Best-bets for Oct. 18: a dramatic leap and a departed star

1) “The Big Leap.” 9 p.m., Fox. “Leap” tries to do everything. It has light comedy, dark drama and bits of romance, all while adding zesty dance numbers and satirizing a manipulative reality show. Tonight has two drama twists. One – Mike learns that his new love, Paula, was the executive who eliminated his job – is fairly good; the other is quietly powerful. Gabby finally reveals (and confronts) her son’s biologic father; with subtle perfection, Nicole Recasner (shown here in a previous episode) projects deep pain and rage. Read more…

1) “The Big Leap.” 9 p.m., Fox. “Leap” tries to do everything. It has light comedy, dark drama and bits of romance, all while adding zesty dance numbers and satirizing a manipulative reality show. Tonight has two drama twists. One – Mike learns that his new love, Paula, was the executive who eliminated his job – is fairly good; the other is quietly powerful. Gabby finally reveals (and confronts) her son’s biologic father; with subtle perfection, Nicole Recasner (shown here in a previous episode) projects deep pain and rage.

2) “NCIS,” 9 p.m. CBS. By now, fans have absorbed the shock: The rumors were true; Mark Harmon has left the show. Last week, his character made it clear that he’s staying in Alaska. Harmon has been the core of “NCIS” for all 18-plus seasons. After the fourth one, he led the ouster of series creator Don Bellisario; with Harmon as a producer, “NCIS” soared to No. 1. He’ll continue to produce, and could return some day. For tonight, the unMarked team probes a case that includes an exploding corpse.

3) “Howie Mandel & Friends: Don’t Sneeze on Me,” 8-9:30 p.m., CW. For five years, this was easy: Mandel returned to his native Canada, gathered stand-up comedians from the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, and did a special. Then came COVID; the festival was cancelled in 2020 and was a hybrid this year. Instead, Mandel launched this Los Angeles show with Sherri Shepherd, Patton Oswald, Natasha Leggero, Preacher Lawson, Dulce Sloan, Ryan Hamilton, Robin Tran and many more.

4) “Dancing With the Stars,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Last Tuesday, the show ousted actor Brian Austin Green and former “Bachelor” star Matt James. Now it trims back to once a week, to make room for “The Bachelorette” on Tuesdays. Tonight, people dance to the jukebox-style music of “Grease.”

5) “Manhunt” opener, any time, www.acorn.com. Yes, this four-parter is one of the slowest, most understated police dramas in TV history. That’s part of its charm; it’s a true story about a quiet cop who cracked huge cases. Martin Clunes (“Doc Martin”) captures the unyielding focus needed to catch a man who raped elderly women. The opener arrives on the day Acorn has the season’s final “Midsomer Murders” movie and its second-to-last episodes of the lighter “My Life is Murder.”

 

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