#SetTheVCR: March 17-23, 2025

Monday, March 17

Control Freak (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)

A motivational speaker, plagued by an uncontrollable itch on her head, becomes infected with a parasitic demon from her homeland. This Hulu original horror movie about a Vietnamese Pig-Pen is also streaming on Disney+ for Canadians.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: KOBE: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

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. (The Luka trade helped some, I guess?) LeBron 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.

Tuesday, March 18

Anora (Anytime / Hulu & Prime Video-Canada)

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. Showgirls 2.0 really won an Oscar?!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LONG BRIGHT RIVER: LIMITED SERIES (PEACOCK & CRAVE)

The limited series is a suspense thriller that tells the story of Mickey (Amanda Seyfried), a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighbourhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case.
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Limited Series Premiere: This is based on the #1 New York Times bestselling novel by author, executive producer, and writer Liz Moore. Never read it. (Or even heard about it.) “Over the past several days, three females have been found dead,” a voiceover is heard in the trailer. “There’s a killer on the loose, Mickey. I’m worried about you.” Mickey is of course Amanda Seyfried. A killer on the loose, a cop who is too close to the case…I like all those things. I’ll go down this Long Bright River.

Wednesday, March 19

Stadium Lockup: Season 1 (9 pm / A&E)

Over the course of ten episodes, by following the security team at the Cleveland Browns’ stadium in Ohio viewers get an in-depth look at what it takes to keep everyone safe during game time. The series provides unprecedented access to the stadium’s command center where approximately 500 CCTV cameras are monitored in real time by the staff. Whether it’s unruly disputes, disorderly conduct, life-saving efforts, or heartfelt reunions with lost children – viewers get a behind the scenes look as officers and medics are dispatched on hundreds of calls. Each game day is unpredictable and although law enforcement and security try to de-escalate every situation, there are 4 holding cells on the property, and if fans break the strict code of conduct, they risk being ejected or worse…get a one-way ticket to stadium lockup.
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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?

Thursday, March 20

The Residence: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Series Premiere: The Netflix algorithm is now offering viewers Only Murders in the Building. Crash and burn, huh, Mav? A brilliant, eccentric detective must solve a murder in the White House residence — where the staff and guests at a state dinner are all suspects. See? Only Murders On The Netflix.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HAPPY FACE: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa G. Moore; the critically acclaimed Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook. At 15, Moore discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as Happy Face. As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison.
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Series Premiere: Back in April 2018 when the Golden State Killer was revealed to be Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. it was startling to learn he was the father of 3. What is it like to have a serial killer dad? I don’t think he brings kids along when he’s off to murder and rape. Or they see catch him cleaning blood off his clothes. But is he there? Is he cold and distant? Does he kill their pets? Or is he a good dad which makes it all confusing? This is a fictional account of a real life story. The Happy Face Killer murdered at least eight women during the early 1990s near Portland, Oregon. Well, 8 kills were confirmed…he confessed to at least 160. And like the Golden State Killer this creepy dude has 3 kids; including Melissa, a daughter in the media. This is Family Mindhunter: “In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed.” Murder has so many ripple effects and harms families in so many ways. It’s hard to put on a Happy Face when you’re dealing with something so dark.

Friday, March 21

Wicked (Anytime / Peacock & Prime Video-Canada)

In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. I have nothing positive to say about this wicked movie.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: YOUR TOMORROW (ANYTIME / TVO DOCS YOUTUBE)

Ali Weinstein’s documentary captures the final year of Toronto’s celebrated Ontario Place, as the beloved provincial park is sectioned off for redevelopment while visitors keep showing up to walk its trails, enjoy the lake, or just check on the tomatoes they’re cultivating by the shore. If this really is the end of Ontario Place, Weinstein captures it for posterity, demonstrating that the park was still doing exactly what it was designed to do for Canadians, and anyone else who stopped by: give them a place to stand, and a place to grow.
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And here we are. The latest it’s closing but we don’t want it to close Toronto institution. Your Tomorrow silently captures Ontario Place in this limbo phase…stuck between a bright past and murky future. Imagine the meditative calm before a neighborhood experiences life-altering gentrification. Ontario Place reopened its doors in 2015 as a public park, with no programming. In this My Summer Lair conversation; the doc’s director Ali Weinstein and I draw parallels between Ontario Place and Central Park in New York City. Ali tells me: “What I saw at Ontario Place was a bunch of people coming together because of a shared love of a space and then finding friends and making friendships. And a lot of those friendships were really sweet.” But before we can unpack all of good stuff…we hafta talk about Vin Diesel. Yes the face of Fast and Furious. One of the exploratory threads in Your Tomorrow is the experiences of the current Ontario Place staff which includes the security. It’s Your Tomorrow. And today is the day you get to decide what happens. Programming Note: This documentary beings streaming on March 21st at 9 a.m. on the TVO Docs YouTube, website and Smart TV app (all across Canada). However, if you’re just in Ontario: March 23 is the Broadcast Premiere on TVO at 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 22

Watchmen: Chapter II (Anytime / HBO Max)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: In an alternate 1985 America, a group of retired superheroes investigate a conspiracy after one of their own is murdered. The second half of the new R-rated, CG-animated feature, adapting the 1987 Watchmen graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MARCH MADNESS: SECOND ROUND (TBD / VARIOUS CHANNELS)

The 2025 March Madness tournament starts with Selection Sunday on March 16 as 68 teams will play in the 2025 NCAA tournament for men’s basketball.
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The Second Round for March Madness is a round of 32. How are your brackets doing? The cities for today’s second round of the tournament include: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas and Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. March Madness will be broadcast across four cable networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. It will also be streamed on Paramount+. The dates are confirmed, however as of this writing neither the teams or the times are confirmed.

Sunday, March 23

Visionaries (Anytime / The Roku Channel)

Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger founded ARCH Motorcycle reimagine motorcycles. Fueled by more than a love of bikes, watch as they search for inspiration from those who help shape the world around us. Back in 2017 Netflix unleashed Abstract: The Art of Design. Now Roku offers something similar with this caveat: “ARCH is a mindset.” I dunno about that. Sounds like a Steve (Con) Job presentation hustle. I guess this’ll all be worth if it Keanu Reeves says: “Woah!”
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DAVID BLAINE: DO NOT ATTEMPT (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+)

This six-part series follows world-renowned magician and endurance artist David Blaine exploring the world through the lens of magic. David Blaine takes us on a fascinating cultural exchange and a jaw-dropping journey through extraordinary cultures, where he meets with performers and masters – kindred spirits who inspire and share with him exceptional skills (and secrets) – in Brazil, Southeast Asia, India, the Arctic Circle, South Africa and Japan.
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It’s David Blaine. That’s the entire hook. Yes, he’s weird. And yes he’s creepy. But that’s what you pay David Blaine for. And he’s exploring magic all over the world. It’s magic. And it’s David Blaine. I’m 100% IN.

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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.