacherous plot before lives are lost on the ground and in the air
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Ah, I didn’t know there’s a second season of Red Eye. Eh, I guess I can do a second season. I enjoy these intense British thrillers…Vigil, Nightsleeper etc. High stakes, lots of deception, typically 6 episodes: get in, spit your story and get out. Programming Note: This’ll stream in Canada on Friday, January 9 via Paramount+ and it’s also a Binge drop.

Sunday, January 04

Ripple: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Set in New York City, Ripple explores how seemingly small decisions can bring people together in unexpected ways. The series follows four strangers – Walter, Kris, Nate and Aria – who have unknowingly crossed paths many times but never met. As they each face life’s challenges, their actions create a ripple effect that ultimately connects them. Ripple delivers a powerful message of hope: the best things often come after the storm, and no one is truly alone.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DAVE CHAPPELLE: THE UNSTOPPABLE… (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Facing a world gone sideways, comedy icon Dave Chappelle delivers bold truths and potent punchlines in this no-holds-barred special.
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The closer for The Unstoppable is stunning. I saw President Trump’s posthumous pardon of Jack Johnson; Sylvester Stallone was in attendance. I came to it via Stallone. (I know Sly! And Rocky. I didn’t know who Jack Johnson is.) But I didn’t grasp the significance or the context of it. Yo. Dave Chappelle is a deeply intelligent comic. Which is the legit issue I’ve had with most of his unappeasable critics…they’re straight up dumb. Watching Good Will Hunting doesn’t mean you can hang with Einstein. It’s the gross illusion gap of social media…it’s delusional to believe we’re all on the same level. (AI is another they’re straight up dumb. Soon as you see the shorthand “AI Slop” you can instantly stop reading. That’s cheap branding, it’s not intelligence much less insight.) I only watched The Unstoppable once. And I didn’t make a tea. I typically watch Dave Chappelle comedy specials at least 3 times. For now…after 1 viewing I appreciate how The Unstoppable closer mirrors The Bird Revelation’s Iceberg Slim closer. Those are impressively intelligent allegories…that demand tea and time.

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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.