#SetTheVCR: November 25-December 01, 2024

Monday, November 25

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey (Anytime / Netflix)

On the morning after Christmas in 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey woke up to discover their youngest child, six-year-old JonBenét, was missing, a ransom note left downstairs. Later that day, John Ramsey discovered his daughter’s body in the basement, revealing the truth that JonBenét had not been kidnapped, but was instead sexually assaulted and murdered in their own home. Police missteps and a media circus derailed the JonBenét Ramsey murder case. This definitive docuseries chronicles the decades-long quest for justice. We’re still on this?!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OUT OF MY MIND (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

Melody Brooks is navigating sixth grade as a non speaking wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy and a photographic memory. With the help of some assistive technology and her friends and the adults around her, Melody is a little more independent.
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Kirk Lazarus: “Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man, look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho’. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump. Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and he won a ping-pong competition. That ain’t retarded. He was a goddamn war hero. You know any retarded war heroes? You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don’t buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, I Am Sam. Remember? Went full retard, went home empty-handed.” Here’s another movie in that totally funny Kirk Lazarus genre. This is Wonder with a wheelchair.

Tuesday, November 26

The Good Half (Anytime / Hulu)

Renn Wheeland returns home to Cleveland for his mother’s funeral. Once there, he forges new relationships while healing old ones, before confronting his problems and trying to face his grief.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JOY (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Three British pioneers, one vision. An inspiring drama based on a true story, following the emotional journey of the birth of IVF.
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Before Sade released her baby making music it was up to science to cure infertility via in vitro fertilization. This is that story. “Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first “test-tube baby,” and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible.” I wonder if this’ll be a meditation on the NHS and how certain health policies are established and how they evolve. Science over politics, you know?

Wednesday, November 27

Making Manson (Anytime / Peacock)

An explosive 3-part docuseries offering unfiltered insights into America’s most notorious killer, Charles Manson. Through 20 years’ worth of never-before-aired conversations, those closest to the case have their views challenged as Manson talks openly about his part in the infamous crimes, as well as his upbringing, criminal youth, and his true feelings about The Family. We’re still on this?!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: FAMILIES LIKE OURS: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / CBC GEM)

In a not-too-distant future, Denmark faces total evacuation due to rising water levels. As the nation prepares to leave their homes, high school student Laura must choose between her divorced parents and the boy she’s fallen in love with.
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Limited Series Premiere: Boom!! I am a sucker for a European apocalypse. And CBC Gem has picked up Families Like Ours a Danish miniseries. Denmark faces total evacuation due to rising water. All property becomes worthless, all fortunes shift, and luck favours only a few. YES!!! “Against this backdrop we meet Laura, a high school student in love for the first time and on the cusp of graduation. When news of the evacuation breaks, the course of Laura and her family’s lives are changed forever, and Laura is forced into the impossible dilemma of choosing between the three people she loves the most.” Well now, let’s go and spend 7 episodes in the not-too-distant future. Hopefully the tensions rise as rapidly as the water levels.

Thursday, November 28

The Madness: Limited Series (Anytime / Netflix)

Limited Series Premiere: A media pundit must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder of a notorious white supremacist deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in over the eight episodes, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: IT’S IN THE GAME (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)

It’s one of the biggest video games of all time, a groundbreaking brand that became a worldwide phenomenon, spanning generations – but it almost never happened…
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Happy Thanksgiving, Americans. Celebrate by having a turducken: which is chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, with stuffing in between the layers. Yummy? The turducken was popularized, of course by John Madden, who promoted the tasty dish during NFL Thanksgiving Day games. (NFL Thanksgiving Day games is another classic American tradition; games include Bears vs Lions (today), Raiders at Chiefs (tomorrow) plus a couple of others. Not a strong line up, really.) Aside from the turducken Madden is also known for…Madden NFL a popular football video game. “It’s in the Game: Madden NFL reveals the never-been-told story of Madden NFL, from its archaic 8-bit origins to its success as an annual must-have—against all odds. For the first time ever, EA Sports is opening its vault of rare and never-been-seen footage while also allowing cameras to follow along as the team finishes the next generation of the game.” This four-part docuseries chronicles the rise of the Madden NFL video game franchise and how it’s changed our culture. (Did it change our culture?) Sounds fascinating, truly I’ll watch an 8-bit of this. Programming Note: Visit Discovery Channel and HBO Max for their recent Game Changers an eight-part docuseries exploring the origins of various games (it aired earlier this month.). One of the episodes focused on EA Sports/Madden. Another classic “We Did This Before.”

