Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes join forces for a bitter superhero spoof; Billy Crystal stars in a maddening yet watchable horror; plus, the Boss at his fist-pumping best, and a timely reminder of the dangers of a Trump victory

The Franchise (Sky Comedy/Now)
Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case (BBC Two) | iPlayer
Before (Apple TV+)
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (Disney+)

New Sky Comedy spoof The Franchise arrives with a question at its heart: “Why do bad superhero franchises happen to (moderately) good people?” With Armando Iannucci as executive producer, Jon Brown (Veep, Succession) as lead writer and showrunner, and Sam Mendes (director of Revolutionary Road and Spectre) helping devise the concept (he also directs episode one), there’s certainly enough pedigree in the mix.