#SetTheVCR for March 2025
Behold The Madness Of March and More With These TV Recommendations
Yo…
Oh it’s that time of year. It’s time for Madness.
Working from home has transformed the NCAA’s annual March Madness. (No Pants Are The Best Pants!!)
And as we hurtle towards all the glorious Madness NCAA basketball is heating up.
Fox Sports reported: “The Red Storm improved to 18-0 at home as they played in front of their third straight sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden and with coach Rick Pitino sporting a white suit for the second straight season.”
St. John’s Red Storm have won the outright Big East regular season championship for the first time since 1985. Has it really been since 1985?
Basketball is just better when St. John’s and the Knicks are rolling; I can’t fully articulate why. Maybe it’s the sacredness of Madison Square Garden? Yeah, maybe.
And other than St. John’s doing big things other college ball surprises are seeing thriving football schools.
Alabama is 23-6. Tennessee is 24-5. And of course Auburn is 27-2. (Every time Charles Barkley says something stupid or tries to spell on Inside The NBA, Shaq mocks his “Auburn education.” With Chuck’s NBA teams…the Sixers and Suns struggling (that was me being kind; they flat out suck) his bright spot is Auburn.)
March Madness starts with Selection Sunday on Sunday, March 16 at 6 p.m. on CBS.
Selection Sunday is when college basketball fans learn which men’s (and women’s) NCAA Division I teams earn the right to compete for a national title in the highly-coveted March Madness tournament.
The announcement comes two days before the start of the men’s tournament (and three days before the women’s).
The First Four games will be held at the University of Dayton’s arena in Dayton, Ohio on March 18-19. One Shall Stand; One Shall Fall.
Other key March Madness Dates:
Sweet 16: March 27-28
Elite Eight: March 29-30
Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
(I don’t watch women’s March Madness; hence the brackets. While Caitlin Clark is a fine player I don’t watch WNBA either. I don’t have the sports bandwidth. I enjoy basketball: from the NBA to Division 1 ball.
And I’ve recently added NFL…a game that I haven’t figured out. What little I understand I enjoy. So honestly, I can only handle 2 major sports leagues. After that I got hobbies and I want to take naps. MLS’ American popularity is exploding as well, though it doesn’t get written up with the hyperbolic headlines of the WNBA. Much success for both leagues; there’s just no room in my life. Drake is right: no new sports.)
I’ve only been to March Madness once; with my sister. The photo above was taken by moi in 2017. It was during the opening rounds. I was eliminated after that, hah.
(The 2017 NCAA tournament concluded with North Carolina defeating Gonzaga for the national title in Glendale, Arizona.)
In the past couple of years I’ve attended an NHL game and an NFL game (both in Vegas) and a Blue Jays…baseball game.
Like a doorknob I get around.
I’ve yet to attend any NBA Playoff games or even Finals games. Bucket lists, I suppose.
Are there any sports events or winner take all experiences on your Bucket List?
They say right before you die your life flashes before your eyes but I dunno if science has confirmed if those flashes are set to One Shining Moment. Heh…they should be!
Other than the Madness, what else is on TV in March?
If your New Year’s Resolutions includes Watch More TV, this #CouchWorthy list I prepared for January 2025 was loaded with Mid-Season premieres from High Potential to the return of The Rookie.
For February to Watch More TV, this #CouchWorthy list offers a number of full series offerings. Disney+ Canada has added Gilmore Girls, Prime Video Canada went with 24 and Netflix will stream A Different World starting on February 7.
March’s #CouchWorthy list is thin: Douglas is Cancelled a British limited series makes it’s North America Premiere on Britbox. That’s a notable highlight. And the first season of Laid which streamed on December 19, 2024 on Peacock comes to Canada on March 24 on the W Network.
For March 2025 I present 5 mostly dark but not dire…dark recommendations for you to #SetTheVCR.