Friday, November 29

A ’90s Christmas (6:00 p.m. / Hallmark & Peacock)

While celebrating her promotion alone on Christmas Eve, a workaholic lawyer is transported back to 1999 via a mysterious rideshare experience. It Is What It Is.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BEATLES ’64 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)

Captures the band’s electrifying 1964 US debut amid fan frenzy. With rare behind-the-scenes footage, it chronicles their unprecedented rise to global superstardom after performing on The Ed Sullivan Show to over 73 million viewers.
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Sigh: as personalities The Beatles are not compelling enough to warrant so many documentaries. In the last couple of years we got what…The Beatles & The BBC, The Beatles-Now & Then, The Beatles: Get Back, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week. And now this one…from producer Martin Scorsese. After a certain point, is there any story left to tell? How much money has the Beatles generated? Way more than the Stones? Here’s the standard Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: “Spotlighting this singular cultural moment and its continued resonance today, the music and footage are augmented by newly filmed interviews with Paul and Ringo, as well as fans whose lives were transformed by The Beatles.” Should be a welcome break from the smug Taylor Swift fans humblebragging about how much money they paid for Eras tickets. Pop Culture is the same Revolution, always Hello, Goodbye to Yesterday.

Saturday, November 30

Family Guy: Gift of the White Guy (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Peter must recover Lois’ Christmas brooch after gifting it away in a White Elephant exchange. Stewie changes his attitude upon learning he’s on Santa’s naughty list.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MUSIC BOX: YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)

Chronicles the emergence and popularity of the West Coast, soft rock pop culture epitomized by musical artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto.
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We seem to be slowly coming around to acknowledging the cultural value of the ‘70s. In the last 2 years we’ve had: The Holdovers (1970), Saturday Night (1975), Daisy Jones & The Six (1977) and Woman of the Hour (1978). And before that we had enjoyed classics like Crowe’s Almost Famous, Ferrell’s Anchorman and Fincher’s Zodiac. It’s not exactly the same odd nostalgia we seem to have for the 60s. However, like an archeological dig we’re unearthing the value of this slightly overlooked decade. Which includes the music. Yacht Rock is both a pejorative term and a term of endearment; sarcasm is in the mouth of the beholder. When Sirius XM recently brought back their Yacht Rock station; I was happy. Clearly, there’s a velour quality to this music…is velour fashion? Some would say no and sadly, they’d be wrong. I cheered the return of the Sirius XM Yacht Rock station by getting a pulled pork poutine. Some excellent ‘70s music on that channel. But…what is Yacht Rock? In this charming HBO documentary Questlove says: “It’s perfect sitting down dancing music.” While Fred Armisen chips in “Yacht Rock, to me, it’s a very relaxing feeling. It’s like the singers all seem to be saying: “Hey it’s gonna be okay.” Here’s a Yacht or Nyacht? list to get you started. To get a better sense see the documentary and how much you agree. Welcome back to the ‘70s.

Sunday, December 01

Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid (Anytime / HBO Max)

From masterminding Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential win to his insurgent role in the 2024 race, Democratic strategist James Carville becomes one of the most influential forces in modern political history. Chronicling eighteen months inside the 2024 election from the distinctive vantage point of democratic consultant James Carville. This is smart watch if you failed to understand how Donald Trump was re-elected.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE AGENCY: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

Based on the French series Le Bureau des Legendes (2015). Follows a world of even deeper intrigue and subterfuge, with characters fighting their own battles as they grapple with existential threats to the nation and the world.
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Series Premiere: “The all-new political thriller follows Martian (Michael Fassbender), a covert CIA agent, ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity, and his mission are pitted against his heart, hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.” So…less James Bond and a man must choose between The Mission and his heart? Well, that’s not exactly James Bond but it’s his Agency, I suppose.

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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.