A Paltry ‘Prince and the Pauper’

It’s an evening when the most notable first-run programming turns up on cable.

Tonight at 9, the Odyssey Network presents a flat, uninspired take of Mark Twain’s classic “The Prince and the Pauper,” which bears the right look but little else.

Twins Jonathan and Robert Timmins play the title roles as the young look-alikes who eagerly trade places in 16th century England to see how the other half lives--one longing for freedom, the other food and finery.

As heroic nobleman Miles Hendon, Aidan Quinn shields the disillusioned Prince Edward, who encounters poverty and injustice in the muddy slums outside his palace.

Alan Bates, meanwhile, is unrecognizable as Edward’s ailing father, whose death opens the door for treacherous Lord Hertford (Jonathan Hyde) to control abused beggar boy Tom Canty.

Odyssey’s version skimps on spirited swordplay and elaborate adventure in favor of constant chatter and Hendon’s boring travails with a bothersome brother.

Time would be better spent renting the splendid 1937 adaptation starring the incomparable Errol Flynn.

Ah, but if it’s a mental challenge you seek, switch to the one-hour season finale of “History IQ,” the brainy game show hosted by Marc Summers (8 p.m. History Channel) in which tonight’s winner walks away with $250,000. Not bad for a low-budget show whose standard prize is $5,000.