TV: Better Call Saul
Season one of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad spin-off managed the feat of both paying homage to, and offering up something distinct from, its predecessor, unfurling at a more ambulatory pace and boasting stronger comic chops. Expect more of the same in the show’s second season as small-fry lawyer Saul Goodman continues his backslide into badness, accompanied as ever by doleful hitman Mike Ehrmantraut. Available from Monday.
Netflix
Video: 2016
If you, like us, were saddened by the BBC’s decision not to commission sketch-show pilot People Time, dry your eyes. 2016 – the gratifyingly weird and very funny sitcom-style webseries from most of the young comics behind it (Ellie White, Jamie and Natasia Demetriou and sketch trio Sheeps) – is available to stream now, with new episodes getting added on a monthly basis.
Radio: The Untold: Jennifer’s Search For DJ Derek
Once a fixture at Bristol’s reggae and dancehall parties, the fact that DJ Derek carried an OAP’s bus pass made him a cult figure. It has also given his family vital clues as they investigate his mysterious disappearance (he was last sighted on 10 July 2015). His great-niece Jennifer offers her theories in this empathetic Grace Dent-narrated doc, part of a series highlighting the untold stories of modern Britain. You can catch the series so far on the iPlayer, or alternatively subscribe to it as a podcast.
TV: BBC Three
The much-bemoaned decision to make BBC3 an online-only proposition comes into effect from Tuesday. So what does the new BBC3 look like? Not drastically different from the old BBC3 if this week’s opening slate of programmes is anything to go by, with a new series of Greg Davies sitcom Cuckoo and documentary Life And Death Row debuting. There is also some short-form content for those looking for a few minutes to kill, including documentaries on the US death penalty and sexism in gaming.
TV: Love
Judd Apatow is the latest big name to be taken in by the siren call of Netflix: he’s the exec-producer of this 10-part sitcom, which follows a faltering romance between two dysfunctional LA singletons Mickey (Community’s Gillian Jacobs) and Gus (stand-up comic Paul Rust). Love ambles along at a pace some might find lethargic, but packs an understated comic punch and some moments of real pathos. Available from Friday.
Netflix
