#SetTheVCR: July 14-20, 2025

Monday, July 14

The Shrouds (Anytime / The Criterion Channel)

Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? In Apocalypse in the Tropics, director Petra Costa takes us on a decade-long journey through the spiritual and political upheaval of Brazil. What begins as a search for signs of life in a fragile democracy transforms into a deeper inquiry into the seductions of power, prophecy, and belief.
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This Evangelical documentary explores the troubling alliance between pastors and politicians; only it’s set in Brazil not America. The focus is Silas Malafaia, an enormously popular right-wing Pentecostal pastor…wait does he call himself ight-wing or did people assign him that label? Over the years Malafaia has courted the political class, establishing a clearly symbiotic relationship with power…is that his agenda or is that how people are interpreting it? Again: let the man speak and be clear. Shall we travel to Brazil to kick off the TV week?

Tuesday, July 15

MLB All-Star Weekend: All Star Game (8:00 p.m. / Fox)

The Midsummer Classic is here with a contest between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The 2025 MLB All-Star Game comes to the A-T-L!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GOING, GOING, GONE: THE MAGIC OF THE HOME RUN (ANYTIME / THE ROKU CHANNEL)

Hosted by renowned comedian and baseball fanatic Roy Wood Jr., the all-new Roku Original produced by MLB Studios will explore the evolution and appeal of the home run and the Home Run Derby, one of the most thrilling events in sports.
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“The home run is dope. It’s the ultimate flex in sports. No matter the stage, every home run deserves an applause. Yes, it doesn’t matter what you feel about baseball as a sport, everybody respects a home run. Everybody knows how hard it is. I will put the home run above the slam dunk. Touchdown. Stiff arms. Anybody sitting here could get lucky hit a buzzer beater. Fans hit half court shots.” That’s a direct Roy Wood Jr. quote from his June 17, 2025 appearance on CBS Mornings. Roy goes on to add this: “I know that y’all think baseball is boring. Y’all got to come on back. Give it another chance. There was a stat like, I think 20 years ago, 60% of MLB games were longer than three hours. That number is under 15% now. The game is faster, the game is more exciting. There’s more steals, there’s more runs. So to me, it’s something that still speaks to the metaphor of life. Baseball is about chasing perfection, but not letting failure discourage you. You literally have to forget all of the strikeouts the next time you come up to the plate. That same game where Freddie Freeman hit the Grand Slam to win the game, he didn’t hit the ball like that every single at bat. But you have to stay focused. And I think that’s what life is about.” Roy Wood Jr. is dope and so is baseball when he talks about it. This was an easy Sammy Suggestion recommendation to make.

Wednesday, July 16

Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit (Anytime / Hulu)

In 1995, rising TV news anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared from her Iowa apartment just before dawn, leaving behind signs of a violent abduction. Her case quickly became one of the nation’s most haunting unsolved mysteries. Now, 30 years later, Her Last Broadcast follows a major break that reenergized the case, sparked by a 2022 20/20 episode, which led to a tip from one of Jodi’s close friends. In this three-part docuseries, cameras exclusively embed with the case’s law enforcement and follow along as the lead detective chases the truth, resulting in the identification of new persons of interest in Jodi’s disappearance.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

It’s the end of her junior year of college, and Belly’s looking forward to another summer in Cousins with her soulmate, Jeremiah. Her future seems set, until some core-shaking events bring her first love Conrad back into her life. Now on the brink of adulthood, Belly finds herself at a crossroads and must decide which brother has her heart. Summer will never be the same…
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Mercifully Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah’s love triangle will come to a close with the third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty based on Jenny Han’s third book in the trilogy, We’ll Always Have Summer. Standard formula by now…“core-shaking events” shatters Belly’s fragile world…and now she’s at another crossroads like she’s Britney Spears. She’s forced (yet again) to confront her feelings for Conrad. All that’s left is for the audience to guess which dopey brother she ends up with. Niles speaking about this brother Frasier’s dating track record: “Oh, yes, he went through that family like a recessive gene.” Pretty much sums up Belly, she goes through the Fisher boys like a recessive gene. Programming Note: The 11-episode season returns with two episodes on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. New episodes debut weekly until the series finale on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

