LL Cool J Returns to ‘NCIS,’ Will Trent Grieves, Bear Grylls Runs Wild with Matthew McConaughey, ‘Daredevil’ Welcomes Back Jessica Jones

NCIS

LL Cool J can’t get enough of the NCIS universe, and the feeling is obviously mutual. The rapper-turned-actor, who played Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles for 14 seasons and made guest appearances on the Hawaii spinoff and the original series, was recently tapped to star alongside Hawaii Five-0 alum Scott Caan in a New York spinoff to air in the fall. But before then, he’s back on the mothership for the first of two guest appearances. Sam steps into the darkness to help Kasie (Diona Reasonover) and a skeleton crew when they’re stalked and bunted by an unknown intruder in an otherwise abandoned building, with the mainframe shut down for an overnight upgrade and the rest of the regular NCIS crew nowhere to be seen.

Will Trent

Even at the best of times, GBI agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) walks a thin tightrope of emotional stability. But all bets are off, now that his slinky nemesis Adelaide (Mallory Jansen) has crossed the line, resulting in the shocking murder of his boss, mentor and surrogate tough-love mother figure, Amanda (Sonja Sohn). “I’m done playing your games,” Will growls as he puts aside his grief, if that’s even possible, to track down the villain and continue his search for his uncle, Antonio (John Ortiz). Even adorable little Betty may have trouble calming down Will until he gets justice for this crushing blow.

Bear Grylls Is Running Wild

Bear Grylls certainly gets around, and not just where global travel is concerned. The naturalist’s long-running reality series, in which he escorts celebrities to exotic locales for breathtaking adventures, first aired on NBC, then moved to National Geographic (rebranded The Challenge), and after a three-year hiatus, has landed at Fox. His first guest is Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, and they’re going to be alright, alright, alright as they trek through the remote tundra of Norway’s alpine wilderness. Future guests include Colman Domingo, Tiffany Haddish, Uma Thurman, and Elizabeth Banks, with destinations including yawning canyons, arid deserts and the turbulent Irish Sea.

Daredevil: Born Again

Fan favorite Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) makes a welcome return to the Marvel universe, and her powers are likely to come in handy at a fraught time in New York City, with a grieving Mayor Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) on the rampage after the death of his beloved Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer). Protests surge at City Hall as Daredevil (Charlie Cox) tries to lay low, and Governor McCaffrey (Lili Taylor) rightly worries that without his wife as a buffer to rein him in, Fish’s fascist tactics will only escalate.

The Verdict

Who is the GOAT in men’s tennis? Depends on who you ask, and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo isn’t afraid to poll experts including journalists and sports analysts in the season finale. The debate centers on the three men who dominated tennis through much of the 2000s: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. (Someday they may need to include upstarts Carlos Alcaraz and current No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the conversation.)

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• NBA Playoffs (8 pm/ET, NBC): The Portland Trail Blazers hope to tie the series against the San Antonio Spurs, followed by the L.A. Lakers, 1-0 against the Houston Rockets. The match between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm/ET) is available on Peacock and NBCSN.
• Farmer Wants a Wife (8/7c, Fox): Farmers Braden (Illinois), Brett (Tennessee) and Sean (California) look for love among 27 women in the fourth season of the down-home dating series.
• NCIS: Origins (9/8c, CBS): Gibbs’ (Austin Stowell) long-distance marriage to Diane (Kathleen Kenny) is challenged on two fronts: He gets closer to Lala (Mariel Molino) while working a case, and his dad Jackson (Longmire‘s Robert Taylor) shows up unexpectedly to dispense some fatherly wisdom. Followed by NCIS: Sydney (10/9c), where the team intervenes during a hostage incident in a hospital ward.
• R.J. Decker (9/8c, ABC): The scruffy Florida private eye (Scott Speedman) comes face to face with Emi’s (Jaina Lee Ortiz) corrupt politician father (David Zayas).
• The Dark Wizard (9/8c, HBO): In the second chapter of the biographical docuseries, free solo climber Dean Potter builds a following with his death-defying stunts, but a new contender, Alex Honnold, arrives on the scene, threatening to steal the spotlight.

 ON THE STREAM:

• Death in Paradise (streaming on BritBox): The scenic crime drama returns for a 16th season of intrigue on Saint Marie, with DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) still acclimating to island life as he suspects foul play when a man plummets to his death from atop Government House.
• Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill (streaming on Netflix): The sports documentary anthology delves into the bizarre feud between retired Olympic equestrian Michael Barisone and his dressage student Lauren Kanarek, which resulted in her being shot and him being charged and later acquitted (by reason of insanity) on charges of attempted murder.