Tuesday, March 4
Daredevil: Born Again: Season 1 (Anytime / Disney+)
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A blind lawyer with heightened abilities Matt Murdock fights for justice while former crime boss Wilson Fisk pursues his campaign as the mayor of New York City, causing their past identities to collide.
“You loved me as a loser, but now you’re worried that I just might win. You know the way to stop me but, you don’t have the discipline. How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin. Well it’s Father’s Day and everybody’s wounded. First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.” Leonard Cohen clearly writing about Daredevil. Hornhead has been Born Again. Praise Marvel Jesus; fear not: it’s a TV miracle.
Tuesday, March 4
Andrew Schulz: Life (Anytime / Netflix)
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In this razor-sharp yet heartfelt special, Andrew Schulz unpacks the wildest moment of his life — becoming a father. Making a baby isn’t easy. In LIFE, Andrew Schulz’s most personal special yet, he takes us on a hilarious and humbling journey of trying to start a family. Schulz breaks down the chaos of IVF like only he can. From pumping out samples to dodging emotional landmines, it’s raw, it’s real, and it’ll make you grateful your swimmers (probably) work.
Shortly before last Halloween I was graciously gifted an Andrew Schulz ticket. The final shows of The Life Tour included a Casino Rama stop. (Granted he also hosted two shows at Scotiabank Arena, where the Raptors play. However, while the Casino Rama dates involved a mini-road trip, it’s also an excellent opportunity to hit up the casino buffet, which I did. It was yummy.)
I had no idea what to expect: I don’t listen to his podcast. I haven’t watched his Netflix show. (Schulz Saves America; a four-part diatribe in which he dissected 2020 happenings I’ve seen it since. Super strange and yet super funny. Last Week Tonight without a desk.).
I was neither a fan or a hater. I know who he was and that was that.
According to Deadline: “In a bold move during his last tour, he bought back his most recent special, Infamous, from a major streamer after rejecting creative notes and distributed it independently. After amassing over 20 million views on YouTube, it became one of the platform’s most-watched comedy specials, cementing Schulz as a pioneer in direct-to-fan content distribution. Prior to Schulz Saves America, Schulz also went directly to YouTube with his specials, 5:5:1 and 4:4:1.”
As for Life? I was blown away. Classic “I’m walking here!” New York rudeness meets Jim Jefferies logic. This isn’t comedy bits about being a dad; rather it’s one long (epic) story about how he became a dad. It inches toward one man show, you know?
This is a comedy treat. Enjoy this like it’s a yummy casino buffet.
Programming Note: March is National Loud Mouth Month. We kicked off this month with Andrew Schulz: Life on Netflix. And now on March 14 we get Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years on Hulu. (You can be a jive sucker and sit through Iliza Shlesinger: A Different Animal on March 11 but why would you do that?)
Thursday, March 13
Adolescence: Limited Series (Anytime / Netflix)
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Adolescence tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school.
I watched the trailer trying to understand. I still don’t understand this. The plot...I get that. A 13-year-old kid is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school. That’s a standard British TV show plot. And I expect the dark drama to ripple out and taint others in the kid’s orbit. Also very British. All that, I get it.
However, murder is not the marketing hook. Each of the four episodes is filmed in one continuous shot. That means the drama unfolds in real-time. That’s strange. And that's what I don’t get.
So I’m curious; we saw lots of this stylish storytelling in Children Of Men with long (impressive) one takes. But how does that production serve this story? Isn’t that...distracting from the drama? Clearly, I’m an easily distracted Adolescence.
Programming Note: Adolescence stars Stephen Graham. Also on Netflix and also from the UK is Bodies another limited series filled with murder. Only in the first episode when the police find a naked, shot corpse in Longharvest Lane…that corpse is not from this time period. Oh, yo…now we got murder and time travel? Time to make some tea. Indeed.
“This event happens in the same location in four years – 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053 – and leads to four investigations by Metropolitan Police detectives that eventually become interlinked, with far-reaching consequences.” Super fun sci-fi series. Check that out, it just came out in 2023.
