Today, Tuesday, October 20
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TV Insider
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Original NCIS star Mark Harmon returns to headquarters, reuniting with Michael Weatherly on NCIS: Origins. Connie Britton plays a mysterious mother in Hulu‘s offbeat thriller Phony. Dancers pay homage on Dancing With the Stars‘ “Dedication Night.” Real Housewives alums take center stage in two new reality series, Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas and The Golden Life.
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10/9c |
It’s old home week on several fronts in a Very Special Episode of the NCIS prequel, which in its third season frames each episode with a modern-day storyline involving the older (as in original) version of former team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played on camera by Mark Harmon. Last seen entering the office of newly minted NCIS Director Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Gibbs looks for help in finding whoever it was who shot him and may be targeting others. Nostalgia also factors into this week’s 1992 plot, with Adam Campbell returning as the younger version of the late David McCallum‘s “Ducky” character, brought in to investigate the murder of a young Marine found on a beach with strange markings on his body.
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Series Premiere |
Not since Psycho‘s Norman Bates declared, “A boy’s best friend is his mother” have we seen a mother-son bond as peculiar as the one in this unsettling mystery (premiering with two episodes). The great Connie Britton stars as Ellen, a well-liked high-school principal devoted to her sweet son, Sonny (The White Lotus‘ Sam Nivola) — and vice versa. But when Sonny awakens after a serious car accident, Ellen looks slightly off to him — she still sounds like Britton, but the face is ever so slightly altered — and a spooked Sonny begins to fall apart, hiding from his smothering mom and trying to convince his classmates (who don’t notice any difference) that something is seriously wrong. And then there’s that rumor that someone saw a dead body in the woods.
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8/7c |
Expect high emotion on the dance floor when the remaining 10 couples — sorry, Guillermo fans — perform special tributes to people and places that have special meaning on the annual “Dedication Night.” Kym Johnson, a two-time Mirrorball winner, returns as guest judge as the celebs honor their parents, siblings, and significant others. Among the highlights: Maura Higgins salutes her home country of Ireland, and Julia Stiles pays tribute to her 10 Things I Hate About You co-star, Heath Ledger. And a special ensemble performance honors Dolly Parton to the tune of “Here You Come Again.” How many times will they all make Carrie Ann Inaba cry?
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Series Premiere | 9/8c |
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reality TV superstar Lisa Vanderpump is expanding her footprint in Sin City with a self-titled luxury hotel she describes as “my little love letter to Las Vegas.” Not so little, with 188 rooms and a 40,000 square-foot casino. Naturally, cameras are there to capture the frantic countdown to the gala opening in a two-night special (concluding Wednesday). Expect several familiar faces from Vanderpump Rules to make the short hop from L.A. to Vegas to support their boss lady.
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Series Premiere | 10/9c |
Substitute The Golden Girls‘ cheesecake for high-gloss reality TV cheese when a flock of The Real Housewives of New York refugees packs their bags for Palm Beach in a flashy frolic. Raise a glass — several, actually — with Kelly Bensimon, Countess Luann De Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan, and Ramona Singer as they banter, bicker, and brazenly enjoy the good life in the Sunshine State.
INSIDE TUESDAY TV:
- NBA Opening Day (3:00 pm/ET, NBC, streaming on Peacock): Pro basketball’s regular season tips off with a tripleheader, starting with the Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons, followed at 7 pm/ET by the Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks, whose championship banner will be displayed at Madison Square Garden, finishing at 9:30 pm/ET with the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs.
- The Concert for New York City (7/6c, MTV, VH1, MTV2, Logo): On its 25th anniversary, the historic Madison Square Garden concert that signaled New York City’s resilient comeback after the 9/11 attacks is being replayed in a multi-network simulcast. Performers include Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, David Bowie, The Who, Destiny’s Child, Jay-Z, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, and many more.
- NCIS (8/7c, CBS): Mike O’Malley guest-stars as Torres’ (Wilmer Valderrama) former handler, who’s called in when the agent’s undercover identity is resurrected and linked to a series of murders. Followed by NCIS: New York (9/8c), with the team on the hunt for a JAG prosecutor’s kidnapped children.
- Best Medicine (8/7c, Fox): Jack Cutmore-Scott (the Frasier reboot) guest-stars as Martin’s (Josh Charles) new medical monitor, who takes a shine to Louisa (Abigail Spencer) and complicates Martin’s already tangled romantic life.
- A Very Haunted Renovation (8/7c, HGTV): The remaining two designers tackle the kitchen and dining room of a purportedly haunted Ohio manor in the season finale, with a $50,000 payday at stake.
- Doc (9/8c, Fox): Amy’s (Molly Parker) insistent memory seizures cloud her ability to help a family deal with a daughter’s possibly fatal illness.
- The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (9/8c, FX): In the music drama’s penultimate episode, the fallout from a murder casts a shadow over the recording of Artillery’s (Simmie “Buddy” Sims III) album, with power plays putting Lamar’s (Asante Blackk) and Wanda’s (Gail Bean) future in doubt.
- Frontline (10/9c, PBS): A timely investigative documentary goes inside the “Haiti Deportation Crisis,” with refugees in the U.S. fearful of being sent back to a country still roiled by gang violence.
ON THE STREAM:
- Ludwig (streaming on BritBox): “Too many variables!” complains puzzle master and crime consultant John “Ludwig” Taylor (David Mitchell) when asked to solve the murder of an interloper at an outdoor wedding in plain view of 40 guests who say they didn’t see anything.
- VisionQuest (9/8c, streaming on Disney+): When a grievously wounded Vision (Paul Bettany) is rebooted, he becomes connected to another mysterious synth masquerading as the “Butcherbird Killer.”
- Theo Von: I’m Doing Fine (streaming on Netflix): The podcasting comedian returns to Netflix with his third stand-up special, his first in five years.
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 (streaming on Netflix): Return to crime-ridden Night City in a sequel to the hit anime.
- The Stepback with Blake Griffin (streaming on YouTube and Prime Video): The NBA great weighs in on all things sports in front of a studio audience in a provocative late-night comedy format.