TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight

Pick of the week

Enhanced: Pushing The LimitsWednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm

There was much consternation when, in October 2025, the US-based Irish three-time Olympian Shane Ryan announced he was going to take part in the hugely controversial Enhanced Games. Why would someone of his calibre take part in an event where competitors were allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs, and which was backed by the likes of Peter Thiel and financed by Donald Trump jnr? Ryan told the media at the time that part of the decision was down to the low pay for professional athletes, and that he was making the decision on his own and for himself. But there was undoubtedly more to it, and we’ll get a proper insight into the situation in this documentary, which follows Ryan every step of the way in the lead-up to the competition in Las Vegas last May. As well as looking at the background to his decision to enter the games, the show takes in contributions from Olympic swimmer Gary O’Toole, chief executive of Sport Ireland Dr Úna May, former chief executive of Swim Ireland Sarah Keane, Olympic boxer Michael Conlan, sportswriter Johnny Watterson and tech journalist Adrian Weckler. Money, drugs and ethics in sports will all collide in this examination of the modern challenges facing athletes when it comes to the world of high performance.

Highlights

Fontaines DC at Later ... with Jools HollandSunday, BBC Two, 10pm

Who would have thought when Fontaines DC released their debut album, Dogrel, in 2019 that they would become a globally famous, hot Irish property? Quite a few people, actually – the band have had a fervent fan base since very early on. The recent release of their thrilling fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, has shown that they’re a band who like to keep evolving, and we’ll get a chance to watch them perform live on this special Jools Holland programme that’s totally dedicated to their work. This is a good opportunity to catch them before they head off on tour and to get in the mood for their two gigs at Slane next summer. It was filmed at the Alexandra Palace Theatre in North London. Expect some new and older songs.

The Big Pet ProjectSunday, RTÉ One, 5.10pm

Dog lovers and pet fans of all ages will find lots to enjoy in this new show, presented by Demi Isaac (The Young Offenders, RTÉ 2FM) and YouTuber Adam B (Bro’s in Control). The show is billed as “a wild celebration of Ireland’s most extraordinary pets and the people who love them”, and is set to include everything from singing dogs and movie star horses to agility pigs. (Who knew there was such a thing as an agility pig, eh?) Isaac and Adam B head across the country in their “pet mobile” to meet pet-obsessed people and their snakes, chameleons, ferrets and pigeons. There’s even an armadillo living in Enniskillen that we’ll get to meet along the way. Fancy that.

I Am HelenMonday, Channel 4, 9pm

Nicola Coughlan is a national treasure. But we’re used to seeing her mostly in cheery TV roles, or at least ones that tackle important topics without being too intense. Now comes a role in this two-part drama that will give her an opportunity to show us the full range of her talent in a fresh new way. She will follow in the footsteps of Vicky McClure, Samantha Morton, Gemma Chan, Lesley Manville and Kate Winslet by starring in the latest instalment of the “I Am” drama anthology created by Dominic Savage. Each of these stories looks at pertinent and serious topics, and I Am Helen specifically tackles the manosphere and its impact on modern relationships. When we first meet Helen and her boyfriend, Steve (Joe Cole), they seem to have a loving partnership. But Joe’s use of misogynistic online porn and his exploration of the manosphere result in coercive and troubling behaviour. The second part of the show airs on Tuesday.

Hola Hector – Ó Bogota go Buenos AiresThursday, 9.30pm, TG4

Hardy explorer Hector Ó hEochagáin is back in South America, 25 years after he first set foot there. We’ll get to see far more than the typical tourist trail across this series, as he loves to be guided by locals and learn about different communities during his trips. This week he heads to Amazonas and the busy city of Manaus, which is the gateway to the rainforest. From there he will go deep into the jungle on a river adventure, where he will meet an Amazonian archery champion as well as an indigenous tribe. Across this latest series Ó hEochagáin will travel through Amazonia, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, finding out about the challenges faced by communities while learning more about the different countries’ cultures along the way – from training with a high-altitude football team to learning about why the Irish-born Eliza Lynch remains a national icon in Paraguay.

Cunk on CinemaThursday, BBC Two, 10pm

Diane Morgan’s character Philomena Cunk originated on the satirical series Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe more than a decade ago. The world’s worst interviewer, Cunk employs deadpan tactics to wrongfoot her interviewees, and her antics are always astounding and hilarious. Now Cunk is turning her hand to cinema, looking at screen icons such as Marilyn Monroe and “Wayne John”, as well as giving her views on classic movies. What bizarre things will she tell us about the world of film? We’ll have to tune in to find out – if we dare. Brooker is on board as an executive producer, and among Cunk’s interviewees will be the actor Benedict Cumberbatch and the film-maker Michael Bay.

Streaming

The AltruistsFrom Thursday, November 19th, Netflix

When Sam Bankman-Fried met Caroline Ellison it was a match made in geek heaven – then ended in a jail cell, as the techie power couple were convicted for what US district court judge Lewis A Kaplan said could be the “greatest financial fraud ever perpetrated in this country”. The pair, who set up the cryptocurrency exchange company FTX, believed they could change the world for the better through “effective altruism”, in their case by donating some of the huge sums of money they were raking in to help solve the world’s biggest problems. But their whole edifice was built on sand – plus a few little fibs that soon became big lies – and when it finally collapsed they found themselves down an $8 billion rabbit hole. Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner play the real-life crypto pioneers who became notorious as a modern Bonnie and Clyde.