#SetTheVCR: March 03-09, 2025

Monday, March 03

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

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. Programming Note: this was added to Netflix-US back in January, it’s now streaming on Netflix-Canada.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CELTICS CITY (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

This 9-part docuseries chronicles the remarkable saga of the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s winningest and most storied franchise, from its founding as one of the league’s original teams all the way to its triumphant 2024 championship – along the way delving into the fierce rivalries, defining moments, and societal forces that have shaped the organization’s enduring legacy.
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Welcome to the parquet floor. Jordan utterly dominated the NBA in the ’90s…however that was partly possible because Magic got AIDS and Len Bias died. 2 major blue chip teams (Lakers and Celtics) were instantly taken off the board. The ’90s for the Celtics was a dark period. Probably the worst decade of this storied franchise founded on June 6, 1946. However, when I talked to Boston sports writer Michael Holley he pointed out darkness only proceeds rebirth. Yeah, his book is literally called The Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Rebirth of the Boston Celtics. There has been darkness and there has been rebirth. And for decades through all of that…there have been the Boston Celtics. This docuseries features over 80 interviews with past and present Boston Celtics legends – Bob Cousy and Larry Bird to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and more. Oh and also? Celtics fans: Bell Biv DeVoe. There’s gonna be a legion of careless youths that’ll learn “Never trust a big butt and smile” when Bell Biv DeVoe show up.

Tuesday, March 04

Reagan (Anytime / Starz)

Told through the voice of former KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first caught the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, Reagan overcomes the odds to become the 40th president of the United States. Programming Note: This’ll be on Starz via Crave (in Canada) on March 21.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

A blind lawyer with heightened abilities Matt Murdock fights for justice while former crime boss Wilson Fisk pursues his campaign as the mayor of New York City, causing their past identities to collide.
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“You loved me as a loser, but now you’re worried that I just might win. You know the way to stop me but, you don’t have the discipline. How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin. Well it’s Father’s Day and everybody’s wounded. First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.” Leonard Cohen clearly writing about Daredevil. Hornhead has been Born Again. Praise Marvel Jesus; fear not: for it’s a TV miracle.

Wednesday, March 05

IMPACT x Nightline: Surviving Slender Man (Anytime / Hulu)

An astonishing attack and an unbelievable motive: How did a sleepover end in attempted murder to please the fictional character Slender Man? “IMPACT x Nightline” unpacks the case after a new court ruling changes everything for one of the assailants.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ANDREW SCHULZ: LIFE (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In this razor-sharp yet heartfelt special, Andrew Schulz unpacks the wildest moment of his life — becoming a father. Making a baby isn’t easy. In LIFE, Andrew Schulz’s most personal special yet, he takes us on a hilarious and humbling journey of trying to start a family. Schulz breaks down the chaos of IVF like only he can. From pumping out samples to dodging emotional landmines, it’s raw, it’s real, and it’ll make you grateful your swimmers (probably) work.
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Shortly before last Halloween I was graciously gifted an Andrew Schulz ticket. The final shows of The Life Tour included a Casino Rama stop. (Granted he also hosted two shows at Scotiabank Arena, where the Raptors play. However, while the Casino Rama dates involves a mini-road trip, it’s also an excellent opportunity to hit up the casino buffet, which I did. It was yummy.) I had no idea what to expect: I don’t listen to his podcast. I haven’t watched his Netflix show. (Schulz Saves America, a four-part diatribe in which he dissected 2020 happenings I’ve seen it since. Super strange and yet super funny. Last Week Tonight without a desk.). I was neither a fan or a hater. I know who he was and that was that. According to Deadline: “In a bold move during his last tour, he bought back his most recent special, Infamous, from a major streamer after rejecting creative notes and distributed it independently. After amassing over 20 million views on YouTube, it became one of the platform’s most-watched comedy specials, cementing Schulz as a pioneer in direct-to-fan content distribution. Prior to Schulz Saves America, Schulz also went directly to YouTube with his specials, 5:5:1 and 4:4:1.” As for Life? I was blown away. Classic “I’m walking here!” New York rudeness meets Jim Jefferies logic. This isn’t comedy bits about being a dad; rather it’s one long (epic) story about how he became a dad. It inches toward one man show, you know? This is a comedy treat. Enjoy this like it’s a yummy casino buffet.

