Tom Bergeron Helps Celebrate ‘Dancing’ at 20, Mark Harmon in ‘NCIS’ Crossover, ‘Golden Girls’ Tribute, Remembering WW1 Heroism

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Tom Bergeron, the first and most beloved host of the enduring dance competition, returns to the stage for the first time since he was booted five years ago. He’ll be welcomed back as a guest judge for a celebratory “20th birthday party,” which includes the return of former Mirrorball champs to perform alongside this season’s celebrities as part of this year’s Relay Dance. The opening number features several Season 1 pros returning to dance with the current troupe, and a special In Memoriam number, performed and choreographed by Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold to Lady Gaga‘s “Always Remember Us This Way,” honors Dancing participants who’ve passed away. Fans won’t want to miss it. (Read our exclusive interview with Bergergon about his return here.)

We’ve heard but not seen Mark Harmon as the original Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who narrates this prequel, since Origins’ pilot episode. That changes in a crossover stunt with NCIS. In Origins, which flips time periods with the mothership for the night (starts at 8/7c), we glimpse the OG Gibbs in his remote cabin on a stormy night, reflecting on a case that has haunted him for 30 years. With that, he morphs into the visage of young probie Gibbs (Austin Stowell), who’s off with the team to a ghost town deceptively named Serenity, where their investigation into the mysterious death of a deeply disliked chief petty officer is met with hostility and silence. The case’s resolution satisfies no one, and these ghosts from the past are revived on NCIS when a prison break reopens the investigation, causing the current team to look up retired NCIS veteran Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia), who’s itching for some excitement. Back in the office, the NCIS staff gets nostalgic while debating what to include in a time capsule that best reflects their history. (Earlier in the day, NCIS: Origins stars Austin Stowell and Mariel Molino appear on CBS daytime hit The Price Is Right for a Veterans Day special, in which military veterans and active-duty service members come on down to play for prizes.)

Special

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Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but we can give eternal thanks to this ageless sitcom (and its catchy “Thank You for Being a Friend” theme song), which continues to entertain new generations four decades after its fall 1985 premiere. Among those remembering the golden years of Bea Arthur (Dorothy), Rue McClanahan (Blanche), Betty White (Rose), and Estelle Getty (Sophia) are the show’s creator, Susan Harris, executive producer Tony Thomas, and director Terry Hughes, sharing footage of rehearsals and outtakes. In The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship, celebrity fans share their love while the special also checks in with everyday fans who attend trivia contests, live theater shows, and college courses. The Golden Girls knows no generation gap.

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Payback has rarely been tastier than in this holiday version of the cooking competition, with Bobby Flay welcoming back master chefs and Food Network personalities, all hoping to unseat him after his undefeated streak last year. In the opener, guest host Jeff Mauro invites chefs Aarti Sequeira, Kelsey Barnard Clark, and Andrew Zimmerk to talk turkey in their bid to serve Flay some humble pie.

American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute (8/7c, PBS): To mark Veterans Day, a musical theatrical event filmed at the legendary Carnegie Hall uses F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (on its centennial) as a framework to remember the heroism and sacrifices of those who fought during World War I. With a cast including Broadway veterans Adam Chanler-Berat, Nicholas Christopher (from the current revival of Chess), and Micaela Diamond, American Heart views WW1 through the eyes of fictional characters Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway as well as several real-life participants, including Harlem Hellfighter James Reese Europe and combat pilot Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt. The 60-piece Orchestra of St. Luke’s provides period music from Irving Berlin, George M. Cohen, and others, with a backdrop of archival war footage.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• MeTV Remembers the M*A*S*H Finale (6/5c, MeTV): The record-breaking 1983 finale of the beloved wartime comedy is shown in its entirety in an annual Veterans Day event, featuring interviews with the cast and creators.
• Murder in a Small Town (8/7c, Fox): A dual kidnapping keeps the Gibsons police force busy, while councilwoman Cassandra (Kristin Kreuk) weighs some tough choices during budget talks.
• Hoarding for the Holidays (9/8c, HGTV): A four-episode series looks in on people whose holiday spirit has overtaken their lives, including a couple that clash over décor overload and a collector whose spending on Christmas goodies is out of control.
• Doc (9/8c, Fox): Amy (Molly Parker) had better watch her back — again. The new intern, Hannah (Emma Pfitzer Price), is conspiring with her brother Charlie (Daniel Gravelle) to get revenge on the woman they blame for their father’s downfall.
• Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay (9:15/8:15c, Bravo): The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City personality and author speaks out about her exodus from the Church of Latter-day Saints. This episode and two more begin streaming on Peacock on Wednesday.
• Frontline (10/9c, PBS): The current-affairs program explores the “Drug War in Ecuador,” with drug-running cartels and a military crackdown disrupting what was once one of Latin America’s more peaceful nations.
• Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo (10/9c, History Channel): The second season opens with the spotlight on a bat once swung by a baseball legend and a famous painting discovered behind a false wall.
• Squid Game: The Challenge (streaming on Netflix): The remaining players lose their marbles — literally — as the final rounds begin.