#SetTheVCR: January 06-12, 2025

Monday, January 06

Brilliant Minds: Season 1 (9 p.m. / NBC)

Mid-Season Premiere & Season Finale: Inspired by the extraordinary life and work of world-famous author and physician Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds follows a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier – the human mind – while grappling with their own relationships and mental health Zachary Quinto stars as an eccentric yet incredibly gifted neurologist in this intriguing new medical drama. His rare condition – face blindness – gives him a unique perspective on care, fueling his mission to change the way people see his patients. Alongside a team of brilliant young interns, he’ll solve some of the world’s most puzzling psychological cases while navigating the complicated relationships that come with the job. Tonight is back to back episodes, one at 9 pm and one at 10 pm as the Season One Finale.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CONCLAVE (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.
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TV Blessings for 2025.

Tuesday, January 07

Will Trent: Season 3 (8:00 p.m. / ABC)

Season & Mid-Season Premieres: Will Trent returns with a 2-part Season Premiere. However, it’s a busy TV Night on ABC: The mid-season Return of High Potential follows Will Trent at 9 p.m. Then The Rookie: Season 7 kicks off a fresh season at 10 p.m. So #SetTheVCR on ABC. Based on Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JERRY SPRINGER: FIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

This jaw-dropping documentary goes behind the scenes of America’s most controversial talk show to expose its biggest scandals, both on- and off-camera.
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In the ‘90s Jerry Springer (and early Simpsons) was peak Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children?! TV. You know how many losers protested this show? And how many losers wrote letters? And how many losers called switchboards? What a foolish waste of time. Morons on the dumb side of history. What did the accomplish? Higher ratings? None…absolutely none of that protesting made the culture (our culture!) better or smarter. These fools were as crass as this TV show. In 2025, if you wanna fight the good fight…be effective. Find out what works and go do that. I so wanna see an exploration of the daytime TV ratings battles between Springer vs Oprah. However, the two-part docuseries reveals “as we hear from the producers and ex-guests of The Jerry Springer Show, a murkier picture begins to emerge of the destruction it caused, raising renewed questions about who was responsible, and how far things should go in the name of entertainment.” One of the central positions I deploy advocating for self-driving cars? The total elimination of rubbernecking: traffic still flows smoothly following an accident. We’re a culture that habitually stops and gawks at the freak show. And the Springer daytime talk show was a freak show for us; about us. So, it has something to say about us.

Wednesday, January 08

Fallen Season 1 (9:00 p.m. / Showcase)

Series Premiere (for Canadians): Fallen is a new grounded fantasy series about Luce, a young woman whose actions will prove vital to the balance of good and evil. Luce has lived multiple lives and is destined each time to die as soon as she falls in love. Live, love, die, repeat. Luce has no idea of the power she wields, nor of who she is. Luce is the Angel of Love, fallen from the heavens and now facing her last life. And there are forces who wish to force her to turn away from love and control the crucial choice she must make. (Originally streamed on Globoplay (a Brazilian streamer!) on August 12, 2024.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LEE (ANYTIME / HULU)

The story of photographer Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.
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Did you see Civil War a deeply flawed and super corny 2024 movie written and directed by Alex Garland? In that toothless movie Kirsten Dunst plays Lee Smith, a renowned war photojournalist from Colorado. There it is: yes…her first name is a reference to World War II photojournalist Lee Miller. Oddly…Lee is a movie about Lee Miller who goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle World War II for Vogue magazine. I did not know Vogue covered WWII. And also? That’s where you want to get your WWII news from? Vogue?! Anyways, the screenplay was adapted from the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose. I know the name but I don’t know her work. Or her life. As always I’d prefer a journalism-grounded documentary over a flighty Hollywood biopic but that may not be possible with Lee’s life. Shall we see how this movie about photography…develops, then? Programming Note: This’ll stream on Prime Video-Canada on January 31.

