#SetTheVCR: January 20-26, 2025

Monday, January 20

The Calendar Killer (Anytime / Prime Video)

Based on Sebastian Fitzek’s thriller novel Walk Me Home: When Jules starts his shift on the escort phone, a telephone support line for women to get home safely, everything looks like a quiet Saturday evening. That is until he receives a call from a young mother named Klara, who claims that she will die that very night at the hands of a notorious female killer. He has given her an ultimatum: either she kills her husband or she will be murdered. So begins Klara’s desperate escape from the so-called Calendar Killer – with Jules on the phone, who is her only hope of salvation.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE 4:30 MOVIE (ANYTIME / HOOPLA)

During the summer of 1986, three 16-year-old buddies spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex. When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film, all hilarity breaks loose as a self-important theatre manager and teenage rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.
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This is a Kevin Smith movie: you’re either in or you’re out by this point. I can tell you it was filmed at Smodcastle Cinemas, a New Jersey movie theater that Smith co-owns. Eh, sure. Or that this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy movie is based on Smith’s experiences sneaking into movie theaters but also eh, sure. It’s Kevin Smith. You in or you out?

Tuesday, January 21

Lucy Worsley Investigates: Season 2 (9:00 p.m. / PBS)

Remember, remember…the 5th of November: here is the truth about The Gunpowder Plot. On the 5th of November 1605, in a cellar deep below London’s Parliament, Guy Fawkes prepared to light the fuse on a deadly attack. Orchestrated by a small network of men, the plot aimed to destroy the King and his government. Unstopped, this one explosion, one moment of violence, could have changed the history of Britain forever. Lucy investigates what drove these men to attempt such an audacious act. She revisits key moments and locations in the plotter’s lives: the city of York, home to Fawkes and other plotters, and Ashby Manor, Northamptonshire, home of mastermind Robert Catesby. She then consults experts who help contribute to the uncovering of this extraordinary moment in history.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HERETIC (ANYTIME / HOOPLA)

Two Mormon missionaries attempt to convert a man who turns out to be far more dangerous than they could have anticipated.
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In Heretic Hugh Grant has a Come to Jesus moment. Though this is a horror movie this might be closer to hell. A24 is terribly overrated: they’re the movie version of this meeting shoulda been an email. Their movies shoulda been TikTok videos. Still, even as an A24 Heretic I’d watch this.

Wednesday, January 22

NOVA: What Are UFOs? (9 p.m. / PBS)

This UFO documentary special airs as part of PBS’ NOVA series. Though some are identified as balloons or drones, weather phenomena, or optical illusions, others remain mysterious. Could they be the result of secret new technology developed by other governments – or our own? Explore the evidence, as astrophysicists and engineers use new technologies to investigate the strangest objects in our skies.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: PRIME TARGET: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

Prime Target features a brilliant young math postgraduate, Edward Brooks, who is on the verge of a major breakthrough. If he succeeds in finding a pattern in prime numbers, he will hold the key to every computer in the world. Soon, he begins to realize an unseen enemy is trying to destroy his idea before it’s even born, which throws him into the orbit of Taylah Sanders, an NSA agent who’s been tasked with watching and reporting on mathematicians’ behavior. Together, they start to unravel the troubling conspiracy Edward is at the heart of.
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Series Premiere: I mean I’ve seen Hard Target so I may as well watch Prime Target. Helps director Brady Hood directed all eight episodes. I dig that! We got cloak and dagger, conspiracies and cracking codes: all excellent TV food groups. A post-graduate mathematics student slash math nerd makes a mathematical discovery with the power to compromise global security. Good Will Hunting is protected by an NSA agent tasked with watching and reporting on mathematicians’ behavior. Of course there’s a “come with me if you want to live…” moment. The two join forces (“did we just become best friends!”) to unravel the government conspiracy the math nerd is now at the center of. This all adds up. And I’m not divided; I’d watch a fraction of this to see if it’s any good. Programming Note: Premieres with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly every Wednesday through March 5.

