1) “Transplant,” 9 p.m., NBC. After a month-long break, “Transplant” returns with perhaps the best episode since its debut, three years ago. Desperate to become a Canadian citizen, Bash (shohas wn here in a previous episode) gathered paperwork from his Syrian war years. Now an official is asking about his workday; we jump between that government office and hectic moments in the hospital. “Transplant” skillfully shows life-and-death crises and subtle human moments.
2) “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies, or “The Fabelman” (2022), 6:30 p.m., Showtime. Two of our best – and most entertaining – filmmakers are here. One, of course, is Steven Spielberg; “The Fabelmans,” his most personal film, drew seven Oscar nomination. including best picture. The other is Tim Burton; from its opening moments (with Danny Elfman’s magical score), this “Big Adventure” showed unique talent and flair.
3) More movies. Helen Mirren is terrific in “Golda “(2023), at 9 p.m. on Showtime, but the film is so-so. The title suggests a broad biography of Golda Meier, but the story sticks to a few dark days, when Israel’s future was uncertain. For sheer entertainment, you could catch “Free Guy” (2021), at 8 and 10:30 p.m. on FX; “The Ghostbusters” films at 8 and 10:30 on AMC or the “Back to the Future” ones, at 8:30 and 11 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Bravo.
4) “Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS. After being bumped on three straight Thursdays, this is finally back with a rerun: Missy draws jealousy from her mom, because she prefers to be with her grandmother or her brother’s pregnant ex-girlfriend. That’s followed by “Ghosts” (Alberta’s podcast) and two episodes of the British “Ghosts”; the second one has varying versions of a long-ago poet’s fond memory.
5) ALSO: It’s a night stuffed with reruns on ABC (game shows), Fox (Legos Christmas contest) and beyond. But we’re always happy for a “Grinch” rerun; that’s 7 and 7:30 p.m. on E. And ESPN has four bowl games, two with top-25 teams. They’re at 11 a.m. ET; 2:15 p.m.; 5:45 p.m. (North Carolina State and Kansas State, ranked No. 18 and 25) and 9:15 p.m. (Oklahoma and Arizona, No. 12 and 14).