Imagine a mashup of “The Wicker Man” and “Midsomer” and you’re getting close to the lurid appeal of “The Third Day” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA), a new horror mystery debuting tonight.
Sam (Jude Law) is first seen on his phone screaming to his wife because the money he had gathered for some sketchy business deal has been stolen. The tone of his voice and the way the call ends indicate that much more than mere business was on the line.
Soon after, he happens upon a teenage girl intent on harming herself in some ritualistic fashion. After saving her life, he drives her home to Osea, an island connected to the mainland by a causeway that vanishes with the rising tide. There, Sam encounters strange natives intent on maintaining their quaint culture and peculiar style, which looks like the Victorian era refracted through the prism of the 1970s.
The vague corruption of Sam’s sordid deal and Osea’s peculiar atmosphere will provide mystery enough to keep viewers returning to “The Third Day,” a series with all of the allure of “Lost” but with only six episodes to ponder.
— “We Are Who We Are” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA) takes the brooding teen melodrama to new places. An American military base near Venice, Italy, to be exact.
Chloe Sevigny (“Big Love”) plays Sarah, an emotionally distant gay colonel who arrives to take charge of the base, but can barely contain her petulant son, Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer). An artist in his own mind and impossibly petulant, he breezes through the base and surrounding area, acting strange and being rude to just about everybody. He eventually befriends another student, Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamon), a fellow outcast from the clique of military kids who have been raised in various countries, but only know cookie-cutter base housing and supermarkets arranged the same the world over. Despite the proximity to tourist Venice, the camera dwells on half-industrialized beach towns that would not be out of place in Antonioni’s “Red Desert.”
Viewers will have to decide if they have the time and patience to indulge “We Are Who We Are” and a character like Fraser, who is almost begging us to hate him. Spending time with other people’s impossible children is what teachers do. And why they aren’t paid nearly enough.
— Samuel L. Jackson hosts and narrates “Enslaved” (10 p.m., Epix), a survey history of the African slave trade. Much is focused on oceanographic efforts to find sunken slave ships. While there are momentary historical reenactments, this is not a scripted historical drama. As such, it is more “Finding Your Roots” than “Roots.”
— “Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) enters its 29th season. Dancing celebrities include Carole Baskin from “Tiger King,” who is either the victim of Joe Exotic’s ire or a schemer who had her husband murdered. But can she cha-cha?
Also of note, actress Anne Heche joins the party. The star of such notable films as “Donnie Brasco,” Heche’s last TV role was as a CIA director in the series “The Brave.”
Look for Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, whose athletic training ought to put him near the top of the pack, particularly when competing against reality show has-beens.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The New York Giants host the Pittsburgh Steelers in NFL Football (7 p.m., ESPN) action.
— Mark Wahlberg stars in the 2016 true-life thriller “Patriots Day” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Bull claims abuse explained a kidnapping on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— Celebrities promote the vote on “VOMO: Vote or Miss Out” (10 p.m., ABC).
— The “POV” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) documentary “Love Child” follows one woman’s escape from Iran.
CULT CHOICE
After murdering his older wealthy wife, Teddy (Dirk Bogarde) looks for younger targets in the 1955 noir thriller “Cast a Dark Shadow” (6:30 p.m., TCM).
SERIES NOTES
Advertising on “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … “American Ninja Warrior” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Two episodes of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Hobbit-forming on “Young Sheldon” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … “Love Island” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Illusionists audition on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jude Law, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Summer Walker on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Kelly Clarkson, Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Schmidt and Sonny Emory visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
