TV: The Americans
Despite being shunted later in the schedule, season two of this cold war espionage drama has built confidently on the first, with Philip and Elizabeth's home life (particularly inquisitive daughter Paige) increasingly impinging on their fraught spying activities. Catch the opening pair of episodes on ITV Player.
Webseries: High Maintenance
Countering the assumption that all webseries are low-budget and throwaway is this excellent New York-set effort about a pot deliveryman (known simply as "the guy"), who sells his wares across the city. Each episode focuses on a different client "the guy" hooks up – from the caterer working at a family Passover, to the cancer sufferer thinking that getting the munchies might solve her inability to eat – and the series boasts a remarkable knack of quickly drawing you into the lovingly constructed worlds it creates. It's beautifully shot too, reminiscent of Louie and Girls in its woozy depiction of New York. A gem, available in full on Vimeo.
TV: Unreported World
Now entering its 25th series, Channel 4's documentary strand continues to tell the stories wilfully ignored by other broadcasters. Friday's episode reports on a toxic waste crisis in Indonesia. 4oD meanwhile, has an extensive archive of past episodes, including reports on Brazil's cosmetic surgery industry, the illegal bushmeat trade in Cameroon, and the lonely hearts scene in China.
Audio: The Comedian's Comedian Podcast
Budding gagsters, listen up. The 70th episode of Stuart Goldsmith's comedic investigation series has arrived, and this time he's pinned down Tim Vine. The personable comic, who here explains his writing style, unrelenting one-liners and the timeless "pen behind the ear" sketch, is the latest in an impressive array of stand-ups - including Richard Herring, Al Murray and Sarah Millican – who have discussed their work on ComComPod. You can find the full archive on the show's website.
TV: Louis Theroux's LA Stories
Louis Theroux turns his bemused investigative gaze to paroled sex offenders in the third and final episode of his series about Los Angeles' outsider populations on Sunday. In the meantime, you can catch up with the first two episodes on iPlayer. While the first takes a mostly despondent look at the city's ridiculous number of neglected canines, the second sees Theroux quizzing patients in a west Hollywood hospital, where he examines the deficiencies of the American healthcare system.
