Selective Outrage, a ghost and a Lil Yoda…obviously it’s time for #SetTheVCR!
Monday, February 27
Plan B: Season 1 (9 p.m. / CBC & CBC Gem)
Philip is a man who discovers how to go back in time, giving him the chance to save his relationship with love of his life Evelyn, his law firm and his dysfunctional family. However, he soon realizes that even the smallest choice has repercussions.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE GRIZZLIE TRUTH (ANYTIME / CRAVE)
Filmmaker Kat Jayme investigates a sprawling true sports crime: who’s responsible for robbing us of the Vancouver Grizzlies.
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The Grizzlie Truth is an investigation; it’s documentary detective work to unpack and explore a number of factors that lead to the Grizzlies basketball team moving from Vancouver to Memphis. Having been to both cities I can assure you they are completely different vibes. Vancouver won 101 games, lost 359 games and never qualified for the NBA playoffs. Oof! They subsequently moved to Memphis, Tennessee for the 2001–02 season. So…what happened? It’s never one thing, sports teams don’t always leave for one specific reason. Just as couples don’t always break up over one thing. Kat’s documentary (she’s a diehard Vancouver Grizzlies fan) The Grizzlie Truth about the Grizzlies’ departure underscores that. This is director Kat Jayme’s second Grizzlies documentary; Finding Big Country came out in 2018. And now she’s back on the case. Do the clues add up? Watch and find out.
Tuesday, February 28
A Spy Among Friends: Limited Series (Anytime / Prime Video-Canada)
Dramatizes the true story of Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, two British spies and lifelong friends. Programming Note: This will be on MGM+ in the United States on March 12.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WE HAVE A GHOST (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
His name is Ernest. He comes with the house.
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A family buys an old house in a new city, only to find out that the attic is haunted by an unfashionable ghost. Who then becomes a spectral influencer. I know. This is more E.T. than The Haunting of Hill House. I mean a secret ghost-centric division of the CIA shows up. I know. Still it’s Anthony Mackie and it’s David Harbour so here ya go. If it’s truly terrible you can Boo! it.
Wednesday, March 01
Wreck: Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu)
Set aboard The Sacramentum cruise ship, Wreck follows 19-year-old new recruit Jamie as he attempts to infiltrate a crew of 1000 people to find his missing sister who vanished on the previous tour aboard the same vessel.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE MANDALORIAN: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)
The journeys of the Mandalorian (and Yoda Jr.!) through the Star Wars galaxy continue.
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Yoda Jr. and his helmeted sidekick return. Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa and co-star Carl Weathers direct new episodes and guest stars scheduled to appear in this Star Wars season include Tim Meadows and oh…interesting: Christopher Lloyd. Great Scott!
Thursday, March 02
Sex/Life: Season 2 (Anytime / Netflix)
Billie navigates new challenges – and fresh desires – as she lusts after the life she wants. But will she be able to have it all?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MARLON WAYANS: GOD LOVES ME (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)
Filmed at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Marlon Wayans delivers a hilarious hour-long performance.
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Celebrity comedy: “divulging his teenage crush on Jada Pinkett Smith, getting humbled by Chris Rock in an early stand-up set, and examining the impact of Will Smith’s long career.” Wonder if he’ll also talk about White Chicks.
Friday, March 03
Daisy Jones & The Six: Limited Series (Anytime / Prime Video)
Based on the best-selling novel and Reese’s Book Club Pick by Taylor Jenkins; this is the never-before-told story of the rise and dramatic fall of the renowned 1970s rock band. The original music will be released by Atlantic Records during the rollout of the series, which premieres March 3, with new episodes released every Friday through March 24.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (ANYTIME / HULU)
Carl and Yaya, a couple of influencers, are invited to a luxury cruise ship alongside a group of out of touch wealthy people. The situation takes an unexpected turn when a brutal storm hits the ship.
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A dark comedy that mocks the state of the modeling industry, social media influencers and the helplessness of millionaires, despite all their money. Plus Woody Harrelson shows up as a drunk ship captain. Told in 3 parts imagine Gilligan’s Island with sarcastic class warfare.
Saturday, March 04
Barbarian (Anytime / Crave)
When you hit some speed bumps on the road of life, sometimes all you need is a change of scenery.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CHRIS ROCK: SELECTIVE OUTRAGE (10 P.M. / NETFLIX)
Chris Rock will take the stage in Baltimore, Maryland for the first-ever Netflix live streamed global event.
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You’ll notice there is a specific time for this Chris Rock special even though it’s on Netflix. This is a global live streaming event. Let that sink in. In the past we’ve had comedians go live on HBO which mostly at time was North American based. This is unfiltered comedy broadcast live…everywhere there is Netflix. That’s surreal. That’s a global event. In February 1983 M*A*S*H’s finale drew an estimated 106 million viewers in the U.S. This is like that only bigger. Treasure Chris Rock. It’s astounding to have lived through Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Rock…Jerry Seinfeld: so much. These are some of the best comics to ever do it. Nobody coming up is gonna be this good and go this hard for this long. Nobody.
Sunday, March 05
SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B (9:30 p.m. / Bravo)
This six-part limited series puts fans in a VIP front-row seat and offers backstage access to ’90s nostalgia as SWV and XSCAPE pull back the curtain on their personal and professional lives and prepare to hit the stage together.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: POKER FACE: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / CRAVE)
Follow Charlie on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional racist dog).
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Rian Johnson’s TV debut (well like real TV not a Netflix movie) is a 10 episode case-of-the-week mystery series with Charlie Cale. It debuted on Peacock on January 26, a streamer we do not have in Canada. However if you go to the TV section of Crave; click on City TV…scroll down to P: the show is there. Enjoy! As for the show…Charlie can always tell when someone’s lying — a skill that helps when she encounters one strange criminal after another. The lengthy list of guest stars/criminals includes Adrien Brody, Ron Pearlman, Judith Light, Lil Rel Howery and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, among others. The hook here is viewers witness who did the crime and how they did it early on in the episode. Charlie Cale’s focus is cracking the case and that’s what we follow. To quote the media release: “She hits the road with her `69 Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.” Intriguing premise; no poker face here you can see my enthusiasm on my face. Programming Note: It has been renewed for a second season.
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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.