Thursday, January 09

On Call: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

Series Premiere: Producer Dick Wolf’s latest police procedural is about cops in Long Beach, California. The gimmick here is that On Call is filmed cinema verité-style, mixing conventional cinematography with a mix of dashcam, bodycam, and cellphone footage. Episodes run just 30 minutes and all eight of them stream today.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: UFOS: INVESTIGATING THE UNKNOWN: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

New revelations fuel the search to unravel the mysteries surrounding the UFO phenomenon. Areas explored include increasing calls for government transparency, the roles independent scientists and citizens are playing in the investigation, and the deeply personal stories of those who say they’ve come face to face with the unknown.
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A 5-hour UFO docuseries with Mark O’Connell whose book is outstanding: The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs. Yes a compelling biography of J. Allen Hynek who attempted to debunk or dismiss UFOs. How…did we get there? The US Government’s recent revelations about their UFO/UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon) program is currently challenging our beliefs. Something…is out there. And this is why I’m recommending this docuseries. Rather than focusing on the difficult to explain experience of an individual (though Season 2 does do that for 2 episodes); this is an exploration of the American Government’s role in our UFO lore (one upcoming episode is called The UFO Whistleblower). What they’ve made public is just as fascinating as what they’ve kept hidden; there’s a push for transparency (in all aspects of government really) and a frustrating mystery that even with their resources and experts cannot neatly solve. Something…is out there. But what? But who? And can we trust the American Government to tell us what is out there? You can hear the X-Files errie theme in your head as you read this huh?

Friday, January 10

Get Away (Anytime / Shudder)

A Nick Frost Recommendation: A family’s vacation to a remote getaway takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they’re on is inhabited by a serial killer. Eh, it happens.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GOOSEBUMPS: THE VANISHING (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+)

This second season of Goosebumps begins when twins Cece and Devin Brewer are sent to spend a summer in Gravesend, Brooklyn, with their divorced dad. A threat is stirring, and they quickly realize that dark secrets are among them, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery.
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I did not see Season 1, not sure they make Goosebumps for me. Anyways this new season of the anthology series “draws on elements from some of the most popular books, including: Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, The Girl Who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door, Welcome to Camp Nightmare and more.” Which book features Slappy? Anyways the current kids “find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.” Sounds scary. Are You Afraid of the Dark? Something to ask yourself before you hit play.

Saturday, January 11

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Anytime / Netflix)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Focus on Gromit’s concern that Wallace has become over-dependent on his inventions, which proves justified when Wallace invents a “smart gnome” that seems to develop a mind of its own.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BILL MAHER: IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS? (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

The comedian and host of Real Time with Bill Maher taped his stand up special in front of a live audience at the CIBC Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Bill Maher serves up another dose of reality with his signature sardonic wit and unfiltered approach to discussing controversial issues.
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Bill Maher’s 13th HBO stand-up special. I dunno that we’ve ever had a significant stand up comedy run like this: 1995-2025. (The first one was Stuff That Struck Me Funny.) 13 comedy specials all at 1 network? That’s a fascinating body of work. I haven’t seen like half of em. Yet I’m so impressed when Maher, Sandler etc. continue to do stand up and work the stage. That’s craft. They don’t hafta do it…their wealth, their status…the stand up eventually becomes a side hustle. And a brand: Bill Maher “offers up his scathing commentary on the hypocrisies of both conservative and liberal politics, as well as trends in modern parenting, sex and dating, and religion.” In other words, his greatest hits. Programming Note: Real Time with Bill Maher returns on January 17th on HBO Max and Crave: Season 23.

Sunday, January 12

NFL Super Wild Card Weekend (Various Time / Various Channels)

The first round of the NFL Playoffs unfolds all this weekend: January 11 to 13. The road to victory and Super Bowl LIX to be played on February 9, 2025 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans starts this weekend. Saturday is Chargers at Texans and Steelers at Ravens. (That’s an excellent game: 8 p.m. on Prime Video.) Sunday’s games are Broncos at Bills, Packers at Eagles and Commanders at Buccaneers. Finally, Monday night’s game Vikings at Rams. Full schedule and times can be viewed via the link above.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: PAUL REISER: LIFE, DEATH, AND RICE PUDDING (ANYTIME / HOOPLA)

In his first standup special in over 30 years, veteran comic and Emmy nominated actor Paul Reiser discloses the secret to successful downsizing, explains why the whole “Do unto others” thing doesn’t work in marriage, and why boiling pasta naked is never a good idea.
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“So nice to be here in this beautiful theater, in your beautiful city. I am so glad… I have so many things to tell you. None of which are important. I just want to establish that up front. Manage those expectations. Nothing said tonight will have any political, social or cultural relevance whatsoever.” So begins the first Paul Reiser standup comedy special since 1991. It has been a long time! For some people this is the guy from Stranger Things. And that’s fair, I ain’t Mad About You. Paul Reiser: 3 ½ Blocks from Home and Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim, were respectively released in 1991 and 1987. If I’ve seen them I don’t remember them; they’re like Aliens. Well now, let’s see what Paul Reiser is up to and thinking about these days, shall we?

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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.