Wanna Take Of Yourself with TV Recommendations that don’t make you Look Back in Anger? Don’t look Below, rather check out #SetTheVCR and get Carrie…d away.
Monday, October 05
Mayor of Kingstown: Seasons 1-4 (Anytime / Netflix)
The Paramount+ series with Jeremy Renner ,follows the McLusky family – power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither. This is just the start: several other Paramount+ shows are heading to Netflix as part of a major licensing agreement. Under this deal, Netflix is adding roughly 20 Paramount-owned television series to its library.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LARRY FLYNT FOR PRESIDENT (ANYTIME / HULU)
Larry Flynt for President chronicles the wild ride of the Hustler Magazine publisher’s campaign for president in 1983. It is the story of the quintessential outsider who fought to expose hypocrisy and bigotry which, ultimately, nearly cost him his life. Though he did not win against Ronald Reagan, the free speech battles he fought during his run ultimately changed the Constitution by expanding the First Amendment to include satire and parody. The Supreme Court win effectively allowed comedians, cartoonists and any of us to critique those in power without fear of retribution.
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President Trump is the worst President of all time is a horrible and deeply shallow reading of American history. Which is exactly why it trends so well online: there’s no need to read the room if the room isn’t well-read. Because way before modern anti-establishment candidates cannonballed into Washington’s swamp, there was Larry Flynt in the 80s. Nadia Szold’s riveting documentary Larry Flynt for President showcases his bizarre 1983 Republican primary run against Ronald Reagan. Following an assassination attempt by a white supremacist that left him paralyzed, Flynt launched a satirical, drug-fueled, yet deeply impactful assault on government overreach. The doc is packed with unreleased footage of a man pushing First Amendment boundaries to the absolute limit. (Good marketing from Hulu streaming a documentary about the first amendment, free speech, extreme 80s absurdity, and political hypocrisy on October 1st.) In this awful era of trigger warnings and shouting down speakers, it’s valuable to review Flynt’s free speech fights while we pine for a similar advocate/superhero to emerge. We’ve had the Big Signal lit up for years, but nobody comes to the roof.
Tuesday, October 06
The Mother and the Bear (Anytime / Crave)
After an accident leaves her daughter Sumi comatose in Winnipeg, Sara arrives from Seoul. While using Sumi’s dating app, the meddling mother embarks on a transformative personal journey.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CINEMA A TO Z: CREATURE FEATURES (ANYTIME / HOLLYWOOD SUITE)
From Spielberg’s Jaws, to Hitchcock’s The Birds, and the sinister rats of Willard, film history is a veritable menagerie of terrifying beasts at sea, in the air and on land. Whether mammal, bird, insect, fish, or reptile – Cinema A to Z: Creature Features unleashes 26 cinematic creatures to fuel your nightmares.
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Cinema A to Z: Creature Features is a brand-new original documentary-episode premiering exclusively on Hollywood Suite. The episode acts as a curated celebration of history’s most sinister beasts, tracking 26 renowned cinematic monsters across the alphabet—ranging from Spielberg’s Jaws and Hitchcock’s The Birds to the cult-classic rats of Willard. Especially with the dedicated ‘70s and ‘80s channels, Hollywood Suite is ideal Happy Halloween for connoisseurs of murky monster movies, pulpy sci-fi and campy drive-in double-features. Like I recommend The Thing. John Carpenter’s practical effects masterpiece brims with mounting paranoia and isolated Antarctic chills. Thankfully, things really heat up by the end of the movie. This film is fire, fire, fire.
Wednesday, October 07
Who Is Martin Mull? (Anytime / Netflix)
Musician, cult comedian, unlikely TV fixture, acclaimed painter – Martin Mull spent his life becoming someone new, and no version was ever what anyone expected. This candid, star-studded documentary, directed by Bob Saget and Neil Berkeley, traces his restless reinvention from smoky folk clubs to primetime sitcoms to gallery walls, told in his own words and by the friends who watched it happen, including Steve Martin, Tom Waits, David Alan Grier and others. Witty, honest and life-affirming, it’s the story of a comedy icon who, as he put it, “had a hell of a ride.” Co-directed by Bob Saget.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CARRIE: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
The official trailer begins to pull back the curtain on the urgent and arresting reinvention of Stephen King’s iconic story, offering a revealing glimpse at how the series expands the world, bringing new depth and complexity to its beloved characters while exploring the forces that shape Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) as she navigates the cruelty and pressure of the modern world – building toward a single, shattering night. But how much do we really know about Carrie – or what happened in Chamberlain?
