#SetTheVCR: February 12-18, 2024

With Oppenheimer’s streaming date; this week’s #SetTheVCR is blowing up. But if you’re seeking a Glow Up instead, for your TV recommendations Resident Alien is back on Valentine’s Day plus sports doing sporting things.

Monday, February 12

The Abyss (Anytime / Hulu)

A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species. The James Cameron movie recently celebrated it’s 35th anniversary. Does it hold up?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WOLF LIKE ME: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

In the second season of Wolf Like Me, Mary (Isla Fisher) and Gary (Josh Gad) leap into the next phase of their relationship, facing their biggest challenge yet: pregnancy. As much as the two try to have a “normal” pregnancy, it seems impossible with so many questions looming over them. Will their child be a human or a wolf?
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“Everyone brings their own set of baggage to a new relationship. Gary (Josh Gad) and Mary (Isla Fisher) are no different. Gary is an emotional wreck and struggles to provide for his daughter since the death of his wife. Mary has a secret she can’t bring herself to share with anyone. The universe brought these two together for a reason, they just need to keep following the signs.” Well…after watching season 1 of Wolf Like Me I concluded it doesn’t work. It attempted whimsy but was ineffective. Eh…watch Amélie instead. It aimed for romantic-comedy and failed on both counts. Watch Notting Hill instead. The tone is all wrong…for a horror TV show. Watch Supernatural instead. So why am I recommending Season 2? Because of the insteads. If Season 2 isn’t working for you, take a pause and wonder what does this remind me of? Sometimes it’s not about the recommendations but the fun the recommendations prompts. When was the last time you saw Amélie? Right. You don’t always have to roll with a Wolf Pack when it comes to watching TV…there’s so many benefits to being a Lone Wolf. Programming Note: This originally streamed on Peacock on October 19, 2023.

Tuesday, February 13

Culprits: Complete Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)

After a heist, the crew have gone their separate ways, but now, they are being targeted by a killer one-by-one. Please note this will be added to Disney+ tomorrow but it is currently on Hulu right now.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CAT PERSON (ANYTIME / HULU)

When Margot, a college sophomore goes on a date with the older Robert, she finds that IRL Robert doesn’t live up to the Robert she has been flirting with over texts. A razor-sharp exploration of the horrors of dating.
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This movie is a sweet romantic comedy, then a quirky romantic comedy, then a thriller then pure horror and that aptly describes cats as well. How do know if an awkward date with an older man suggests he could a murderer? Well, he lies about having cats. This is what’s out there…the awkward date who could be a murderer and a college sophomore who confuses trauma with drama. If you’re married, work on your relationship. If you’re single…don’t go online to Tinder to find a Cat Person.

Wednesday, February 14

(500) Days Of Summer (Anytime / Hulu)

Happy Valentine’s Day with one of my favourite romantic movies: After being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RESIDENT ALIEN: SEASON 3 (10 P.M. / SYFY)

An alien crash lands on Earth and must pass himself off as small-town human doctor Harry Vanderspeigle.
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The joyful 2022 Comic-Con news was this show was renewed: Season 3 will be 8 episodes. This is one of my favourite nerd shows since it’s 2021 debut. The comedy is fantastic and the sci-fi is witty. The show follows Harry, an alien who lands on Earth and passes himself off as a small-town human doctor. Arriving with a secret mission to kill all humans, Harry starts off living a simple life…but things get a bit rocky when he’s roped into solving a local murder and realizes he needs to assimilate into his new human world. And humans…are weirder than aliens. This show is out of this world fun. As season 3 unfolds the military is hunting Harry and The Greys are…doing alien stuff. that doesn’t make much sense know…the sheriff and his long-suffering deputy kill me every time. #Gold Programming Note: This streams the following day on Peacock. And here in Canada it is broadcast on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel.

