Fans of Michael K. Williams will remember him most recently as Freddy, the jailhouse king in HBO’s The Night Of and from equally dark turns in Boardwalk Empire and The Wire. This year Williams took on another risky role, but this time as host for a new documentary series Black Market, on the newly launched Viceland channel, that goes behind the lines of underworld economies. In this episode, “The Lean Scene,” Williams investigates the recent rage of opioid-based drinks (called “Lean”) that mix powerful cough syrup and super-sweet sodas. These are not your run-of-the-mill network documentaries, with Williams up-close with addicts and dealers, and having the credibility to do so as a confessed substance abuser, now sober. It’s more than compelling, and you can read about the first six episodes here and also see them all on the Viceland website and YouTube. — Eric Gould

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