#SetTheVCR for June 2025
There's Nothing Jejune About These June TV Recommendations...
Yo…
Welcome to June!
June makes me laugh because I can hear this Tracy Morgan line from Bona Fide: “With all due respect to the women, if you don’t lose weight by June 24, you gonna be fat all summer!”
I’m excited for this Summer. I don’t have any plans, though.
No trips planned.
Not sure what I want to do.
I got family in Cleveland, though. I’d enjoy a long weekend there. I wanna visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for SNL: Ladies & Gentleman…50 Years of Music “a comprehensive and immersive exhibit celebrating the iconic show’s musical history, storied performances, and sketches.”
So that’s something. We’ll see what happens in June and July.
What is all scheduled is lots of TV.
What’s on TV in June? Why, it’s the NBA Finals.
🏀Smell Ya Later Timothée Chalamet…
Thanks for nothing Timothée Chalamet—subpar clown.
For the past week, the NBA has been relentlessly horny and annoying trying to make Timothée Chalamet a Knicks thing.
He’s a punk kid. I dunno why he was sitting courtside. At minimum he should be five rows back. Courtside is for cultural contributions. The fool can move up when he has notable cultural accomplishments.
Knicks are Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Chuck D, Tracy Morgan...countless others that have a distinct body of work. They’ve made culture and moved culture.
That’s New York City. That’s the Knicks. Their loyalty makes em royalty.
The tragic elimination of the Knicks mercifully sent Timothée Chalamet to his dumb home to make dumb things. (My A.I. editor suggested replacing dumb home to make dumb things with “to make more soft, forgettable art.” Hah, amazing. That does sound like a Sammy thing to say. Thanks robot…you get me.)
Come back when you have a notable body of work. Sadly, ditto for the Knicks.
Word: last night the Pacers soundly defeated the Knicks to claim an NBA berth: 125 to 108.
Sigh.
That’s the expected destiny of the Leafs in the NHL.
Are the Knicks the Leafs of the NBA?
Are the Cowboys the Leafs of the NFL?
I’ll always have a soft spot for the New York Knicks. I don’t believe I am alone.
Fantastic foes during the Bulls-Jordan era. I interviewed Chris Herring author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s. He detailed how close the ‘90s Knicks to victory: one year taking Bulls to Game 7. Patrick Ewing shatters his wrist. Larry Johnson has a really bad back and a busted knee in another playoff run. Even when they arrived at the Finals, they couldn’t close the deal. Always inches away.
Towards the end of our conversation. Chris summed up the ‘90s Knicks this way:
“They had so many close calls. I think part of what made them so fascinating—they’re not quite as compelling and quite as interesting to me if it’s not a heartbreak story. If they win…they’re not remembered in this heartbreak fashion that keeps them so vivid in a lot of people’s memories.”
That’s it right there. That’s the Knicks.
Knicks are Knicks when they break your heart.
Even when Timothée Chalamet is clowning up the front row.
Sigh.
📺 Smell Ya Later Inside The NBA…
However, last night’s primary tragedy was the landmark conclusion to TNT’s marvelous run. From 1989 to 2025 (or for 36 years) the TNT cable network held the rights to broadcast NBA games.
I’ve been rolling with most of those guys for most of those 36 years.
TNT is (was?) among the best NBA game broadcast packagers. So good. So fun. Even when the games were blowouts Inside The NBA was electric, unpredictable, sarcastic and flat out fun.
There’s been a recent flood of In Memoriam articles, podcasts and more about the demise of TNT basketball. They each offer viable explanations for the success of this iconic basketball show that truly transcended basketball and became culture.
Our Culture.
My Culture.
My In Memoriam contribution comes from Bono, U2’s front man. Bono was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience—impressively Episode #2330 (wow, good job Joe!)—released on May 30, 2025. It still has that new episode smell.
Bono wisely revealed:
“And I don’t trust people to talk about freedom now. I want people to be free. If you are, if you talk, be it then, be it. Yeah. And so I wanted to be that on stage. I wanted to be loose. I wanted to be myself. I wanted to own up to the ridiculousness of my life.”
