Stories (Seasons 1–2)

Stories (Storiz, 2020) is a Russian sketch comedy series you can watch online on iFILM. Short, standalone bits about people you've definitely scrolled past online or run into on your own street, gathered into a kaleidoscope of recognisable scenes from life in the smartphone age.

You get a manic eco-activist and a quick-witted drunk, a judge who hands down a sentence for an overly long voice message, a blogger grandmother and a baby life-coach, big-city snobs, a clingy ex and a doctor with suspiciously perfect handwriting. Each vignette is its own joke with a punchline and no connecting plot, so you can drop in anywhere. Anton Lirnik, Dmitry Kolchin, Olga Kuzmina and the rest of the troupe switch characters several times an episode, and the whole thing rides on pace and a sharp eye for type.

Directed by Aleksandr Potapov, the humour leans on internet habits, parent group chats and the small absurdities of modern daily life — close to vine-style comedy, just stretched into a series. A good fit when you want laughs in short bursts without committing to a heavy storyline. Stream Stories (2020) online on iFILM.