Woah: are Januarys always this good and this hectic and crammed with so much good stuff? This feels like a special month. Savour it.

Sunday, January 12
Sammy Suggestion: The Outsider (9 p.m. & 10 p.m. / HBO)
I’m offering up a Please Don’t Suck for The Outsider. Red Flag No. 1: Stephen King book to movie/tv show as a genre is generally pretty awful. Sure IT did and was well but 2019 alone saw Doctor Sleep, In The Tall Grass and Pet Sematary. Errr…yeah. Red Flag No. 2 if you’ve read the remarkable book it turns out it was?surprise!?connected to King’s Bill Hodges trilogy so technically it’s the fourth book as it deals with some of the traumatic aftermath from the previous books. That’s a key development in the adaption just to leave out. Red Flag No. 3 Justine Lupe wonderfully played Holly Gibney in Mr. Mercedes’ 3 seasons; only in The Outsider, Cynthia Erivo is Holly Gibney. As we’ve seen with James Bond and Doctor Who these actor transitions are not always smooth or good. So I will watch but I will be praying: Please Don’t Suck.

Monday, January 13
The New Pope: Season 1 (9 p.m. / HBO)
Frontline: America’s Great Divide: Obama to Trump (9 p.m. / PBS)

Sammy Suggestion: College Football Playoff National Championship (8 p.m. / ESPN & ESPN2)
This is a heavyweight bout. There will be aftershocks on Tuesday morning. We haven’t seen a rumble like this since Optimus Prime and Megatron began their final battle.

“One shall stand, one shall fall.”
“Why throw your life away so recklessly?”

“That’s a question you should ask yourself, Megatron.”
“No! I’ll crush you with my bare hands!”

Sammy’s Prediction: The entire game will be close and Clemson wins.

Tuesday, January 14
Leslie Jones: Time Machine Netflix

Sammy Suggestion: Frontline: America’s Great Divide: Obama to Trump (9 p.m. / PBS)
This is a bit of a cheat…I apologize for that. Tonight is the second part of Frontline: America’s Great Divide: Obama to Trump. Last night was actually part 1! According to the media release: “Part One traces how Barack Obama’s promise of unity collapsed as increasing racial, cultural and political divisions laid the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump. Part Two examines how Trump’s campaign exploited the country’s divisions, how his presidency has unleashed anger on both sides of the divide, and what America’s polarization could mean for the country’s future.” I’m not keen on Trump docs as they quickly veer into predictability however Frontline is known for doing a great job documenting This American Life.

Wednesday, January 15
Grace & Frankie Netflix
The Magicians: Season 5 (10 p.m. / Syfy)

Sammy Suggestion: Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez Netflix
Granted the New England Patriots have always been known as killers this however is a dark example. That whole true crime trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down; thankfully it’s rife with Serial offenders. Though sadly in Aaron Hernandez’s case CTE was a contributing factor so the case isn’t exactly open and shut.

Thursday, January 16
Sammy Suggestion: The Last Days of Richard Pryor (9 p.m. / ABC)
In his acceptance speech for the Mark Twain Prize For American Humor Dave Chappelle said this about standup comedy: “There’s something so true about this genre, when done correctly, that I will fight anybody that gets in a true practitioner of this art form’s way. ‘Cause I know you’re wrong. This is the truth, and you are obstructing it. I’m not talking about the content; I’m talking about the art form.” Impressively eloquent. And relevant because one of comedy’s greatest contributors (and the first winner of Mark Twain Prize) is Richard Pryor. We lost him in 2005; so thankfully we’re actively trying to keep his work alive.

Friday, January 17
Sex Education: Season 2 Netflix
Ares: Season 1 Netflix
Troop Zero Amazon Prime Video
Russell Peters: Deported Amazon Prime Video
Spider-Man: Far From Home Crave
Real Time with Bill Maher: Season 18 Premiere (10 p.m. / Comedy Central)

Sammy Suggestion: Titans: Hip Hop Evolution: Season 4 Netflix
The fourth and final season of Netflix’s incredible origin of rap docuseries. To recap:
Season 1 was DJ Kool Herc and rap’s origin story: Block Parties.

Season 2 was gangsta rap and 90s glory: House Parties.

Season 3 is Jay-Z, OutKast, Snoop Dogg and more: Award Show Parties.

All 3 seasons hosted by Shad K. So: what kind of party will Season 4 be?

Saturday, January 18
Sammy Suggestion: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (8 p.m. / HBO)
Honestly? I’m disappointed the tagline for Godzilla: King of the Monsters doesn’t employ the phrase “balls to the wall” everybody at WB marketing is fired. (One of the taglines is “Prepare To Throw Down” which isn’t bad…) Also acceptable? RUCKUS! Monster Fight Club…that’s all this is. Ruckus and Monster Fight Club. That should be the tagline. Clean out your desk out before noon WB marketing guy.

-28-

Listen to My Summer Lair @ W • T • F

Also published on Medium.