What made Inside the NBA so good was freedom.
Freedom to joke.
Freedom to call out nonsense.
Freedom to riff, to go off-script, to be real—on live TV.
Freedom to accurately criticize NBA players.
Freedom to mock those big ole women of San Antonio.
Freedom to let the others around you to be fully authentic.
Freedom to pray because the Sun doesn’t shine every single day.
Freedom to hope after a hard loss (and I’m not talking about basketball games).
Freedom to simply be…free.
After winning a sports Emmy in 2024 Ernie Johnson’s acceptance speech was dripping with gratitude:
“We can all be grateful for what we do. Who in this room doesn’t consider what they have a 'get to' job. I get to do this. I get to work with Kenny and Chuck and Shaq. So I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for this family at TNT. 35 years I’ve been at this company. I get to go to work with you guys, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. There’s no reason for me to be standing here tonight. But I’ll take it.”
For true…NBA basketball games and deeply sarcastic responses to those games: I enjoy both those things.
Still, my heart.
Anything we can do to make freedom contagious makes our world better.
The utter joy of all pop culture is freedom!
Freedom drives creativity, invention and prosperity.
Independence is more valuable than acceptance.
Prince (a fellow basketball fan who is fully qualified to sit courtside) wrote in The Beautiful Ones:
“If I want this book to be about one overarching thing, it’s freedom. And the freedom to create autonomously. Without anyone telling you what to do or how or why. Our consciousness is programmed. We see things a certain way from a young age—we’re programmed to keep doing them that way. Then you have to spend adulthood learning how to overcome it, to read out the programs. Try to create. I want to tell people to create. Just start by creating your day. Then create your life.”
Be a light.
Be different.
Be freedom.
If you have HBO Max I highly recommend checking out the four-part docuseries The Inside Story which premiered back in 2021. It’s the story of how we got here.
One of the supa dupa benefits of hosting My Summer Lair is streamers send me advance episodes.
I’ve already finished Murderbot: Season 1. (Please keep watching, I want a second season!)
I’m currently half way through Nautilus on AMC. (Which as you’ll see down below won’t be broadcast until June 29.)
I write notes/reviews/observations about what I watch to determine if it’s #CouchWorthy.
Here’s 4 recent #CouchWorthy posts:
#CouchWorthy: Bono: Stories of Surrender
#CouchWorthy: Super Team Canada
#CouchWorthy: Murderbot: Season 1
#CouchWorthy: SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
I’ll be writing about Nautilus soon.
As well, I got annoyed watching Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem a Rob Ford documentary coming soon to Netflix.
But for now…for June 2025 I present 5 TV recommendations that freely offer magic and demand you #SetTheVCR.
Friday, June 6
Resident Alien: Season 4 (11:00 p.m. / USA & SYFY)
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Resident Alien Season 4 starts with Harry (Alan Tudyk) and his baby Bridget stuck in prison on the Grey Moonbase, while a shape-shifting Alien called a Mantid (also Alan Tudyk) has taken over his body on Earth passing himself off as the real Harry Vanderspeigle. Harry manages to escape the Greys and arrives back on Earth for a showdown with the Mantid Alien, but soon finds he may not have what he needs to finish the job.
“Based on the Dark Horse comics, Resident Alien follows a crash-landed alien named Harry and his life on planet Earth. The fourth season starts with Harry and his baby, Bridget, stuck in prison on the Grey Moonbase, while a shape-shifting Alien called a Mantid has taken over his body on Earth, passing himself off as the real Harry Vanderspeigle.”
An un-fun-fact that only Max has discovered so far. Another un-fun-fact is Sheriff Mike suspects the mysterious deaths in Patience aren’t caused by anything human. (That character is my favourite on the show.)
So much for Harry’s secret mission is to kill all humans.
In season three, Harry vowed to work with General McCallister to rid the Earth of the Grey aliens, a task made more difficult when he discovered that the Grey Hybrid Joseph had taken a job in town as the new Deputy.
Thanks to the aliens Earth is in danger and the only one who can save it is…an alien.
There’s a lot going on and it’s all wonderfully sarcastic. Highly Recommended; Resident Alien is Must See TV.
