1) “NCIS,” 8 p.m., CBS. This is the 400th episode of a show that seems eternal. “JAG” had 10 seasons, the last two overlapping with its spin-off, “NCIS” … which has just started its 18th season … and has two more spin-offs, in their seventh and 12th years. That adds up to 47 seasons (26 years) of Naval crimesolvers. Tonight flashes way back to when Gibbs (Mark Harmon) tackled his first case. Sean Harmon plays a younger version of his dad, which he’s done six previous times; he’s shown here, right, with a younger version of Ducky.
2) “Transplant.” 10 p.m., NBC. There’s no “This Is Us” this week, but this fills any need for fierce emotion. An explosion, a block from the hospital, has Dr. Hamed racing to the site … and flashing back to a tragedy in his native Syria. It also puts the emergency room into overdrive, with enough crises to fill a season. This is a high-octane hour that also pauses for well-crafted dialog. Amid the chaos, there’s calm counterpoint from the medical chief, played by skilled Scottish actor John Hannah.
3) “Next,” 9 p.m., Fox. This hits extremes – brilliant in concept, sloppy in details. LeBlanc (John Slattery), the computer whiz, has been ousted from his company; his brother, the business guy, may be next. Their computer program is loose, trying to destroy them and Shea (the FBI agent) and her family. All of that is compelling; other parts are maddening. Why would Shea leave her gun in the car? Why would her colleague stray from the patient she’s protecting? Only, perhaps, for plot convenience.
4) “A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado,” 8-10 p.m., Hallmark, Others will wait for the weekend to air some more new Christmas movies, but Hallmark is obsessed: On Monday, it started a string of new ones on seven straight nights. This one stars Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor, notable because this channel – which had been too white for too long – has been discovering diversity.
5) “Big Sky,” 10:01 p.m., ABC. Last week’s opener ended with a thunderbolt. ABC had implied the show is about two private detectives (Cody and Cassie) and an ex-cop (Jenny, Cody’s estranged wife). Then Cody – searching for kidnap victims – was with a folksy highway patrolman … who suddenly killed him. The cop is in on the kidnapping, sending this compelling story in fresh directions.