Amazon Prime adds “The Pale Horse” to its series of Agatha Christie adaptations. This stylish effort deviates from the mystery author’s 1961 novel. Set in early 1960s in swinging London, Rufus Sewell stars as Mark Easterbrook, a rich antique dealer whose posh life is ravaged by the tragic death of his first wife.
A year after she is dispatched by a radio falling into her bathtub, another dead body arrives, with a mysterious list of names hidden in her shoe. Easterbrook learns that he’s on the list. When others (including his posh mistress) so named start dying, he starts investigating. His search takes him to a rural village dominated by witches, fortune tellers and a pagan cult straight out of “The Wicker Man” or the more recent “Midsommar.”
“Pale Horse” packs a lot of horror and occult elements into its story, particularly for an Agatha Christie tale. At times it doesn’t seem like a whodunit at all. And that conflict in style is at the heart of this two-part series’ undoing. Best appreciated for its stylish clothes, sets and James Bond-like collection of cars, “Pale Horse” doesn’t entirely make sense.
— The ukulele-playing singer Grace VanderWaal (“America’s Got Talent”) stars in the title role in the new high school coming-of-age romance “Stargirl,” now streaming on Disney Plus. She’s the new girl in school, a non-conformist spirit who catches the eye of Leo (Graham Verchere), another newcomer beset by bullies.
— A mother’s (Amy Ryan) investigation into the disappearance of her daughter leads police to evidence of an apparent serial killer working on Long Island in the 2020 drama “Lost Girls,” streaming today on Netflix. Based on a true story, “Lost” was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and features a large supporting cast including Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke, Oona Laurence, Dean Winters, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan and Gabriel Byrne.
Peak TV has certainly given Gabriel Byrne plenty of work. He’s now appearing in the European import “War of the Worlds,” seen on Epix, and the drug trade miniseries “ZeroZeroZero,” streaming on Amazon Prime.
— Director Kevin Smith reprises his “Clerks” characters in the 2019 sequel “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot,” streaming today on Amazon Prime. Arguably, not since “Cheech & Chong” have characters from throwaway low-budget efforts shown such longevity. A quarter-century has elapsed since “Clerks” — shot in a New Jersey convenience store for roughly $25,000 — debuted.
— Arguably the most dominant director of the 1950s, George Stevens ended the decade with “The Diary of Anne Frank” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), which won three Oscars, including a Best Supporting Actress statue for Shelley Winters, who had appeared in Stevens’ 1951 gem “A Place in the Sun.” He also directed “Shane” (1953) and “Giant” (1956) in that 10-year span.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— On two helpings of “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” (NBC, TV-14), the worst kind of publicity (8 p.m.), Lincoln puts family first (9 p.m.).
— Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman return for a second season of “Portals to Hell” (9 p.m., Travel, TV-14), featuring trips to sites with scary reputations.
— Some have compared our current reality-TV era to the plot of the 1987 thriller “The Running Man” (9 p.m., Starz Encore), starring Arnold Schwarzengger, who also stars in “The Terminator” (8 p.m., Showcase) from 1984.
— House-breaking the mayor on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
— Lon Chaney Jr. stars as a chauffeur/caretaker for a brood of inbred misfits in the 1967 shocker “Spider Baby” (3:45 a.m., TCM, TV-PG), an inspiration to generations of shock-value horror filmmakers and fans.
SERIES NOTES
A trip to an insurgent stronghold on “MacGyver” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … A health beverage for kids on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Illusionists audition on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (8 p.m. CW, r, TV-PG).
Bandits target tourists on “Hawaii Five-0” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC) … On two helpings of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (CW, r, TV-14), Adrienne Houghton (9 p.m.), Jonathan Mangum (9:30 p.m.) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Ice Cube, Andrew Rannells and Brittany Howard on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Ben Affleck, Justina Machado and Victoria Monet appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC, r).
John Oliver, Elizabeth Debicki, Jenny Offill and Glen Sobel visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Cynthia Erivo, Ashton Kutcher and BTS appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., r, CBS).
