#SetTheVCR: February 23 – March 01, 2026

Monday, February 23

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins: Season 1 (8:30 p.m. / NBC)

Twenty years after a career-ending scandal, former running back Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan) enlists filmmaker Arthur Tobin to make a documentary he hopes will rehabilitate his image. This is the second episode of the first season. The series premiere; and the show will stream the next day on Peacock.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: PARADISE: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

Xavier searches for Teri out in the world and learns how people survived the three years since The Day. Back in Paradise, the social fabric frays as the bunker deals with the aftermath of Season 1, and new secrets are uncovered about the city’s origins.
~~~

The humorous Season 1 reveal was this was a Gangsta’s Paradise all along. Watching this Hulu show in 2025 I finally understood…ah so this what Coolio was rapping about in 1995. “Power and the money, money and the power / Minute after minute, hour after hour / Everybody’s runnin’, but half of them ain’t lookin’ / What’s goin’ on in the kitchen, but I don’t know what’s cookin’ / They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s here to teach me.” Coolio, son. All the Gangsta’s in this Paradise have returned for Season 2. If you haven’t watched Season 1, get on it. Fantastic first season. Gilligan’s Island meets Truman Show. There’s science-fiction and there’s murder. Where Paradise fails to live up to its name: the show is awash in flashbacks. Flashbacks are terrible writing…they interrupt the momentum and suffocate the urgency of the present. I hope those are greatly reduced for Season 2. Programming Note: Season 2 premieres on Monday, February 23rd with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly until Monday, March 30, 2026.

Tuesday, February 24

Katt Williams: The Last Report (Anytime / Netflix)

Katt Williams is returning to Netflix with his fourth stand-up comedy special. Katt Williams delivers his famously bold takes on conspiracies, celebrities and the world at large in this electrifying stand-up special.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: TAYLOR TOMLINSON: PRODIGAL DAUGHTER (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In her fourth comedy special, Prodigal Daughter, Taylor Tomlinson returns to her roots with a tight new hour about deconstructing your faith, processing religious trauma, exploring your sexuality, and confronting your fear of death.
~~~

Taylor Tomlinson’s latest. Plus Netflix also has Katt Williams’ latest comedy special. Ya don’t need to be a miner to know there’s gold here.

Wednesday, February 25

Scrubs: Season 1 (8:00 p.m. / ABC)

J.D. and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way. Programming Note: Tonight is a two-episode premiere; Episode 2 is on at 8:30 p.m.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: BLUE MOON (ANYTIME / NETFLIX-US)

On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”
~~~

“Who wants inoffensive art?” Blue Moon is Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater. That’s the entire marketing hook. It doesn’t matter if you live in Oklahoma or anywhere else: that is an irresistible marking hook.

Thursday, February 26

The Family Next Door: Limited Series (Anytime / Acorn)

When the enigmatic Isabelle moves into a small seaside rental in Osprey Point, her obsessive drive to solve a neighborhood mystery casts suspicion on four local families. As she investigates the seemingly perfect cul-de-sac, tensions rise and secrets begin to unravel, with far-reaching consequences for all.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE BLUFF (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

When her tranquil life on a remote island is shattered by the return of her vengeful former captain, a skilled ex-pirate must confront her bloody past and unleash her deadly talents to save her family from a ruthless siege.
~~~

Is this like Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Long Kiss Goodnight?! I honestly can’t tell if this produced by the Russo Brothers movie is any good. I am a big fan of the past catching up to the present. The things we did yesterday have consequences for today which means we all won’t see tomorrow. Okay, this is a give it 10 or 15 minutes to see what’s what. And that’s no Bluff.

Friday, February 27

In the Blink of an Eye (Anytime / Hulu)

Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection and the circle of life.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: MAN ON THE RUN (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Man on the Run takes viewers on an intimate journey through Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of The Beatles and the formation of Wings with his wife, Linda. From Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, the film chronicles the arc of McCartney’s solo career as he faces down a myriad of challenges while creating new music to define a new decade. Through unprecedented access to previously unseen footage and rare archival materials, the documentary captures Paul’s transformative post-Beatles era through a uniquely vulnerable lens.
~~~

“Band on the Run…has an enormous emotional resonance for me because in 1974, it was the song of the summer. And in some ways, that summer was like the last happy summer for me because my father and two of my brothers died in September of 1974. So that song is emblematic of an entire innocent time for me.” This was Stephen Colbert talking to Paul McCartney in 2019 when the kid from Liverpool was a Late Show guest. I share it because so much has been written about the Beatles…written and movies and documentaries and podcasts across all of pop culture for decades. Even subtle references such as the second Knives Out movie, it’s called…Glass Onion and Beatles references salt and pepper the movie. So my point is we hear and consume so much about the Beatles. Which is why Colbert’s heartfelt admission stands out because we almost never hear anything about Paul McCartney and Wings.

Saturday, February 28

American Dad: Season 20 (Anytime / Hulu)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: American Dad! centers on patriotic CIA agent Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and the misadventures of his unconventional family in Langley Falls, Virginia. Stan applies the same drastic measures used in his job at the CIA to his home life, where Stan’s accepting and fun-loving wife, Francine, is less the voice of reason and more up for anything that takes away the boredom. His hippie daughter Hayley, however, doesn’t let him off so easily and knows just how to push her father’s buttons, unlike her dopey, well-intentioned husband Jeff who doesn’t do much of anything. Son Steve is a geeky-over-confident kid who spends his time playing video games, obsessing about the opposite sex, and singing hip hop. The Smith cabinet is rounded out by two rather unconventional members: Roger, an egocentric, sarcastic and routinely inappropriate space alien, and Klaus, an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German Olympic skier.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV)

Season two will pick up with the fate of Monarch – and the world – hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe – all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon. Season two will feature Kong and Godzilla, and introduce a new Titan: the enigmatic Titan X that is now officially on the loose.
~~~

Godzilla celebrated its (his?) 70th anniversary on November 3, 2024, marking seven decades since the original 1954 film. In that time Godzilla has evolved from being a nuclear anxiety metaphor to a one-name only global pop-culture icon. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes place primarily across two main timelines: the 1950s (origins of Monarch) and 2015 (post-Godzilla “G-Day”), bridging the gap between Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla (2014). The second season is expected to unfold between Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). Fast and Furious is wrapping up but I’m still not prepared to take on a whole new complicated movie Universe. I’m more at Numbskull Island.

Sunday, March 01

Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown (CNN)

American Classic tells the story of Broadway star Richard Bean who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns home to the family theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. Once there, his extreme behavior sets off a series of crises among those closest to him: his ex-girlfriend (now the town’s mayor) married to his brother, his brother himself, and his beloved niece who dreams of a life in the theater. As old loves resurface and buried secrets emerge, Richard must confront the consequences of his past actions and the family and town he left behind for fame and glamour. Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art.
~~

SAMMY SUGGESTION: DTF ST. LOUIS: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

A limited series about a love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead.
~~~

The Hollywood Reporter recently profiled Jason Bateman. And from the end of the long profile is this: “Same for DTF St. Louis, a dark comedy/murder mystery where several of the characters, including Bateman’s, explore their sexual kinks. DTF writer-director Steve Conrad insists Bateman didn’t so much as flinch at the series’ provocative nature. In fact, he says, “If anybody was scared, I thought it was going to be me because Jason can do my job and I can’t do his, but there wasn’t a moment where he tried.” That’s a tease. Are you DTF with DTF?

-28-

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