Have I Got News for You: I got TV Recommendations for you Winter Spring Summer or Fall. From the Highest 2 Lowest this is #SetTheVCR.
Monday, September 01
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out (9:00 p.m. / VH1)
Taped in front of a live audience in Atlanta, this upcoming slate reignites the high-energy, old-school vs. new-school competition, blending comedic legends and rising stars in a celebration of wild, unfiltered fun. You know what it is…
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WHEN WE WENT MAD! (ANYTIME / HOOPLA)
A historical documentary and tribute to the legacy and influence of MAD Magazine featuring interviews with MAD celebrity readers, along with MAD artists, writers, and editors; affectionately known as the Usual Gang of Idiots.
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Alfred E. Neuman would say: “What, me worry?” But you should worry about missing When We Went Mad! now streaming on Hoopla. From Weird Al to Tarantino, this #SetTheVCR recommendation will thrill the Usual Gang of Idiots who enjoy Sammy Suggestions. Mad Magazine got a Last Dance, yo! Well-earned.
Tuesday, September 02
The New Boy (Anytime / Hulu)
When an Aboriginal child arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun (Cate Blanchett) in 1940s Australia, the new boy’s presence disturbs a delicately balanced world in this story of tradition and the cost of survival.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE RICH EISEN SHOW (NOON / ESPN & DISNEY+)
Originating out of Los Angeles, The Rich Eisen Show combines sports, humor and pop culture, alongside an array of signature guests. Since launching in 2014, The Rich Eisen Show features the biggest names in sports and entertainment including Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, Deion Sanders, Robert DeNiro, Matt Damon, Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and other notables.
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I dig The Rich Eisen Show. It’s a smart mixture of comedy and guests and entertainment. Think Conan O’Brien’s podcast meets The Dan Le Batard Show. I’m glad access to this “local cable access show” is now increasing.
Wednesday, September 03
Wednesday: Season 2 – Part 2 (Anytime / Netflix)
When her psychic powers falter, Wednesday must fight to regain them — or face deadly consequences for Enid and others at Nevermore.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WINTER SPRING SUMMER OR FALL (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
Remi (Jenna Ortega) has her future figured out. Then she meets Barnes (Percy Hynes White), who lives for the moment and makes her question everything. As their love story unfolds through the summer, Remi faces a choice – stick to the plan she’s always known or risk it all for a life she never saw coming?
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Today you can love Jenna Ortega in fresh Wednesday or today you can watch Jenna Ortega fall in love. Either way? What’s not to love across Winter Spring Summer or Fall?
Thursday, September 04
The Paper: Season 1 (Anytime / Peacock & 10 p.m. / Showcase )
The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch in the The Office finds a new subject when they discover a historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it. Programming Note: For Peacock this is a binge release. For Showcase in Canada, it’s a weekly release.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NFL CLASSICS: AFTER FURTHER REVIEW (ANYTIME / VICE TV)
In each hour-long episode, the series reexamines one of the NFL’s most unforgettable games – this time through the eyes of the players who lived it and the die-hard celebrity fans who can’t forget it.
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An excellent warmup to the NFL season by looking back and seeing…how did we get here? Sept. 10 – Super Bowl LIV: Chiefs vs. 49ers, with Heidi Gardner, Eric Stonestreet & Chris Jones. Sept. 17 – 2010 AFC Divisional: Jets vs. Patriots, with Bart Scott & Method Man. Sept. 24 – Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams vs. Titans, with Kurt Warner & Cedric the Entertainer. That closes out September, there’s more NFL games and celebrity debates in October. In the grand scheme of things, this won’t make a lick of difference. But history is always gold when you consider the NFL is over 100 years old.
Friday, September 05
NFL Kickoff: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers (8:00 p.m. / YouTube)
The NFL season kicks off in in São Paulo with the Chiefs. There was an Eagles game last night but eh, I’m cool with the Chiefs. The 106th season of the National Football League is set to end on January 4, 2026. The playoffs are scheduled to start on January 10, and conclude with Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8. Let’s Go!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HIGHEST 2 LOWEST (ANYTIME / APPLE TV+)
When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the “best ears in the business,” is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
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Denzel Washington and Spike Lee and New York City. That’s the entire hook. This is their fifth collaboration, by now you know the deal. You’re either in or you’re out. (Admittedly, I’m bit annoyed it’s an “English-language remake and reinterpretation” (what does that even mean?!) of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film High and Low. (Which was an adaptation of the 1959 novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain.) Still, here we are.)
Saturday, September 06
Beavis and Butt-Head: Season 1-2 (Anytime / Paramount+)
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Slight cheat today, you can stream the first two seasons and their animated movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe on Paramount+. However for Mike Judge’s Beavis And Butt-Head: Season 3 you can watch that om Comedy Central: Wednesday’s at 10:30 p.m. So #SetTheVCR for that.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU: SEASON 3 (9:00 P.M. / CNN)
Have I Got News for You aims to serve up a smart and edgy take on the news of the week, as the comic trio led by Roy Wood Jr. guides a rotating collection of guests through an array of comic games and quick-witted panel conversations that test their knowledge of current events.
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CNN is funny; thank to Roy Wood Jr. “Have I Got News for You is a comedy panel show which delivers comic observations from the satirical to the surreal through the lens of a news quiz show. Hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with acclaimed comedians Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black serving as team captains. The series serves up a smart take on the news of the week through games that test panelists knowledge of current events.” It is charmingly sarcastic. Notable guests during the first two seasons included Dave Foley, Andy Richter, Mark McKinnon, Ana Navarro, Larry Wilmore, Adam Kinzinger, Anthony Scaramucci, Bomani Jones, Representative Ro Khanna, George Wallace and journalist/host Kara Swisher. See? CNN is funny. This is a witty way to stay current. Mock the news and the clickbait will flee from you. Programming Note: All episodes of Have I Got News For You can be streamed on HBO Max.
Sunday, September 07
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Season 3 (Anytime / AMC+)
Season three follows Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier as they continue their journey to somehow return home and to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TASK: LIMITED SERIES (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)
Set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.
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It’s a crime drama (I assume it’s a gritty crime drama!) from the creator of Mare of Easttown. What makes this HBO series different is that the criminal Ruffalo is tasked with apprehending—Robbie (Tom Pelphrey)—isn’t a standard issue criminal or even a James Bond villian. Dude is a family man, quiet, almost invisible. How much bad does one person hafta commit to be truly bad, right? And that’s makes his cat-and-mouse chase with Mark Ruffalo so unique. It’s less about the action, and more about the why. While Ruffalo is your classic cop, torn between duty and doubt. Principal photography for Task began in March 2024 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. This is clearly a Bruce Springsteen song come to life…think Atlantic City meets Born To Run.
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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.
