#SetTheVCR: January 05-11, 2026

Monday, January 05

Brilliant Minds: Season 2 – Midseason Premiere (10 p.m. / NBC)

Dr. Oliver Wolf is an eccentric but incredibly gifted neurologist who suffers from a rare condition that gives him a unique perspective on care, fueling his mission to change the way the world sees his patients. After his unusual methods result in his dismissal, he takes his unconventional approach to a new hospital: Bronx General, where he leads a team of bright young interns in tackling some of the world’s most puzzling psychological cases. With their help, he must also challenge his own personal and social limitations by navigating all the expectations, politics, and complicated relationships that come with the job. Programming Note: Brilliant Minds is broadcast Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC, however it also streams the following day on Peacock.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: REGRETTING YOU (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

When a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal, Morgan Grant and her daughter, Clara, explore what’s left behind as they confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other.
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Nothing special and nothing remarkable about Regretting You. We already know a killer soundtrack is the key to a teen movie’s success. Though this flick offers more drama than a typical teen movie. Sadly, angst is boring. These generic movies are becoming a Big Ask…what’s the incentive to see this in a cinema instead of waiting for streaming? Is Dave Franco enough to put on pants and see it? It helps. Dave is cool. But I suspect if you saw this at the movies you’ll be Regretting You. Is the soundtrack any good? Eh. Stream it now and doze on the couch.

Tuesday, January 06

Will Trent: Season 4 – Season Premiere (8 p.m. / ABC)

Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling books, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique point of view in the pursuit of justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI. Season 3 featured a domestic terrorism attack, Amanda Wagner is the GBI chief got shot and lots more. What can we expect in Season 4?! Programming Note: Will Trent is broadcast Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC, however it also streams the following day on Hulu and on Crave.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CFNY: THE SPIRIT OF RADIO (9 P.M. / TVO)

CFNY broadcast the sound of a global counterculture, shaping taste, breaking artists, and inspiring generations of musicians who would go on to define the music themselves. This documentary plays like a love letter to the station that plugged Canada directly into the bloodstream of rock and roll. From a modest Brampton house to outsized cultural influence, this is the story of a signal that mattered.
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I miss Edge 102.Shortly after humanity survived Y2K…I started dropping by Edge 102.1 every day during lunch, since my office wasn’t too far. The Yonge Street street level studio was embedded in the Eaton Centre, sandwiched between Dundas and Queen. Though this was the second incarnation of CFNY, after they moved to downtown Toronto. So, yes…I have a great deal of affinity for the staff, the radio DJs and more. It was a dope era…Toronto was cool! Downtown offered a bold vibrancy and a distinct third world energy. Sadly, I’m speaking in past tense. We’ve lost so much in Toronto. To live here is to often mourn. We’ve had institutional docs on MuchMusic, Honest Ed’s and Ontario Place. (This CFNY documentary pairs well with Your Tomorrow, an Ontario Place documentary also part of TVO’s doc library. Do a tragic yet charming double bill.) And as Canadians we’ve had personal docs on those we’ve lost along the way from Prime’s Mr. Dressup doc to Prime’s John Candy doc to Sue Johanson; her filthy fun documentary is called Sex With Sue. This is the time: we’re toasting Canada and this country’s talents. And CFNY is one of the coolest contributions. This musical documentary chronicles the influential Toronto station (now 102.1 The Edge) during its groundbreaking punk, new wave, and alternative “spirit of radio” era (roughly 1977-1992). Talking heads include Geddy Lee (Rush), Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies), Emily Haines (Metric), Ben Kowalewicz (Billy Talent), Peter Hook (New Order/Joy Division), Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Andy McCluskey (OMD), Deryck Whibley (Sum 41) and more. See that list? That’s CFNY. That’s what that music means to us. The spirit’s in the house. Long Live Radio.

Wednesday, January 07

The Rookie: Season 8 – Season Premiere (Anytime / Hulu & Crave)

Season 8 kicks off with an international sting in Prague involving the LAPD, FBI, and Interpol to catch terrorists, featuring the return of Monica Stevens. Starting over isn’t easy, especially for John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of joining the LAPD. As their oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from those who see him as just a walking midlife crisis. Programming Note: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is also streaming on Shudder. Programming Note: The Rookie is broadcast Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC, however it also streams the following day on Hulu and on Crave.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: NEBRASKA LIVE (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

On a stark black-and-white soundstage, Bruce Springsteen delivers a powerful solo performance of his 1982 album Nebraska. The intimate setting and raw cinematography perfectly capture the album’s haunting tales of struggle.
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“Well now, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact / But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.” Rebirth isn’t as trendy as death: You can be cynical because often loud fools overlook it’s all cyclical. Bruce writes well about death, dying and rebirth. Especially his Nebraska album…I mean check out Atlantic City! I always felt Atlantic City was about Bruce…any creative individual really. When your talent dies, fame is fleeting and oh…didn’t you use to be Somebody? You can’t be unfamous. Even if the talent and the opportunities are not always there. And related to all that is comebacks are inevitable. Atlantic City is a heartbreaker…don’t just drop that one casually. Or else you’ll slip on my tears.