Thursday, January 23

Sorry/Not Sorry (Anytime / CBC Gem)

Proceed cautiously; I’m deeply skeptical this documentary about Louis C.K. will be soaked with nanuce. I’m expecting it to be pretty one-sided which defeats the entire purpose of a documentary. Documentaries are for facts; social media is for feelings. Still this is “an inside look at Louis CK’s fall and return to the spotlight. Interviews include fellow comedians and women who spoke up about his sexual misconduct.” Oh, boy.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE NIGHT AGENT SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent, Peter Sutherland, whose efforts to save The President in Season 1 earn him an opportunity to become a Night Agent in Season 2.
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New Black Phone, Who Dis? We got credible evidence of a leak in the CIA, the Night Agent went AWOL and my stirring movie love language: “I cannot trust anyone.” That’s always code for Team Ruckus reporting for duty. Hard to believe this series kicked off way back on March 23, 2023. According to Netflix promo copy: “In the last scene of the finale, things are finally looking up for Peter — literally. He’s on a jet heading to his first mission as a night agent; Night Action is an “off the books” program under the president that investigates cases that traditional intelligence agencies can’t figure out.” But now, can Peter Sutherland figure things out…who is the mole? Who can he trust? As an agent can he survive the night? Programming Note: Night Agent has been renewed for a third season, which will begin production in Istanbul at the end of 2024 before returning to New York in 2025; all according to Netflix.

Friday, January 24

This Is The Tom Green Documentary (Anytime / Prime Video)

The Amazon Original documentary follows Tom Green’s career as a trailblazing influence on comedy, film, television, and internet culture. With thousands of hours of digitalized personal footage, rare episodes, and unseen raw footage past series and film, the documentary captures the early days of his humble beginnings in Canada, to stardom in Hollywood, as he goes full circle and returns to his roots moving from his LA home to a rural farm in the country. Tom reveals the highs and lows of his journey including his creative process, his controversial antics, and unique brand of humor that has had a lasting impact on a generation of comedians.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: STAR TREK: SECTION 31 (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

In the movie Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a character Star Trek: Discovery joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.
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I miss Star Trek. I refused the poorly named Discovery like I did the poorly named Enterprise before: expand the Universe; the pre-Kirk Big Bang is boring. Plus it’s a cheap attempt to score the aptly named Lower Deck fans all because some tasteless Ferengi decided Trek should go mainstream for better profits. Yeah, no. “What a cute idea.” Ew. I’m Out. This is many things but it’s not Star Trek.

Saturday, January 25

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix-US)

Saturday Morning Cartoons & Series Premiere: Fresh from Paramount+ the latest TMNT series is a spinoff from last year’s surprisingly good feature Mutant Mayhem, featuring the same voice cast plus new guests like Pete Davidson. Everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes face new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. All 12 episodes are streaming.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: KOBE: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND (9:00 P.M. / CNN)

Considered one of the greatest players of all time, his mononymous name became a household symbol for legendary basketball. Kobe: The Making of a Legend chronicles the private story of the unseen forces that propelled his ascension and the personal transformations he confronted along the way.
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“I want to be the greatest player that I could possibly become.” Barely 1 minute into this CNN Original docuseries you hear that inspiring Kobe confession. It’ll be 5 years since we lost that #GOAT. It’s a strange time as LA–and surrounding areas–neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades are struggling emotionally after fires have ravaged so much. (When Kobe was drafted by the Lakers in 1996 his first home was in the Pacific Palisades.) Kobe is such an emotionally connected LA story. Five years later, the Lakers with LeBron James are useless and worthless in that order. He was always a loser. And the city has been battered by the fires. Once again, as always with pop culture: what we lose we rarely ever gain. This is Kobe: The Making of A Legend.

Sunday, January 26

C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart: Limited Series (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

Strike and Robin are hired to investigate a murder involving a creator of a cult TV cartoon and an anonymous online troll known as “Anomie.” With a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, our heroic pair find themselves in a case that stretches them to their limit with the threat of this mysterious killer around every corner.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SATURDAY NIGHT (ANYTIME / NETFLIX-US & CRAVE)

Tensions run high as producer Lorne Michaels and a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 11, 1975.
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It was a low-stakes era. Watching the recent this Saturday Night Live movie at TIFF it underscored it kinda didn’t matter if Lorne Michaels failed. That time slot was a dead zone for NBC so eh…something was better than nothing. Everything is high-stakes now. The internet is forever. This movie points out everything is generational from the NBA to Hollywood: SNL’s glory was Sandler and Farley, to Ferrell and Hader…only now I’m supposed to just give up and accept Bowen Yang or Mikey Day at face value. Come on man, don’t be rude. Store brand SNL cast members. So often we’re just christening crap. The ability to identify a signature talent while developing a powerful pipeline of compelling material that’s magic is vanishing. That’s a rare skill. Watch this and you’ll see what I mean. Look, I stopped watching Saturday Night Live after Donald Trump was elected (the first time). Even late night struggled: that’s not comedy. Or funny. It’s just telling the audience what they wanna hear. I don’t need or want my own views reflected on TV. Gimme something bold, something fresh. From SNL’s glory days…oh and were those days ever glorious here is Saturday Night: Day 1. In so many ways the past is just better.

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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.