‘NCIS’ in Sydney, ‘Murder’ in Iceland, Dancing to Whitney Houston, ‘Wrexham’ Finale

Series Premiere

8/7c

They speak the same language—more or less—but American and Australian sensibilities clash in the premiere of the first international edition of the NCIS franchise (filling the programming void for now until the original and Hawai’i editions are back with originals in 2024). When a U.S. Navy sailor from a nuclear sub collapses in scenic Sydney Harbor, no-nonsense Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) from NCIS’ Agent Afloat program takes charge—much to the chagrin of cocky Australian Federal Police sergeant JD Dempsey (Todd Lasance). “She doesn’t always play well with others,” warns Mackey’s junior Special Agent DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar), but before the hunt is over, Mackey and Dempsey are in sync, in hot pursuit of a speedboat from a military chopper. In other words, NCIS business as usual. Expect lots of shots of that one-of-a-kind Opera House.

Series Premiere

It’s a good night for people with wanderlust, because this stylish seven-part FX-produced whodunit is set a world away from Sydney in frigid, eerie and exotic Iceland. This is where Gen Z tech whiz and true-crime author Darby Hart (The Crown’s Emma Corrin with punkish pink hair) is summoned by an inscrutable Steve Jobs-like billionaire (Clive Owen) to attend a conference of global visionaries at a remote, AI-enhanced hotel. When bodies start dropping, Darby shifts into amateur Sherlock mode, with considerable tension mounting as we wait for the next snowshoe to drop. Launches with two episodes. (See the full review.)

8/7c

They all just wanna dance with somebody—and the glittery competition complies when the remaining seven couples step up for “Whitney Houston Night,” featuring the frequently outrageous Billy Porter as guest judge. Houston’s most popular songs are set to Contemporary, Tango, Paso Doble, Viennese Waltz, Samba and Rumba routines, followed by a “Dance-Off” round where side-by-side teams compete for extra points. (Last week’s leaderboard champs, Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov, get to sit out this part.)

Season Finale

10/9c

It’s do-or-die time for the Welsh team as the Red Dragons head into a game that will decide their potential promotion back into the English Football League after a 15-year absence. No spoilers, but for anyone who followed the season in real time, you know this one is going to be a nail-biter.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Chopped: Julia Child’s Kitchen (8/7c, Food Network): In advance of the Max series Julia returning on Thursday, a Chopped spinoff challenges 16 Julia Child acolytes to put new spins on dishes inspired by French Chef classics, albeit with ingredients from mystery baskets. The opener features a blooming onion for appetizer, duck as an entrée and a Bitter Frenchman cocktail for dessert.
• Whose Line Is It Anyway (9/8c, The CW): The improv comedy series opens a new season with back-to-back episodes, featuring Tiffany Haddish and Let’s Make a Deal model Tiffany Coyne as guests.
• Life Below Zero (9/8c, National Geographic): The 22^nd season of the survivalist series opens in spring, which proves perilous for Andy Bassich and Denise Becker, when the Yukon River’s thaw forces them to evacuate.
• How We Get Free (9/8c, HBO): A documentary short tracks Colorado community activist Elisabeth Epps as she works with the Denver County Sheriff Elias Diggins to abolish the state’s cash bail system, a crusade that prompts her to run for State Representative.
• Jay-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn’s Own (9/8c, CBS): The CBS Mornings anchor shares new footage from her three-hour interview with the rapper-mogul. The special also includes excerpts from a 60 Minutes II profile from 2002.
• Found (10/9c, NBC): The stakes are especially high in the missing-persons drama when a Native American schoolteacher disappears before making it home to give birth at her tribal reservation in Virginia.
• The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters (10/9c, History): Season 2 of the unscripted mystery launches with the intrepid deep-sea diving team hoping to find an A3 Skywarrior attack aircraft lost in a 960 disaster off the USS Saratoga. Did the Cold War have something to do with it? Or were those dreaded waters to blame?
• FBI True (10/9c, CBS): The true-crime docuseries revisits the bloody siege at Ruby Ridge in Idaho, when an 11-day standoff followed the murder of a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1992.

ON THE STREAM:

• The Netflix Cup (6 pm/ET, streaming on Netflix): The streamer’s first live sports event pairs a Formula 1 driver with a PGA Tour pro with four teams playing an eight-hole match at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. The winning team from each foursome plays a playoff hole to decide the winner.
• How to Become a Mob Boss (streaming on Netflix): A satirical “how to” guide, narrated by Peter Dinklage, explores the methods of mob boss Al Capone and cartel king Pablo Escobar.
• JFK: What the Doctors Saw (streaming on Paramount+): A documentary uses the recollections of seven physicians who were in the Parkland Hospital ER in Dallas when John F. Kennedy was killed 60 years ago. In a joint interview, they agreed that one of the entry shots hit the president’s throat—contradicting the accepted theory that both wounds were from the rear.
• Trevor Wallace: Pterodactyl (streaming on Prime Video): The Internet comedian takes center stage in his first stand-up special.