Carla O'Brien and Dr Lollie Mancey are back with Futureville Ireland, Donal Skehan is whipping up some quick and easy dishes in the kitchen, and Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are here to give us a mid-week laugh.
Futureville Ireland, RTÉ One, 7pm
RTÉ's flagship Science Week TV show Futureville Ireland, supported by Research Ireland, is back for a second series.
Last year, presenters Carla O'Brien and Dr Lollie Mancey, along with experts in cutting-edge science and tech got to work reimagining the midlands town of Athlone as a brand-new city for the year 2050. In 2025, they are back to find out what else can be done to make our lives better with help from our best and brightest.
In episode 2, Carla goes on the hunt for the new source of vegetable protein that could fill our cupboards 25 years from now. Things don't get off to a promising start when she finds herself standing waist deep in a pond thick with duckweed.
Later, she prepares a midweek dinner using some ingredients that today sound challenging but could easily be meal-time staples in Futureville. But how will Lollie react to being served cricket crumble?
Lollie meets the communities whose big ideas about the environment could mean that Futureville and the natural world, will be able to exist side by side. And we hear from young entrepreneurs whose inventions are making sports events accessible right around the world.
Find out more about what's in store this week here
The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey, RTÉ2, 8pm
A new observational documentary season follows the lives of a community of Benedictine nuns and their small army of lay staff over the course of a year, as they battle to save their iconic abbey and preserve their 1500 year old religious way of life.
Kylemore Abbey is the jewel of Connemara. The lakeside Gothic castle, set amidst wildly beautiful landscape, was once the family home of a wealthy Victorian MP, but, for the last hundred years, has been a Benedictine Abbey. Now, facing rising bills and falling vocations, the nuns must embrace tourism, commerce and ecology, alongside their religious life, in their efforts to secure the future of Kylemore and their community.
In three hour-long episodes, the series offers viewers unique behind-the-scenes insights into the life of the Abbey and its estate over the course of a year.
Narrated by Megan Cusack (Call the Midwife), part of the famous Irish acting dynasty, it shows how the nuns have transformed the once crumbling castle and its neglected estate into a magnet for tourists from all over the world.
Donal's Real Time Recipes, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Donal's Real Time Recipes has been designed with busy lives in mind. No marinading or time-consuming techniques, just straight through cooking all on the hob or kitchen counter.
Think quick sauces while the pasta is in the pot, char-grilled chicken whilst you prep a fresh chopped salad, speedy microwave greens, crisped air-fryer new potatoes – using readily available supermarket ingredients.
On tonight's episode, Skehan cooks dishes including a fish cake paired with summer noodles, and a kebab plate with Shirazi salad - a juicy, herby combo that's big on flavour and low on effort.
Faithless, Virgin Media One, 10.05pm
Tonight's final episode delivers an emotional conclusion, as the Amin family face change, loss, and new beginnings.
It's Layla’s birthday, but the mood is heavy. Still reeling from Mark’s death, she’s withdrawn and uninterested in celebrating. Meanwhile, Sam is juggling financial stress and emotional strain, forced to close a deal with Chloe to cover a mounting hospital bill – even if it means compromising his dignity.
Concern grows for Dymphna’s whereabouts while Cormac and Gamal search her home and the church, uncovering signs that something is wrong. When Layla finally finds her at Tracy’s grave, the family comes together in a moment of raw honesty and reconciliation.
Zein prepares to leave for LA and asks Zu and Ruby to join him. Sam is supportive but quietly devastated at the thought of losing Ruby. Back at school, Nancy’s art folder reveals just how much Leslie has helped her process her grief – a discovery that moves Sam deeply.
21 Jump Street, RTÉ Player
21 Jump Street is a very funny movie and deserves its 4-stars. One of its main strengths is that it really isn’t trying to be a remake of the original crime drama that ran from 1987 to 1991 and starred the rather dishy Johnny Depp. Yes, the premise is the same - two young cops are sent back to school to investigate youth crimes - but instead the writers have put a comedic slant on the undercover story and cleverly brought it into the 21st Century.
Morton Schmidt (Hill) and Greg Jenko (Tatum) are the main officers and they are complete opposites of each other. Schmidt may have smarts but he is not confident in his social skills or physical appearance. Jenko, on the other hand, thinks he is one cool character and believes that if anyone crosses him, all he has to do is throw a punch. And he does.
Their mission sounds simple - learn about a new drug circulating around the school and put an end to it before it spreads. However, where this pair is concerned, simple doesn't come naturally. Cue slapstick teenage antics, car chases, shoot-outs, bad guys, romance, a recurring joke and, of course, a special cameo from Mr Depp. So yes, the formula is something we have seen before, but this time it's a winner.
