Fans of complicated stories told in overlapping flashbacks are in luck. Based on the bestselling novel by Liane Moriarty, “Apples Never Fall” begins streaming on Peacock.
Sam Neill and Annette Bening star as Stan and Joy Delaney, famed in West Palm Beach, Florida, for their professional tennis academy, the launching pad for many stars and at least one Grand Slam winner.
Not to give too much away, but the tale begins with Joy’s sudden disappearance, a fact that sends her four children, Troy (Jake Lacy), Amy (Alison Brie), Logan (Conor Merrigan Turner) and Brooke (Essie Randles) scrambling for answers.
At first, Stan explains that she’s “shopping” and then that she’s taken some “time off” from their marriage, stories that don’t ring true or sit well with the adult children.
Flashbacks reveal Stan’s drive for perfection, a character trait that proves hard to live with or survive. We glance back at the day they sell their tennis business, an act that provides windfall but that also leaves Stan and Joy at a bit of a loss.
Into their empty nest walks Savannah (Georgia Flood), a bleeding stranger who appears at their front door, explaining that she’s fresh from a violent fight with her unseen boyfriend. Despite Stan’s misgivings, Joy’s maternal instinct kicks in almost immediately, and the wounded young stranger becomes part of their circle.
Back in the present tense, Joy’s continued absence brings the authorities into the picture as the four Delaney children begin to piece together a picture of their parents’ lives that may be at odds with their understanding.
It’s fun to watch Neill as a heavy and thoroughly unlikable character. Bening, seen mainly in remembered moments, does a great job of playing a woman straddling the line between partner and victim, as well as a doting mother who has driven her kids to keep their distances, a reserve that vanishes as soon as she does.
Featuring a good mystery well told as well as an outstanding cast, “Apples” should prove addictive. Despite the West Palm Beach setting of the series, “Fall” was shot in Australia and London.
— Max begins streaming “The Girls on the Bus,” a fictionalized look at reporters on the campaign trail.
— SundanceTV, AMC+ and Sundance Now begin streaming “True Crime Story: Smugshot,” a six-part series profiling criminals with very different goals, backgrounds and motivations.
— After airing six seasons on Fox, the Ryan Murphy procedural “9-1-1” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14), enters its seventh on ABC. After streaming two seasons on Peacock, the pop music industry spoof “Girls5Eva” streams its third on Netflix.
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) enters its 20th season. All 19 previous seasons can be streamed on Hulu.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A Wall Street tycoon is found murdered in his own home on “Law & Order” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— An ambitious chef rekindles an old friendship in the 2024 romance “A Taste of Love” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Violence erupts after a sorority member feels betrayed in the 2024 shocker “Killing All My Sisters” (8 p.m., LMN, TV-14).
— A wife discovers her husband’s collection of child porn on “Law & Order: SVU” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Stabler colors outside the lines on “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Jack clings to life on the seventh season premiere of “Station 19” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A Texas oil tycoon (James Garner) joins forces with a fetching Wall Street analyst (Lee Remick) to play financial games in the 1963 romantic comedy “The Wheeler Dealers” (10 p.m., TCM, TV-PG). The supporting cast includes Louis Nye, Jim Backus (“Gilligan’s Island”) and John Astin (“The Addams Family”), among others.
SERIES NOTES
Thoughts and prayers on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “Next Level Chef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Spirited investors on “Ghosts” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
A period of recuperation on “So Help Me Todd” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Farmer Wants a Wife” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … An eccentric newcomer asks tough questions on “Elsbeth” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Paul Simon is booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Deion Sanders and Kacey Musgraves on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Oprah Winfrey and Chromeo appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Paul Rudd and Paula Pell visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Reggie Conquest, Jordan Temple and Paul F. Tompkins “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