Thursday, March 06

Douglas is Cancelled: Limited Series (Anytime / Britbox)

In the limited series, journalist Douglas Bellowes’ life implodes after a tweet about him allegedly making a sexist joke goes viral – in this provocative comedy-drama from acclaimed writer Steven Moffat. With the help of editor Toby, wife Sheila and agent Bentley, Douglas tries to save his career. Is he truly guilty – or a victim of cancel culture? And exactly how is co-host Madeline caught up in it all?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GREATEST GEEK YEAR EVER: 1982 (ANYTIME / TUBI)

A remarkable new epic documentary spotlighting the pop culture milestones of 1982.
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I’ve seen this docuseries when it aired on The CW and I cannot fully convey just how fun it is. We’re talking 1982 so…E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, Tron, Conan the Barbarian, The Thing, Rocky III…so much more. All blessed the cinemas in 1982. To talk about all that awesome is Cameron Crowe, Keith David, Nolan Bushnell, Bruce Campbell, Roger Corman, Amy Heckerling, Ron Howard, Marc Guggenheim…William Shatner!! They’re smiling and laughing as they talk about these movies. That’s where the fun shines. 1982 was such a rich stew of imagination…look at that list of movies again. Those are iconic characters set in magical moments. This is a cup of tea…you’ll want to savour these 4 parts now that it’s on Tubi. And if you want more background on this aptly named special I spoke to Mark A. Altman.

Friday, March 07

Heretic (Anytime / HBO Max)

Two Mormon missionaries attempt to convert a man who turns out to be far more dangerous than they could have anticipated. Programming Note: This’ll be added to Paramount+ Canada on March 8. It’s also on Hoopla for Canadians with a library card.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BECOMING KATHARINE GRAHAM (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-US)

The story of a woman’s evolution from a self-proclaimed “doormat-wife” into one of the most powerful newspaper publishers of the 20th century.
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Katharine Graham on NPR’s Fresh Air: “You know, I made speeches at the time. And I made them for rather another reason, which is that my image on Wall Street was that – when we went public, which was later in 1971, I was this kind of nutty woman who was taking these risks with the company. And I started talking about excellence and profitability go hand in hand. And I really did it to show Wall Street that I cared about profitability because they thought I didn’t. But in fact, I think it’s true. And I really believed it – that if you invested in the editorial product and build up the production and business side, I really believed it – that if you invested in the editorial product and built up the production and business side, that it would work. And to a large extent, it did and has.” So making a tea for this documentary, chick’s dope!

Saturday, March 08

Lil Kev: Season 1 (Anytime / BET+)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Set in 1993 North Philadelphia, this adult animated series follows 12-year-old Kevin Hart, whose wild imagination and unshakable optimism constantly collide with his neighborhood’s harsh realities. At the same time, his no-nonsense mother Nancy juggles night shifts as an E.R. nurse while waging a one-woman war to keep Kev on track – no easy feat with his mischievous older brother Robert blazing all the wrong trails, his trainwreck father Henry’s outrageous attempts to win Nancy back, and his ex-con uncle Richard Jr.’s questionable life advice. Through it all, Lil Kev navigates his rocky upbringing with humor, hustle, and heart, surrounded by the unforgettable characters who will propel him to comedy superstardom.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (ANYTIME / CRAVE)

Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
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If anyone cares…the final (?) Venom movie is now streaming on Crave for Canadians. (It was added last month on Netflix for Americans.) Venom’s ability to mine levels below rock bottom is impressive. Just look at the trailer. He’s dancing! So what…that’s a crappy call back to Tobey’s inferior Spider-Man 3 where he-Venom-danced? They also did the “we need to work on that!” superhero comedy bit. Who wrote this junk?! This isn’t just the Last Dance for Venom…it’s (hopefully) the Last Dance for these awful Sony movies. Programming Note: Kraven the Hunter is coming to Netflix-US on March 13. And it’ll be on Crave March 14. And then that’s it: see you in hell Sony-Spider-Man movies.

Sunday, March 09

Twitter: Breaking the Bird (10 p.m. / CNN)

The four-part series follows the insider story behind the meteoric rise and eventual sale of the revolutionary app featuring the voices of the founders themselves. In 2006, a group of tech dreamers created the earth-shattering social media app, Twitter. In just a few years it transformed the way the world communicated. Twitter was adopted by celebrities, politicians and the everyday masses as a source for news, entertainment and community. Through firsthand accounts from some of its original founders and early employees, this is the inside story of Twitter’s inception, explosive growth across the world, and the dark underbelly of online hate and harassment that emerged. Programming Note: Every Sunday at 10 p.m. is one 1 episode.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CHAOS: THE MANSON MURDERS (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In August 1969, Charles Manson’s followers killed seven people on his orders. Why? Explore a conspiracy of mind control, CIA experiments and murder.
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2 instant and significant issues with Chaos. Normally, I belittle streaming double dipping (We Did This Before!!). Helter Skelter: An American Myth came out in 2020; it’s directed by Lesley Chilcott. (Episode 187, I spoke to her.) Chick’s dope. However, this Manson doc is by Errol Morris (dude’s dope!) and it’s also about MKUltra. Thus…this double dipping is acceptable. Kinda like Damon Herriman who played Charles Manson twice in 2019! (In the Netflix series Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.)

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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.