Thursday, January 08

The Pitt: Season 2 (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK: LIVE ON BROADWAY ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

George Clooney makes his Broadway debut as Edward R. Murrow, showcasing his legendary, history-altering, on-air showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy. As McCarthyism casts a shadow over America, Murrow and his news team choose to confront the growing tide of paranoia and propaganda, even if it means turning the federal government and a worried nation against them.
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We tend to overinflate the stakes these days…the sky is always falling. We cry wolf a lot. Edward R. Murrow remains a journalism who was sound as a pound. As McCarthyism casts a shadow over America, Murrow and his news team choose to confront the growing tide of paranoia and propaganda, even if it means turning the federal government and a worried nation against them. Good Night, and Good Luck closed its theatrical run with a matinee performance on Sunday, June 8 in New York City. But before that happened the play was broadcast live on CNN on Saturday, June 7. For those who missed it on CNN, that live broadcast is presented on Netflix. It’s Broadway…so I did not like it or even enjoy it. So, Good Night and Good Luck if you do want to watch this.

Friday, January 09

His & Hers: Limited Series (Anytime / Netflix)

Two estranged spouses – one a cop, the other a news reporter – compete to solve a murder case in which each believes the other is a prime suspect.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CHAIN REACTIONS (ANYTIME / SHUDDER & AMC+)

Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, Chain Reactions charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence.
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This isn’t just a Texas Chain Saw Massacre documentary…it’s a cut above the rest. From Stephen King to Patton Oswalt — 5 creative souls reveal how one 1974 nightmare factory created terrifying ripple effects on their art, fear and storytelling. The creepy mutant family member in the creepy house, the losers trapped…soon as the greasy overalls come out I get so bored. I don’t even like Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I’m fine with Texas Chain Saw’s place in horror history. It should be up there with Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday The 13th etc. Alexandre O. Philippe directed this Texas Chain Saw documentary and I trust him. So, I wanna check out the doc, see if that sells me on the movie. Maybe I can finally enjoy…the Massacre. Programming Note: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is also streaming on Shudder.

Saturday, January 10

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (Anytime / Disney+)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Greg must impress Holly Hills at an upcoming talent show. His father, Frank, plans to send him to military school. The central issue is Greg’s effort to prove to Frank that he does not need military schooling by participating in the show. This is the fourth Diary of a Wimpy Kid animated movie that is based on Jeff Kinney’s novel of the same name. I include it here as…for 2026? Don’t be a Wimpy Kid.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE LONG WALK (ANYTIME / STARZ)

In a dystopian near-future, 100 teenage boys must embark on an annual competitive test known as The Long Walk. The rules are simple: maintain a speed above 4 miles per hour. Receive three warnings in an hour and you’re shot dead. The last one walking gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Under these grim circumstances the boys develop deep friendships despite knowing that each of their friends’ survival is a threat to their own.
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Stephen King haunted 2025 like a recurring nightmare. It: Welcome To Derry, The Institute, The Monkey, Life of Chuck and now…The Long Walk are all streaming somewhere. New Day; New Year, New Stephen King Adaptation. Like that list of King of adaptations these are all new. Running Man, which is a remake is coming soon this month. Like The Running Man in The Long Walk free thought and speech are effectively discouraged. The United States has become a cruel country where people struggle to survive and hope is scarce. (It’d be silly and entirely hyperbolic to relate either Richard Bachman adaptation to Trump’s America but fools are deeply lazy online. When you offer social media for free that’s the kind of nonsense you can expect.) Some dark Americas get a Purge. Others get a Long Walk. An ideal movie if you wanna get your steps in, during this fresh year. Programming Note: The Long Walk will be on Canadian-Starz on January 30. Kinda rude, yo.

Sunday, January 11

Industry: Season 4 (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

At the top of their game and living the lives they set out to have as Pierpoint grads, Harper and Yasmin are drawn into a high stakes, globetrotting cat-and-mouse game when a splashy fintech darling bursts onto the London scene.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE BILL SIMMONS PODCAST (11:30 P.M. / NETFLIX-US)

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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Netflix broadcasting The Bill Simmons’ podcast is a fascinating experiment. I wanna see where this goes. However there’s some obvious and valid issues with doing all this. 1) Size and Scope: A video podcast works fine on YouTube or somebody watching it on their phone. But on large inch TVs?! This won’t always be flattering to hosts and guests. 2) Related to that is valid production values. If you’re a dorky influencer and you’re recording in your car you suck. You’re a chump. The car video is for chumps. Get a studio…offer some production values. Have some dignity and certainly be respectful of your audience. 3) Is this radio or TV? What are we doing here? For all of its faults, ESPN makes sports TV…ESPN radio is totally different. 4) Is this about access? You can watch NFL games on Netflix, then watch a podcast about NFL games on Netflix. One stop shopping; Netflix is Walmart. After Simmons’ Sunday night live stream, each episode will be available on the service, Spotify and other podcast platforms. But not YouTube. All other episodes will be available on Netflix on-demand. As the audience is this what you want?

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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.