Janelle James Does Stand-Up, Lala’s Con-Woman ‘Origin,’ Dancing to Grammy Hits, the Rise of Stephen Curry

Janelle James: How Romantic

She kills it weekly as Abbott Elementary’s mercurial principal Ava. In her debut stand-up comedy special, Emmy nominee Janelle James lets it rip on the stage of Chicago’s Vic Theatre, assessing the mood of her times: “It’s really hard to be a comedian right now. Everything is funny, and nothing is funny.” Her feisty set takes the political temperature before moving on to more personal matters, as James addresses her newfound notoriety (“I’m sitcom famous”) and why one of her co-stars mocked her when she complained about being stalked while shopping at Target.

NCIS: Origins

While the focus of this prequel is on Agent Gibbs — Austin Stowell in the 1993 timeline, Mark Harmon reprising his iconic role in the present — there are other backstories to explore. None with a bigger impact on the younger Gibbs’ life than his partner and love interest, Lala (Mariel Molino), who we recently learned from the elder Gibbs that she died sometime in the past in a plane wreck. The current case for the NCIS team in the 1990s involves the murder of a con woman, which triggers childhood memories for Lala (and a black-and-white flashback to 1971) from when she acted as a Paper Moon-style accomplice in the scams cooked up by her crooked father (Rafael de la Fuente). In the present day, Gibbs and Bishop’s (Emily Wickersham) interrogation of the tracker who led a shooter to Gibbs leads to more startling revelations.

Dancing With the Stars

The dance floor has been reduced to a lucky seven couples, who’ll be performing Argentine Tango, Tango, Jazz, Salsa, and Paso Doble routines to hit songs that either won or were nominated for Grammys. Top-ranked couple Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned immunity last week, so they’ll sit out the Dance-Off round, where two couples dance head-to-head to the same style (Rumba and Cha-Cha), with live performances by Sheryl Crow (“All I Wanna Do”), Maren Morris (“The Middle”), and Brandy and Monica (“The Boy Is Mine”). The winning couples earn bonus points as they all face another tough elimination.

Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry

After a Limited IMAX release this fall, a biographical portrait profiles Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who recently set another record in his storied career by achieving his 16th 40-point game since his 35th birthday, surpassing fellow legends LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Director Gotham Chopra’s film frames Curry’s story with his 4,000th three-pointer milestone in 2025, reflecting on the mindset and work ethic that have sustained him through 18 seasons. Overachievers from other disciplines weigh in, including Viola Davis, Jon Batiste, Patti Smith, and Rick Rubin.

Best Medicine

There’s a battle going on in quaint Port Wenn, Maine, whose quirky citizens get into costume to reenact a historic Revolutionary War conflict. But when several of the participants begin showing bizarre symptoms, the skeptical Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles) gets to work, setting up a more personal fight for authority with his state-sanctioned monitor, Parker (Jack Cutmore-Smith), who has swept Louisa (Abigail Spencer) off her feet.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• We Chose to Go to the Moon (8/7c, PBS): Ron Howard, whose Avedon documentary premieres Wednesday on Netflix, introduces this immersive theatrical production filmed in April at Carnegie Hall, reliving the space race that culminated in the moon landing through a mix of music, theater, and documentary narrative.
• NCIS (8/7c, CBS): It’s all in the family when Kinley Andreen, daughter of series star Katrina Law (Agent Knight), guest-stars as an 8-year-old girl whose Marine mom has gone missing. Followed by NCIS: New York (9/8c), where the team investigates the murder of a naval interrogator.
• Love & Hip Hop: The Final Chapter (8/7c, VH1, BET, MTV): A six-part series looks back at the reality-TV franchise’s 15-year history, with members of the New York, Atlanta, Hollywood, and Miami casts reflecting on the show’s impact and legacy.
• Doc (9/8c, Fox): A new challenge for Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker), when the latest revelations about her brain health put her medical future on the line.
• Big Bargain Holiday Showdown (9/8c, HGTV): Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski hosts a yuletide competition in which two teams transform a room in their respective homes into a holiday showpiece, with limited time (48 hours) and budget ($500).
• The Curse of Oak Island (9/8c, History Channel): Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina continue their search for Nova Scotia treasure in the 14th season. Followed by the series premiere of History’s Mystery Files (10/9c), hosted by Lost‘s Jorge Garcia and opening with a look at “Hidden Treasures” found in ordinary settings like a garage sale.
• Deadly Women 2.0 (9/8c, Investigation Discovery): A new version of one of ID’s signature true-crime series features criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward and forensic psychologist Dr. Rachel Toles exploring the psyches of murderous women.
• 1000-lb Sisters (9/8c, TLC): In the Season 9 finale, Amy awaits news of her skin-removal surgery while preparing for her music-video shoot.
• Michael Strahan’s Iconic Fashion (10/9c, ABC): The Good Morning America host presents a three-part series assessing the cultural impact of style icons including designer Tommy Hilfiger, supermodel Heidi Klum, NBA champion Dwyane Wade, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 costume designer Molly Rogers.
• Frontline (10/9c, PBS): The investigative series explores “Coal’s Human Cost,” with a rise in black lung disease and death in Appalachia.

ON THE STREAM:

• Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death (streaming on Hulu): A three-part true-crime series dives into the underground manosphere of extreme biohacking and bodybuilding, with Internet guru Dr. Tony Huge coming under scrutiny after several high-profile deaths.
• VisionQuest (streaming on Disney+): The epic conclusion of the mind-bending Marvel action series pits Vision (Paul Bettany) against the mysterious “Client,” a dead ringer for Ultron (James Spader).
• Phony (streaming on Hulu): Unnerved by his suspicions that his mom (Connie Britton) is an imposter, Sonny (Sam Nivola) spends a memorable day playing hooky with Mallory (Grace Brennan) before returning home and making another earth-shattering discovery.
• Ludwig (streaming on BritBox): Puzzle master and crime consultant John “Ludwig” Taylor (David Mitchell) has to solve the latest murder at a sushi restaurant without the assistance of DCI Carter (Dipo Ola), who was a witness at the crime scene while meeting secretly with John’s missing brother’s former partner, DI Matt Neville (Ricky Gervais favorite Karl Pilkington).
• Das Boot (streaming on MHz Choice): The German wartime drama returns for a third season, now in 1943, with Lt. Robert Ehrenberg (Franz Dinda) launching a perilous new mission with an inexperienced crew. Also on the international streamer: the six-part Finnish thriller Icebreaker, in which a Coast Guard officer comes to the rescue of an icebreaker stranded in a winter storm during the darkest night of the solstice.