#SetTheVCR: May 08 – 14, 2023

A Time Traveler, A Man Who Can Fly, A Shapeshifter plus…lots more. Clearly it can only be #SetTheVCR.

Monday, May 08

Death’s Roulette (Anytime / Paramount+)

Seven people are kidnapped and suddenly find themselves part of a deadly game.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

Kara, devastated by the loss of Krypton, struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Superman mentors her. Meanwhile, she must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle who searches for a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault.
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For a time the DC Comics animated movies were much better than the real life action movies. This movie is part of the The Tomorrowverse a successor and soft reboot of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). The DC Animated Movie Universe began with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox in 2013 and concluded with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War in 2020. The Tomorrowverse kicked off on August 23, 2020 with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Legion of Super-Heroes is the 5th movie this new Universe; while the follow up Justice League: Warworld is set for release sometime this year. It’s a lot of work to keep track of these universes.

Tuesday, May 09

Judge Steve Harvey: Season 2 (9 p.m. / ABC)

Steve Harvey employs his own life experiences and some good old common sense as he expands his resume by taking on the roles of judge and jury in the courtroom.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BEVERLY HILLS 90210: THE COMPLETE SERIES (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-US)

A group of friends living in Beverly Hills, California make their way through life from their school days into adulthood.
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The 1991 teen drama is now streaming on Prime Video-US. All 10 seasons…I don’t think I lasted 10 back in the day. I don’t even remember how this TV show ended. For this recommendation I’m letting uber fan Stephanie do the recommending:

Stephanie here! And let me tell you. The best part about 90210 is the fact that there were a ton of things that could have been problematic today and aren’t. Sure, the show wasn’t perfect – the lack of diversity is noticeable, even in the later seasons, and lbrh no one, even then, believed that Andrea Zuckerman was young enough for high school. But from beginning this nighttime soap opera was dealing with real world issues along with the drama and the camp. And as the show went on and it became more soap than opera, it wore that title with a badge of honor. They could give Grey’s Anatomy a run for their money in the Big Traumatic Event department. Plus, the show filmed at Torrance High School and Occidental College, and if ever there were shooting locations to make a drinking game out of, those two were it (I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself).

*WARNING* Watch at your own risk, bc music rights weren’t secured back then the way they are now – box sets…DVR…streaming…none of it was a thing – so there is a very high chance that whole episodes will be missing due to this bc they always are. If the day comes when we can finally see the After School Special Episode that was Season 2, Episode 14, I will be amazed. But for now enjoy the cold open of the pilot, and if you don’t fist bump at the appropriate spot, you definitely weren’t a 90’s kid.

Wednesday, May 10

The Muppets Mayhem: Season 1 (Anytime / Disney+)

Follows The Electric Mayhem Band — Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on vocals and bass, Janice on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone and Lips on trumpet — on an epic, music-filled journey to record their first-ever studio album.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MOONAGE DAYDREAM (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

A cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie’s creative and musical journey. From visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate.
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Last September when this David Bowie documentary opened in cinemas near me; I just didn’t have the heart to go. Dude died in 2016 but it still feels fresh; unresolved. The documentary chronicles the three major eras of Bowie’s life: early experimentation in London, the androgynous years in Berlin, and the prestige of a later-life gonzo art elder statesman. It comes with the standard never-before-seen footage and performances with unusual remixes of classic Bowie hits. It has a 48-song soundtrack: wow. Apparently director Brett Morgen was given access to five million different artifacts, including artwork, photos, audio, journals and more. That seems like a high number…do creatives really create that many artifacts? Morgen wrote, directed, produced, and edited Moonage Daydream. This is it; this is what I mean. This is how you say goodbye and thank you to David Bowie. Heavy Sigh: okay let’s do this: Let’s Dance. Programming Note: For Canadians we score this Bowie doc today; for Americans it’s been streaming on HBO Max since April 29.