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Having Matthew Lillard — unhinged Stu who slaughtered half his high school due to “peer pressure” — playing a kind, caring “let’s put the pal in Principal” …trying to soothe Carrie White and prevent a school massacre is hilarious casting. Y’all are gonna Scream as you perish. Solid OG Scream meta-casting joke! But otherwise…Where’s The Horror?! There’s no horror in Flanagan’s Carrie. The Mean Girls were meme to Carrie White and…so what?! It’s just flawed Breakfast Club with TK: tropes for dopes. The modernization neutralizes all the horror. 70s Carrie was barbaric: a nub after petting Cujo.
Thursday, October 08
Saban (6:00 p.m. / ESPN)
The 6-part docuseries tells the story of Saban’s remarkable career, highlighted by his 17 seasons at Alabama, where he led the Crimson Tide to six national championships and reestablished the program as the preeminent force in college football. It is directed by Russell Dinallo.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BELOW: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) is a big hearted but stubborn fisherman living in a small Newfoundland town, who’s still haunted by his father’s mysterious death from decades ago. When an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing his hometown, Calvin must fight to hold his close-knit community together. Determined to keep his son Wade (Charlie Heaton) and the rest of his family safe, he teams up with a visiting marine researcher (Mackenzie Davis) to confront the creature and reveal the island’s buried secrets before it’s too late.
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A blue-collar coastal thriller series centered on an ancient, Lovecraftian aquatic entity. If Apple’s Widow’s Bay screams Stephen King, Netflix’s Below deftly channels Jeff Lemire. Just as King codified New England horror (small coastal towns, festering dread, ancient curses and vicious monsters), Lemire is forging a parallel archetype for Canadiana noir. Below delivers sharp underwater paranoia and unrelenting creature-feature dread straight from… The Abyss.
Friday, October 09
Matchbox The Movie (Anytime / Apple TV)
Inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, “Matchbox The Movie” is an action-packed, globe-trotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER (ANYTIME / DISNEY+ & HULU)
From writer and creator Steven Knight and directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, “Oasis: Don’t Look Back InAnger” charts Liam and Noel Gallagher’s triumphant reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, one of the most anticipated rock ‘n’ roll comebacks of our time. The film is an unapologetically uplifting account of the biggest musical event of 2025, capturing the experience and emotions of the band and their fans across the world. The unique perspective includes rehearsal, backstage, and onstage access as well as the first joint interviews with Noel and Liam in over 20 years. Alongside the band’s sold-out world tour, the film also explores the profound emotional impact of this phenomenal global cultural moment and what their music means to audiences and generations worldwide.
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Bust out your best bucket hat and pop the Champagne Supernova…Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger is streaming starting today. Some Might Say…with streaming this documentary about Rock and Roll Stars with no Masterplan will Live Forever. D’ You Know What I Mean? (You try making a pun with Wonderwall.)
Saturday, October 10
Get Jiro: Season 1 (Anytime / HBO Max)
Brian Tee, Titus Welliver, Alison Pill, and Justin Kirk head the voice cast for this adaptation of the Vertigo graphic novel of the same name by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose that is set in a post-apocalyptic future Los Angeles where chefs are the ultimate celebrities.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: JAMIE FOXX: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)
Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself delivers a much-needed dose of self-care in his most honest, evolved, and unforgettable chapter yet.
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In April 2023, Jamie Foxx suffered a sudden, mysterious medical complication that shook his fans and left the silver screen industry on edge. He openly joked about the brain bleed that led to a stroke on his 2024 Netflix special: Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… I am so glad he is still with us making dumb jokes. Those are the best kinds of jokes. A Jamie Foxx special is Black church: part intimate stand-up comedy and part raw, confessional documentary. Take Care of Yourself cements his comeback (culturally and I suppose physically). It’s Foxx, so we can expect a deeply emotional evening filled with his trademark high-energy impressions, musical intervals and a sarcastic yet powerful message about resilience, family and the vital importance of listening to your body all delievered… In Living Color.
Sunday, October 11
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2 (Anytime / Tubi & Crave)
Inspired by R.L. Stine’s beloved The Haunting Hour, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2 follows Sam (Bean Reid) and Becka (Adeline Lo) as they race to stop a new Pumpkinhead curse from claiming the entire town of Redhaven.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DISCLOSURE DAY (ANYTIME / PEACOCK & PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)
If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? Now the truth belongs to seven billion people in an original event film.
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In Disclosure Day there’s so many Day The Earth Stood Still elements just remixed for a modern audience. (That 1951 sci-fi movie is still dope and still relevant.) If this was closer to Mulder-X-Files I’d be there opening weekend. But this is Spielberg who isn’t good at sci-fi. Rather, Disclosure Day is like soft Signs. Steven Spielberg sucks at sci-fi: E.T., Close Encounters of the Crap Kind, War of the Worlds etc. I’ll Disclose that everyday.
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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.
