Life Is Short to endure terrible TV Recommendations. #SetTheVCR is loaded with Good Omens to make your TV week Fast and less Furious.
Monday, May 11
M.I.A.: Season 1 (Anytime / Peacock & StackTV)
Restless in the Florida Keys, Etta Tiger Jonze dreams of a life in Miami’s glittering, sub-tropical kingdom. When her family’s drug-running business shatters in tragedy, however, Etta embarks on a dangerous journey through Miami’s neon-lit underbelly that will define who she is and what she’s ultimately capable of. For Peacock this has been a binge release. For Canadians it’s broadcast weekly on Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Showcase. (Hence StackTV in Canada.)
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BILLY IDOL SHOULD BE DEAD (ANYTIME / HULU)
The documentary traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock ‘n’ roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, fifty years into his career.
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And now a helpful PSA from Billy Idol on his music documentary: “love seeing my mum in the documentary… She was so happy that day as life for her had slowed down at 92 but all the excitement of the documentary team and being interviewed she had a great time. She’s so tired. She slept all the next day!” A Gen X Special to celebrate moms, punk and the guy from The Wedding Singer.
Tuesday, May 12
The Punisher: One Last Kill (Anytime / Disney+)
As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight. Boys & Girls this is dumb MCU marketing: this isn’t hype this is hopeless. The trailer builds to ta-da!! the Punisher skull. Dumb. Castle’s skull isn’t a grand reveal. fight. That’s terrible writing. It’s called Punisher. Where is the skull on the rooftop fight?! Just dumb. Don’t be soft…show the white skull. Body count and white skull: that’s The Punisher.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MARTY, LIFE IS SHORT (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
From breakout success on SCTV and Saturday Night Live to scene-stealing roles in iconic films and a Tony-winning run on Broadway, Martin Short has built one of comedy’s most inventive and enduring careers. Now a new documentary will take an in-depth look at his more than five decades in the spotlight.
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There’s a Godspell documentary floating around various film festivals titled You Had to Be There. It’s startling when you watch it; you see photos of a teenage Martin Short and, later, McMaster Martin Short. It’s rare to see that youthful Martin Short era. (One photo is of McMaster Martin Short loafing on Bay Street in downtown Toronto. I know exactly where he is, but I don’t recognize the retro intersection at all—this city changes a lot.) When you see this youthful Martin Short, you wonder if the kid has any idea SCTV and SNL are coming, or Three Amigos, Jiminy Glick, and Only Murders in the Building. Can that kid on Bay Street even understand the magnificent run ahead for him, and especially for us? At least for The Work. There is much darkness in Martin Short’s life, and the trailer acknowledges that, which is part of living and loving well. Life is Short: so enjoy and treasure the people who make you belly laugh.
Wednesday, May 13
Off Campus: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)
A college soap based on the bestselling book series, Off Campus, follows an elite ice hockey team and the women in their lives as they grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery – forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood. Season 1 follows the sexy and fun “opposites attract” romance between quiet songwriter, Hannah, and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett. More bland hockey sex for Heated Rivalry’s OnlyFans.
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STEPHANIE SUGGESTION: GOOD OMENS: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
The End of the World is coming, which means a fussy Angel and a loose-living Demon who’ve become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon. But they have lost the Antichrist, an 11-year-old boy unaware he’s meant to bring upon the end of days, forcing them to embark on an adventure to find him and save the world before it’s too late.
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Controversy: It’s what makes the world go round. Even if it means we’re on our third apocalypse. Good Omens has its fair share of controversy — a rather long and pointed list we won’t get into other than the fact that instead of getting a final season, we’re only getting a single 90-minute finale.
For those of us that have loved Good Omens since Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s book, it feels like a let down. We never got the book sequel because we lost Pratchett, and we aren’t getting the proper show wrap up because it turns out we never really had Gaiman.
But that has done nothing to quash the sheer delight and excitement I personally have to see this story come to fruition. I was there at the NYCC screening back in 2018 when we thought all we would get was a one off limited series. But while that was the Master Plan, it turns out that wasn’t the Ineffable Plan.
I am loathe to say goodbye to my favorite angel and demon, but I take heart in knowing that somewhere, somehow, there will always be a nightingale singing in Berkeley Square.