Rather than drop the traditional trailer I offer an official three season recap issued by the TV series.
Programming Note: This season is 10 episodes. Episodes will be available to stream on Peacock one week after they air on USA and SYFY. And I know I posted the American TV details however in Canada you can watch Resident Alien on CTV Sci- Fi channel on June 6 at 11 p.m.
Friday, June 13
NBA Finals: Game 4 (8:30 p.m. / ABC)
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The NBA Finals are where legends are made, and the season’s not over until a team is handed the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The NBA Finals began on Thursday, June 1 on ABC with the OKC Thunder having home court advantage.
The rather dry Wikipedia entry of the NBA Finals begins: “The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.”
All of that is true but this is the most exciting basketball stage.
This is it: 4 wins away from claiming an NBA Championship.
I fully expected the Thunder to reach the Finals.
But, honestly? I did not see the Pacers playing in June. I’m not a "Fox News Viewer" during the NBA season; I don’t just blindly watch my home team. (I can’t stand that junk. That’s not loyalty that’s strictly obtuse ignorance.)
I watch a variety of teams during the long season...and Pacers seemed...decent.
But nothing I saw from East teams made me pause; I fully expected Boston to repeat. When Jayson Tatum went down that belief shattered.
OKC is formidable but that’s the inspiring beauty of sports...a complete disregard of the odds.
What better way to spend Friday the 13th seeing which team is lucky enough to win it all. By Game 4 we’ll have a full sense of 2025 NBA Finals.
One Shall Stand; One Shall Fall.
Tuesday, June 17
Justin Willman: Magic Lover (Anytime / Netflix)
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Sleight-of-hand sorcery. Mischievous mind games. Mind-blowing illusions. Justin Willman conjures up laughs in a special where comedy and magic collide.
Towards the end of Magic for Humans the show’s charming host and magician Justin Willman performed...naked.
Indeed he performed at a nudist ranch. As someone who detests pants and enjoys magic this was spectacular. (I suspect for his current Illusionati tour he is clothed. Boo!)
Magic for Humans was silly and satisfying. Willman’s Netflix follow up The Magic Prank Show lacked the delight of Humans.
He’s back with a new…I guess half comedy stand-up special slash magic special: Magic Lover. And this is magic. Welcome back to Netflix Justin Willman. So making a tea for this special because it really is.
I’m ecstatic he’s back.
Programming Note: Back in 2020 I interviewed Justin for Season 3 of Magic for Humans. You can check that out; via this link. I was thrilled I got to talk to him. It’s wonderful interviewing magicians. I learn so much about trust and deception.
Friday, June 27
Young Werther (Anytime / Crave)
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A writer stumbles across the love of his life only to discover that the young woman is engaged. Despite the urgings of his hypochondriac best friend, he soon turns his world upside down in a desperate, misguided and hilarious quest to win her heart.
Honestly: if you’ve enjoyed (500) Days of Summer chances are you’ll adore Young Werther.
Alison Pill is the girl and the boy is…well: you decide: Patrick J. Adams or Douglas Booth?
Douglas Booth plays said Young Werther. One fateful day he’s smitten with Alison Pill (Charlotte).
There’s just one pesky problem: Charlotte is engaged to Patrick J. Adams (Albert). See?
I’ve covered Young Werther in the My Pal Sammy dispatch Young Werther: “Love is blind. It’s dumb, too.” issued on January 10, 2025. (Man, my titles/headlines suck. I really need to outsource that obvious weakness to A.I. Thanks for putting up with me.)
That link brings to a sassy fun interview with the movie’s writer and director José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço. If you’re in the mood for an intimate movie briming with heart and soul all clearly set in Toronto…as in Toronto this is your jam.
Sunday, June 29
Nautilus: Season 1 (9:00 p.m. / AMC & AMC+)
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Nautilus tells the origin story of the iconic Captain Nemo: an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him.
Series Premiere: Jules Verne is in the house!
However, this series is a reimagining of Jules Verne’s 1870 classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, presenting an origin story for Captain Nemo (an Indian prince-turned-crusading scientist.).