Thursday, May 11

Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman (Anytime / Hulu)

The Disney+ special comes to Hulu today: David Letterman joins U2 musicians Bono and The Edge for a concert performance during his first visit to Dublin.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CLASS OF ’09: SEASON: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

The 8 episode limited series follows a class of FBI agents set in three distinct points in time who grapple with immense changes as the U.S. criminal justice system is altered by artificial intelligence.
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I didn’t watch Class Of `07 on Prime Video hehe: but I’ll check this out. You know everybody in this. Oh: I have a TV question for you. This is a limited series. It debuts with two of its eight episodes. Which means you have to wait 6 weeks for the whole thing to be finished. Do you wait the 6 weeks and then watch it all at your own pace? Or do you watch it episode by episode…week by week? Which Class of TV viewer are you?

Friday, May 12

Intelligence: A Special Agent Special (Anytime / Peacock)

A workplace comedy set in the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters, where they tackle international and domestic Cyber Crime. David Schwimmer stars as Jerry Bernstein, a pompous NSA agent from the US, and Nick Mohammed plays Joseph, his inept computer analyst sidekick.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: STILL: A MICHAEL J FOX MOVIE (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

Michael J. Fox gets a Last Dance. Fox’s story in his own words – the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood.
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Two Canadians named Fox have broken our hearts after so many thrilling moments: Michael J. and Terry. Did you see this at Hot Docs? Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. He subsequently retired from acting in 2021. Since then he has become the face of the gruesome disease. But to a certain generation he remains Michael J. Fox. He remains Marty McFly in that iconic puffy orange vest, messing up timelines and dealing with Biff…s. He remains Alex P. Keaton a classic 80s conservative and proud member of the Young Republicans. He remains Michael J. Fox. We’ve had some great times with Michael J. Fox. I hesitate to call this documentary his Last Dance but it is what it is. This is the long goodbye.

Saturday, May 13

Spider-Man: Homecoming (Anytime / Disney+)

More Spider-Man Homecoming! All 5 (non-Tom Holland) Spider-Man movies were added to Disney+ on April 20th and 21st. Today Spider-Man: Homecoming and Venom (ugh) join the service today. Additional titles from Sony Pictures’ film and television library are expected to premiere on Disney+ in the U.S. later this year.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: AIR (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.
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You know how Moneyball wasn’t about baseball even though it was about baseball? Air is about Jordan signing with Nike but it’s also not about Jordan signing with Nike. Forget about the shoes. Forget about the money; you’re gonna make enough money. It’s not going to matter. Money can buy you almost anything. It can’t buy you immortality that you have to earn. I’m gonna look you in the eyes and I’m going to tell you the future. You were cut from your high school basketball team. You willed your way to the NBA. You’re gonna win championships. It’s an American story and that’s why Americans are going to love it. People are going to build you up. God, are they going to. Because when you’re great and new we love you. And we’ll build you into something that doesn’t even exist. You’re going to change the fucking world. But you know what? Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can they’re going to tear you back down. It’s the most predictable pattern, we build you into something that doesn’t exist and that means you have to try to be that thing. All day. Every day. That’s how it works. And we do it again and again and again. I’ll tell you the truth. You’re going to be attacked, betrayed exposed and humiliated. And you survive that. A lot of people can climb that mountain. It’s the way down that breaks men. Who are you, Michael? That will be the defining question of your life. And I think you already know the answer, And that’s why we’re all here. A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it. Then it has meaning. The rest of us just want a chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes.”

Sunday, May 14

Fear the Walking Dead: Season 8 (9 p.m. / AMC/AMC+)

The eighth and final season of Fear the Walking Dead; the last 6 episodes before it shuffles off. That…bites!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CITY ON FIRE: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)

As the Samantha’s murder is investigated, she’s revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep.
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An NYU student is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July, 2003. This is how this mystery thriller adapted from a novel of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg starts. This next part I hafta quote directly; it’s so weird: “As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she’s revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep.” City on fire? More like brain on fire…I’m not sure how any of that connects. Let’s see where this goes. Programming Note: Premieres with the first three episodes on Friday, May 12, followed by one new episode weekly through June 16. 8 episodes total.