Thursday, February 15

Vigil Season 2: Limited Series (Anytime / Peacock)

In a brand-new investigation, Amy Silva and Kirsten Longacre look to the skies as they enter the secret world of drone warfare to catch a killer.She travels to joint Al-Shawka Air Base in the fictional Kingdom of Wudyan, a controversial ally in the Persian Gulf, and discovers a wider conspiracy intertwined with current regime’s collaboration with the British government and private enterprise on drone development. This is a binge drop. Programming Note: This has been added to Crave for Canadians on January 12th.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: VINCE STAPLES SHOW: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Kind of famous and sort of rich, rapper and actor Vince Staples navigates the challenges and surprises of everyday life in his hometown of The Beach.
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Series Premiere: So Vince Staples’ Show is just Atlanta on Netflix? Replace Paper Boi with Vince Staples? We got 5 episodes to establish a verdict.

Friday, February 16

NBA All-Star Weekend (Various Times / Various TV channels)

This season the NBA All-Star Weekend runs from Friday, February 16, to Sunday, February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Highlights for tonight include Basketball Hall Of Fame News Conference at 5:30 p.m. on NBA TV and NBA Rising Stars Game on TNT at 9:00 p.m.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE DYNASTY: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

The 10-part documentary event brings together former quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, along with a wide range of contributors, as they give the definitive story of the team’s remarkable reign.
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Shift from the Chiefs’ dynasty to the dynasty they’re chasing. So making a strong tea for this. This is Apple’s real Lessons in Chemistry! I heart so much this docuseries is called The Dynasty. One Championship Is Not Good Enough. Don’t Be Soft. You transform a city when an NBA or an NFL team architects a dynasty. It’s imperative to build. It’s crucial to dominate. Patriots are a storied franchise; unfortunately their past is brighter than their future. Still for a time they were the template. This docuseries is an adaptation of Jeff Benedict’s Patriots biography, The Dynasty, a fantastic business breakdown on success: the actual financial cost as much as the emotional cost(s). I highly recommend you read the book for more in-depth knowledge. And also I’ve watch Tom Brady’s Man in the Arena 3 times now…it’s so good. That’s the standard for this new Patriots docuseries. Programming Note: For more on The Dynasty, the docuseries’ director Matthew Hamachek was a My Summer Lair guest.

Saturday, February 17

NBA All-Star Weekend (Various Times / Various TV channels)

This season the NBA All-Star Weekend runs from Friday, February 16, to Sunday, February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Highlights for tonight include All-Star Saturday Night at 8 p.m. on TNT: the skills challenge, 3-point contest and the slam dunk contest.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OPPENHEIMER (ANYTIME / PEACOCK & PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

With America locked in a devastating war, physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer becomes the central figure in a pulse-pounding race against the Nazis to develop the first atomic bomb.
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Oppenheimer is the story of how we got here. How the fear of nuclear bombs and attacks has generate a wealth of Marvel comics and books and TV shows and now…an Oppenheimer biopic. The primary history is Julius Robert Oppenheimer was the Director of the Los Alamos Laboratory from1943 to 1945. Which is not far from Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the 40s this was their Area 51. The work of the Los Alamos Laboratory culminated in several atomic devices, one of which was used in the first nuclear test near Alamogordo, New Mexico, codenamed “Trinity,” on July 16, 1945. The other two were bombs “Little Boy” and “Fat Man,” which were used in the attacks to end World War II. Nolan’s latest epic arrives on streaming.

Sunday, February 18

House of Ninjas: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Series Premiere: Set in today’s Japan, this series tells the story of the Tawara family, the last ninja clan that abandoned its roots after a particular mission. You had me at ninja…
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: 73RD NBA ALL-STAR GAME (8:30 P.M. / TNT)

It’s the centerpiece of All-Star Weekend and one of the highlights of the NBA calendar.
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I detest the NBA All-Star Game’s recent format with popular players as captains creating their teams via a draft. It’s dumb. The last East vs West game was played in 2017: West 192, East 182. As a recap of 2023 Team Giannis-184 beat Team LeBron-175 in Salt Lake City, Utah. See? Dumb. Not as cool as East vs West. Which happily returns in tonight’s game. (I’d still be up for an Internationals vs Americans if the format “needs” to be changed; at least that would be more engaging.) Still despite the awful changes; this remains an NBA tradition and so here we are in Indianapolis. Let’s Get It On!