Like Doctor Who Nemo and his followers managed to successfully take over the Nautilus and escape out to sea.
“Now hunted by the East India Company and its vengeful Director Crawley, both of whom want the Nautilus back and Nemo dead, Nemo and his motley crew sail beneath the seas on a mission of retribution and vengeance to utterly destroy the power of the Company…and the Company itself.”
This is a big show…lots of spectacle. And I can’t fathom if it’s gonna be just Season 1 or end up being reclassified as a Limited Series.
Jules Verne is dope so even if you can’t see this series...check out Jules Verne’s books. Highly Recommended Reading.
Programming Note: Nautilus premieres with two episodes on Sunday, June 29, at 9 p.m. on AMC. Additional episodes will premiere weekly on Sundays until the thrilling two-episode season finale on Sunday, August 17. You can stream the series on AMC+ as well.
Those are five-ish #SetTheVCR highlights so your June can be blessed with magic.
Don’t forget to check out #SetTheVCR every week: Watch More TV!
#SetTheVCR Bonus: It’s All Gonna Break
We’re going through an interesting Canadian musical moment.
On Thursday (May 29) Prime Video announced Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd. There’s enough demand and interest in a Simple Plan documentary? Apparently. That’ll be Prime’s follow up to The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal which premiered on Prime Video in 2024.
In the past I’ve covered the Blue Rodeo: Lost Together; you can see that on CBC Gem.
And there’s Hate to Love: Nickelback streaming on Netflix-Canada. I guested on The Last Show with David Cooper podcast back on July 1st, 2024 (Canada Day!) to gab about Nickelback hate:
More recent Canadian music doc examples? Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind came out in 2019. Same year as I’m Going to Break Your Heart featuring Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk.
I dunno how many Leonard Cohen docs I’ve seen by now but in 2022 I really enjoyed Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song.
And to all these sonic examples come June 2nd on Crave you can watch It’s All Gonna Break. Tis a Broken Social Scene documentary.
(The documentary is produced by Ann Shin…she’s a fantastic documentary filmmaker. Check out her work in A.Rtificial I.Mmortality and she produced episodes of Stay Tooned which you can see on CBC Gem. It’s a fascinating docuseries on the history and evolution of cartoons.)
It’s All Gonna Break is directed by Stephen Chung and over at Indie88 the one and only Lana Gay talked to him about the doc. (If you don’t know Lana Gay, tune into Indie88…she’s outstanding. Like Strombo only female with cowboy boots.)
Here’s her conversation with Stephen…asking him about the magical chaos he smoothly captured on film:
So yeah: “Almost 20 years later, the time is now,” the press release reads. “It’s All Gonna Break is a journey of how art is made, how it’s protected, how it impacts people all over the globe, how relationships change…and how we all have to grow up, eventually.”
The Crave release adds: “This unconventional POV documentary features Chung’s never-before-seen archival footage capturing a creatively rich era in Toronto and paying tribute to the power of indie music, friendship and the artists who started out in Toronto bars before rocketing to global fame.”
I will for sure check out this documentary; I trust Lana Gay.
In the documentary Strombo confirms: “It’s kind of the most Toronto band ever. To close the chapter of when we were a city that made rock bands.” I’m not a big Broken Social Scene fan, though I do know their music.
Honestly? During that era I gravitated towards The Stars, Arcade Fire, Feist, Metric…even Basia Bulat and Hot Chip. (But not TV on the Radio. Thanks but no thanks…yuck. And in 2012 Wake Owl released Wild Country which is remains stunning. I feel like I betrayed that band; I shoulda done more to share their music. Sorry.)
Early 2000s Canada was a special scene; so much amazing music. Beyond all that I listed there was Gob, Billy Talent, Moist, Silverstein, Matthew Good Band, Alexisonfire and of course Sum 41.
That was a distinct you hadda be there era.
In Canada we worked hard to discover a Canadian Green Day. I dunno that we ever did, though.
#SetTheVCR on June 2 on Crave for It’s All Gonna Break.
Who should be the next Canadian rock band to score a documentary?
Half Of My Documentary Is Me Taking Naps…
Sammy Younan
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.