Friday, March14
The Electric State (Anytime / Netflix)
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Set in a retro-futuristic past, this blockbuster adventure from filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), an orphaned teenager who traverses the American West in search of her younger brother. Joining her on the journey is a sweet but mysterious robot and an eccentric drifter (Chris Pratt).
Whatsherface from Stranger Things and Whatshisface from Guardians of the Galaxy go on a spring road trip.
The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag is a 2018 dystopian science fiction graphic novel and it is stunning. Highly Recommended Reading. Go slow. Linger on every page. The graphic novel’s premise is: “A teen girl and her robot embark on a cross-country mission to the west coast of the United States in search of her long-lost brother.”
It’s set in an alternate technologically ravaged 1990s following a catastrophic war between humans and robots . (Exploring an alternate universe is my jam.)
From what has been released so far: The Russo Bros. seem to have done a solid job capturing many of the breathtaking visuals. Millie Bobby Brown is a concern, not sure she has the emotional depths to pull this off. There’s a lingering intimacy to The Electric State…as a graphic novel. It’s the feeling of a large wide shot to show the isolation and loneliness of a movie character, you know? It’s a big world with big robots and that can make the characters feel small.
And by intimacy it’s closer to the novel I Am Legend, rather than the Will Smith Blockbuster.
Netflix has said the plot is: “The Electric State tells the story of Michelle (Brown), a young woman with a sweet but mysterious robot. The pair reluctantly team up with eccentric drifter Keats (Pratt), and set out on a cross-country road trip to find Michelle’s younger brother. Along the way, they have to navigate an electrified, retro-futuristic US landscape.” That…doesn’t sound as compelling. We’ll see what they crank out.
Programming Note: Nobody watched the Simon Stålenhag adaptation on Prime Video in 2020: Tales From The Loop. I’ve been on a road trips where farts had more impact than that TV show. And it’s Mark Romanek, too. Fools. Some of it struggles, sure, but it’s moody and stylish with decent sci-fi. Years later is it worth a look? It’s there if you want it.
Sunday, March 23
David Blaine: Do Not Attempt (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+)
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This six-part series follows world-renowned magician and endurance artist David Blaine exploring the world through the lens of magic. David Blaine takes us on a fascinating cultural exchange and a jaw-dropping journey through extraordinary cultures, where he meets with performers and masters - kindred spirits who inspire and share with him exceptional skills (and secrets) - in Brazil, Southeast Asia, India, the Arctic Circle, South Africa and Japan.
It’s David Blaine. That’s the entire hook. Yes, he’s weird. And yes he’s creepy. But that’s what you pay David Blaine for.
And he’s exploring magic all over the world. It’s magic. And it’s David Blaine. I’m 100% IN.
Those are five-ish #SetTheVCR highlights to enjoy while you slowly go Mad in March. “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes.” Especially in…March.
Don’t forget to check out #SetTheVCR every week: Watch More TV!
Yo, Son!
With the release of Daredevil on Disney+ there is also this…ah, adult happy meal (so no toy!) from Mary Brown’s chicken.
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According to the press release: “The Hot Honey Sandwich features a 100% Canadian boneless chicken breast fillet, generously smothered in Mary Brown’s Chicken’s signature Hot Honey sauce. This unique sauce combines the natural sweetness of honey with an intense chili pepper kick, delivering a bold, fiery flavour that will excite the taste buds. The sandwich is fully loaded with crispy jalapeño bits, spicy mayo, pickles and tangy Monterey Jack cheese, all piled on a soft, buttery brioche bun for the ultimate flavour-packed experience.”
Oh, yes: I wonder if this super spicy Hot Honey Sandwich was made in Hell’s Kitchen?
Unlike Foggy; this is a choice winner. (Shots Fired!)
That looks delicious. I’m so hitting that. Heartburn, here I come!!
Thankfully With My Lousy Sense Of Direction; I Can Never Be Driven Mad…
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.