Thursday, July 17

Catalog: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Catalog is an Arabic Netflix series, that tells the story of Youssef, a man who suddenly finds himself responsible for raising his two children after the death of his wife, Amina. Out of sync with their routines and disconnected from their emotions, Youssef is overwhelmed – until he discovers a series of parenting videos his late wife had recorded before she passed. Each video becomes his guide: a beacon through grief, a roadmap back into his kids’ hearts, and a mirror revealing strengths he never knew he had. Another Egyptian worth checking out? Here’s a Rami Malek Sammy Suggestion.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE AMATEUR (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

After his wife is tragically killed in a London terrorist attack, a CIA cryptographer demands his bosses go after the killers. When it becomes clear they won’t act due to conflicting internal priorities, he blackmails the agency into training him and letting him go after them himself.
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Back in 2024 shortly before Christmas my Egyptian mom was happy, she met Mena Massoud. Me, her Egyptian son was so annoyed: That guy is a loser down to his DNA. Why would we ever allow him to represent us, our culture…anything of value really? When the actor sucks Representation Sucks. At least Rami Malek is taking on James Bond and making movies like The Amateur.

Friday, July 18

Billy Joel: And So It Goes (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting. With unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews, the documentary offers an intimate exploration of Joel’s life and work, whose music has endured across generations.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: UNTAMED: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman’s death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain – where nature obeys no rules but its own.
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“She was hurt, scared. She was running from something. Oh, not bad…that’s a quote from the trailer. “Untamed is a character-driven mystery-thriller that follows Kyle Turner (Eric Bana, remember him?), a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature’s vast wilderness. The investigation of a brutal death sends Turner on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park and in his own past.” In the trailer Sam Neill looks shifty, he knows something or is covering something up. I don’t trust him. Only 6 episodes, I can tame this.

Saturday, July 19

Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (Anytime / Apple TV+)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Featuring original music by Ben Folds, this 40-minute special marks the first Peanuts musical in 35 years. This summer, celebrate the joy and magic of summer camp and the importance of preserving what you love. Charlie Brown loves camp and is determined to make his final year special, but Sally, a first-time camper, is nervous and skeptical of the new and unfamiliar place. While everyone settles into camp, Snoopy and Woodstock discover a treasure map that takes them on a wild adventure nearby.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RIFF RAFF (ANYTIME / HULU)

A former criminal is enjoying a normal and peaceful existence with his wife and son at a secluded cabin. However, his past soon catches up with him when he learns that notorious gangsters Leftie and Lonnie are coming for them.
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This I gotta see! Bill Murray plays Lefty, an aging mafioso with a score to settle regarding his own son. Bill Murray in the mob? That works. Plus you got Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge and Pete Davidson. Who picks weird movies, his script pipeline is strange. This looks and smells like a gangsta throwback. But what do I know…I’m just the Rif Raf around here.

Sunday, July 20

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 3 (Anytime / Paramount+)

In season three, when we reconnect with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, still under the command of Captain Pike, they face the conclusion of season two’s harrowing encounter with the Gorn. But new life and civilizations await, including a villain that will test our characters’ grit and resolve. An exciting twist on classic Star Trek, season three takes characters both new and beloved to new heights, and dives into thrilling adventures of faith, duty, romance, comedy and mystery, with varying genres never before seen on any other Star Trek. I dunno what this is but this ain’t Star Trek.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ROBOT CHICKEN: SELF-DISCOVERY SPECIAL (11:30 P.M. / ADULT SWIM)

In Robot Chicken: Self-Discovery Special, the ever-awkward Robot Chicken Nerd embarks on a journey of self-discovery the American way – by going on reality TV. Will he find a 90 Day Fiancé… or end up as Shark Week chum?
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Welcome back Robot Chicken, the program that’s a TLC ball buster for pop culture. This zany special mocks and ridicules programming on Discovery, Food Network, and TLC. Oh, I’m up for that. Programming Note: this special streams the following day on HBO Max.

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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.