'Tis the season for lazy afternoons cozied up next to the fireplace with a hot drink and streaming services. Great Canadian detective stories and feel-good anthology series await those snowy days ahead — even Sylvester Stallone brings some fun. So get the kettle on, grab a woolly blanket and reunite with old friends like Wednesday Addams and Bilal Baig's Sabi.
Read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here for more streaming hits and misses.
Turn Off: Emancipation
(Apple TV+)
Antoine Fuqua has made some incredible films, but Emancipation is unfortunately not one of them. Fuqua attempts to use his trademark action expertise to create a tension-filled escape of Peter (Will Smith), an enslaved man journeying to freedom. While Smith turns in a good performance, and there certainly are anxiety-ridden scenes, Emancipation fails to create any meaningful connections between the story and its audience.
Tune In: Little America, Season 2
(Apple TV+)
Admittedly, Little America can be saccharine and has too many overly-dramatized moments, but as an anthology series that shows real migrant stories, it works. The sophomore season journeys across America, with characters including a keen Japanese baseball fan in Ohio and an Afghan piano prodigy in NYC, giving voice to those who make up the fabric of not just the US, but also adopted homelands around the world.
Tune In: Sort Of, Season 2
(CBC Gem)
Bilal Baig and friends returns for another season of their award-winning series, Sort Of. With the appearance of Sabi's traditionally-minded father and Bessy's recovery after waking up from a coma, Sort Of continues its thoughtful and meaningful discussion around gender, race, sexuality and belonging (all while being a very funny show). Baig remains one of Canada's most exciting talents to watch as they present a singular and nuanced intersection between South Asian, queer and Muslim media.
Turn Off: Spirited
(Apple TV+)
Call me a Grinch, but the festive team up of Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in a musical version of A Christmas Carol just didn't land with me. Shot with the same sterile aesthetic as a commercial for Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile or whatever Reynolds is hawking these days, Spirited feels cold and uninspired. If you're looking for some festive fare, Ferrell has better options.
Tune In: Three Pines
(Prime Video)
Based on the mystery novels of Canadian author Louise Penny, Three Pines follows the work of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Alfred Molina) in a small town in Quebec. Across eight episodes, Gamache solves four standalone murder mysteries, as well as an overarching investigation into the disappearance of young Indigenous women. Costarring Tantoo Cardinal and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Three Pines is an intriguing detective story that makes space for an important conversation all Canadians should engage with.
Tune In: Tulsa King
(Paramount+)
Sylvester Stallone has officially entered his Analyze This era. Playing a gangster from New Jersey recently released from prison after serving a 25-year sentence, Stallone's Dwight Manfredi is sent to Tulsa by the family's new boss. Stallone nails the fish-out-of-water role and hams it up just enough to make Tulsa King intentionally funny and endearing. There's nothing particularly fresh or unique about Stallone's first foray as a lead in a TV series, but it's entertaining and the right amount of silly.
Tune In: Wednesday
(Netflix)
Bringing back the Addams Family and placing Wednesday in a Gen-Z boarding school under a YA lens seemed destined to be a car crash, but I should've known better. With the backing of Tim Burton (who directed the first half of the season and serves as executive producer) and Danny Elfman's score — not to mention an enchanting performance by Jenna Ortega — Wednesday is a cracking addition to Addams Family lore.
Read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here for more streaming hits and misses.
Turn Off: Emancipation
(Apple TV+)
Antoine Fuqua has made some incredible films, but Emancipation is unfortunately not one of them. Fuqua attempts to use his trademark action expertise to create a tension-filled escape of Peter (Will Smith), an enslaved man journeying to freedom. While Smith turns in a good performance, and there certainly are anxiety-ridden scenes, Emancipation fails to create any meaningful connections between the story and its audience.
Tune In: Little America, Season 2
(Apple TV+)
Admittedly, Little America can be saccharine and has too many overly-dramatized moments, but as an anthology series that shows real migrant stories, it works. The sophomore season journeys across America, with characters including a keen Japanese baseball fan in Ohio and an Afghan piano prodigy in NYC, giving voice to those who make up the fabric of not just the US, but also adopted homelands around the world.
Tune In: Sort Of, Season 2
(CBC Gem)
Bilal Baig and friends returns for another season of their award-winning series, Sort Of. With the appearance of Sabi's traditionally-minded father and Bessy's recovery after waking up from a coma, Sort Of continues its thoughtful and meaningful discussion around gender, race, sexuality and belonging (all while being a very funny show). Baig remains one of Canada's most exciting talents to watch as they present a singular and nuanced intersection between South Asian, queer and Muslim media.
Turn Off: Spirited
(Apple TV+)
Call me a Grinch, but the festive team up of Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in a musical version of A Christmas Carol just didn't land with me. Shot with the same sterile aesthetic as a commercial for Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile or whatever Reynolds is hawking these days, Spirited feels cold and uninspired. If you're looking for some festive fare, Ferrell has better options.
Tune In: Three Pines
(Prime Video)
Based on the mystery novels of Canadian author Louise Penny, Three Pines follows the work of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Alfred Molina) in a small town in Quebec. Across eight episodes, Gamache solves four standalone murder mysteries, as well as an overarching investigation into the disappearance of young Indigenous women. Costarring Tantoo Cardinal and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Three Pines is an intriguing detective story that makes space for an important conversation all Canadians should engage with.
Tune In: Tulsa King
(Paramount+)
Sylvester Stallone has officially entered his Analyze This era. Playing a gangster from New Jersey recently released from prison after serving a 25-year sentence, Stallone's Dwight Manfredi is sent to Tulsa by the family's new boss. Stallone nails the fish-out-of-water role and hams it up just enough to make Tulsa King intentionally funny and endearing. There's nothing particularly fresh or unique about Stallone's first foray as a lead in a TV series, but it's entertaining and the right amount of silly.
Tune In: Wednesday
(Netflix)
Bringing back the Addams Family and placing Wednesday in a Gen-Z boarding school under a YA lens seemed destined to be a car crash, but I should've known better. With the backing of Tim Burton (who directed the first half of the season and serves as executive producer) and Danny Elfman's score — not to mention an enchanting performance by Jenna Ortega — Wednesday is a cracking addition to Addams Family lore.
