Double or Nothing on ‘Only Murders,’ Remembering Blake Edwards, Adam Sandler on Netflix, the Best in Horror

Season Premiere

After taking on Broadway last year, the terrific mystery-comedy spoofs Hollywood in Season 4 when a studio decides to make a movie about the true-crime podcasters who live in the Arconia. The casting is sensational: Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek) as Steve Martin’s Charles, trying to find a funny angle into this dour gentleman’s personality; Eva Longoria blithely ignoring the age difference as Selena Gomez’s Mabel, and best of all, Zach Galifianakis as Martin Short’s Oliver, a hate-at-first-sight relationship. “I don’t need an algorithm to tell me that this is box-office gold,” gushes studio exec Molly Shannon. While our heroes consider what it means to sell away their life rights, Charles becomes obsessed with the disappearance — perhaps murder — of his other doppelgänger, his stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch). Episodes drop weekly.

9/8c

He might not have been as big a household name as the stars he directed, but Blake Edwards’ hit movies stand the test of time: The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Great Race (and its epic pie fight), 10, Victor/Victoria (earning his wife Julie Andrews her third Oscar nomination). In Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames, the American Masters series profiles Edwards with archival video and commentary from Andrews and other family members and colleagues, revealing an artist with a gift for sculpture and painting as well as slapstick cinema.

Special

One of the streaming giant’s favorite talents, whose Netflix originals include the Murder Mystery movie franchise, The Meyerowitz Stories, the animated Leo, Spaceman and Hustle, reunites with his Uncut Gems co-director Josh Safdie for his return to the stand-up stage. In Adam Sandler’s second comedy special for Netflix, there will be music — have guitar, have laughter — and even an unscheduled appearance by an enthusiastic dog. Plus: lots of love from performer and audience on both sides of the stage.

Series Premiere

“Horror fans love exploring the boundaries of the genre,” says one of the experts weighing in on the frighteningly wide range of things that go bump in the night in cinema. A weekly series explores topics including tropes and clichés (think paranoia and jump scares), giant monsters — we’re looking at you, Godzilla — the influence of Japanese horror, the rise of horror comedies like Beetlejuice and its upcoming sequel, and Stephen King adaptations. “When you’re adapting Stephen King, the story is the most important thing,” understates director Mick Garris (the TV versions of The Stand and The Shining among others).

Streaming Premiere

Speaking of horror, Paramount+ just announced the streaming debut of the monster franchise’s terrifying prequel, a box-office hit in June. Day One depicts the initial invasion of the alien creatures who can only find you if you make a sound. A sensational Lupita Nyong’o stars as Samira, a terminally ill woman who travels with her service cat Frodo (a main character) to New York City and embarks on a personal mission, only to be waylaid by the arrival of the grotesque creatures from the skies. Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) co-stars as a British law student who joins her on her perilous journey. The suspense is so palpable you may want to cover your mouth as well as your eyes at key moments.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Summer Under the Stars: Ossie Davis (starts at 6 am/5c, Turner Classic Movies): The movie channel honors the actor-writer-director and civil rights activist with his first 24-hour tribute. Highlights include his appearances in Spike Lee’s 1989 breakthrough Do the Right Thing (8/7c) and Get on the Bus (10:15/9:15c) from 1996.
• The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All (8/7c, ABC): The suitors who ended up not smelling like roses gather to rehash the season before Jenn makes her final pick next week.
• Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover (9:30/8:30c, PBS): With the presidential campaign season in full gear, a timely special examines voting systems across the country.