To The World 🥂
Thursday, May 14
The Mystery of Richard Simmons: A Diane Sawyer Special (Anytime / Disney+ & Hulu)
A poignant look at a beloved pop-culture figure who rose to fame as a fitness guru and television personality, His decade-long disappearance from public life, planned comeback and sudden death. Shortly after his death, his older brother extended an invitation to Sawyer and her team to enter Richard’s home and explore the world he had kept hidden for so long. Through intimate interviews with those closest to him, the special seeks to unravel the truth behind his disappearance and shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death, offering a poignant look at the life, legacy and enduring intrigue of this American icon.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY (ANYTIME / VARIOUS)
An undercover LAPD officer infiltrates the high-stakes world of Los Angeles street racing to investigate a series of hijackings, only to find himself loyal to the crew’s leader he was sent to take down.
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Cannes will host a Midnight Screening of the original 2001 movie, The Fast and the Furious on Wednesday, May 13, at the Grand Lumière Theatre of the Palais des Festivals. The Fast & Furious’ 25th Anniversary screening will be attended by Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. And yo: if Cannes is gonna celebrate Fast and the Furious, we should as as well. 25 years of living life a quarter mile at a time is wild. When you rewatch the first Fast movie, you don’t see anything that is going to come. You don’t seen the dense—and arguably messy—continuity. The epic productions and daring heists. There is no bold foreshadowing like a Marvel movie end credits teaser. The first Fast movie is fun…a slightly polished B-Movie that connected with the correct demographic and made enough movie to make a second one. The final(ish??) movie will be released on March 17, 2028. But for now…celebrate how we got here. We built this. We did this. Programming Note: Highly Recommended Reading: Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World by Barry Hertz. It’s loaded with Fun Facts and dope interviews with the people who make Fast so good.
Friday, May 15
It’s Not Like That: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)
It’s Not Like That follows Malcolm (Scott Foley), a pastor who is a recently widowed dad of three. Lori is newly divorced with two teens. Their families once did everything together, but now Malcolm and Lori must navigate their newly minted singledom with parenthood. Is this the beginning of a love story? It’s not like that. Or is it?
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE AI DOC: OR HOW I BECAME AN APOCALOPTIMIST (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)
From filmmakers behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and Navalny; a father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created… and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.
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I have lived through Y2K. I have endured worthless moral panics ranging from D&D to Donald Trump. Every single dire AI warning is underpinned by a recognizable “cry wolf” tone. Also? Humans adapt…our entire history confirms that is what we’ve done the best. Why would this era (even with AI) be any different? People are so determined to go through life issuing “this is AI!” verdicts…but why? This editorial is silly. Like the premise that “AI writing is easy to spot” is so flawed it is rotten. The issue isn’t the clumsy AI writing; it’s the person making the AI prompts. They suck at prompts. AI isn’t a shortcut. Like all creative endeavours, you gotta be good at it. If you’re lazy before AI, you will be lazy with AI. Duh. And obviously, AI without taste is meaningless. Ira Glass has talked about the gap between crappy output and good taste. His solution was volume. Which circles back to AI. Bottom line? If you want to use AI: it’s all good in the hood. Use it well. If you don’t want to use AI: it’s all good in the hood. Not using AI has never made anyone a saint. Welcome to the future where arrogance and self-righteousness are still have free reign.
Saturday, May 16
Goat (Anytime / Netflix)
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Will, a small goat with big dreams, gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!” He has to do something he has never done before.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RIVALS: SEASON 2 (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+)
The battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches a fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase. More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece, weaponizing scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences. As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?
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More David Tennant! It’s always a Good Omen when I can recommend a lot of David Tennant’s TV work.
Sunday, May 17
In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers (Anytime / Discovery Channel)
Follow teams of real-world storm chasers and certified weather spotters as they venture into America’s tornado alley, risking everything to self-shoot their encounters with nature at its most extreme, warn people in harm’s way, and help save lives when disaster strikes.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE MOST PERFECT PERFECT PERSON (ANYTIME / YOUTUBE BELOW)
Poppy lets the most perfect perfect version of herself emerge. Based on something that actually happened.
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The Most Perfect Perfect Person starring Poppy is now streaming on YouTube. According to the writer and director Paul Trillo: This is the “first artificial film based on a true story.” This…I guess meta-commentary focuses on “the story follows a pop star (Poppy) who, buckling under the pressures of fame and relentless parasocial demands, relinquishes control of her life to Aura, an AI clone trained on her every past word and action. As the AI begins to dictate her reality, Poppy must battle to reclaim her own voice and authorship.” I don’t find the AI future scary. I am curious. I hope obvious negatives are balanced by impressive creativity stripped of location. You can do anything you want now…it doesn’t matter where you are or if your community sucks and lacks talent. What does that mean?
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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.
