What to Watch Tuesday, October 20: ‘NCIS: Origins,’ ‘Dancing with the Stars’ & ‘Phony’ Lead Tonight's Lineup

Tuesday television is bringing familiar faces, emotional performances and a mystery that might make you question whether you really know your own family. CBS continues its three-hour NCIS lineup, Dancing with the Stars gets personal with

Dedication Night, and Hulu premieres Phony, a new mystery starring Connie Britton.

FOX also has new episodes of Best Medicine and DOC, while Bravo delivers more drama with The Real Housewives of New York City. Meanwhile, NBC is trading its usual primetime programming for basketball as the NBA season gets underway.

Between emotional ballroom performances and murder investigations, Tuesday isn't exactly easing anyone into the week.

TV Cave Top Pick: NCIS: Origins

Our Top Pick goes to NCIS: Origins, airing at 10 PM ET on CBS.

Tonight's episode, “Return of the Mack,” brings a particularly interesting development to the show's expanding timeline, with the younger Gibbs storyline continuing alongside the present-day mystery involving Mark Harmon's older version of the character.

The episode also features a reunion involving Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo, giving longtime NCIS fans another connection between the franchise's past and present. It's an intriguing direction for a series that initially focused on Gibbs' early years at Camp Pendleton. The addition of present-day storytelling creates opportunities to revisit relationships and unresolved questions without abandoning the characters who helped establish the prequel.

Of course, bringing familiar faces back can be tricky. Nostalgia is fun, but it works best when there's an actual story attached to it rather than simply asking fans to applaud someone walking through a door.

With the franchise increasingly connecting its different eras, tonight's episode should be worth watching.

Tuesday, October 20 TV Schedule

Time (ET)	Show	Network/Streaming	Tonight
Streaming	Phony	Hulu	Series Premiere
Streaming	Between Steps	Hulu / Disney+	New Episode
Streaming	Best Friends	Hulu / Disney+	New Podcast Episode
Streaming	Stick to Football	Disney+	New Podcast Episode
7:00 PM	The Concert for New York City	MTV / VH1 / MTV2 / Logo	25th Anniversary Rebroadcast
8:00 PM	NCIS	CBS	New Episode — “Sleeping Dogs”
8:00 PM	Dancing with the Stars	ABC / Disney+	Dedication Night
8:00 PM	Best Medicine	FOX	New Episode — “Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow”
8:00 PM	The Real Housewives of New York City	Bravo	New Episode
8:00 PM	WWE NXT	The CW	Live Wrestling
8:00 PM	Moonshiners	Discovery	New Episode
8:00 PM	A Very Haunted Renovation	HGTV	New Episode
9:00 PM	NCIS: New York	CBS	New Episode — “Carousel”
9:00 PM	DOC	FOX	New Episode — “S.O.S.”
9:00 PM	The Drop: A Snowfall Saga	FX	New Episode — “Blood In, Blood Out”
9:00 PM	1000-lb Sisters	TLC	New Episode
9:00 PM	Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas	Bravo	New Episode
9:00 PM	Tyler Perry's Assisted Living	BET	New Episode
10:00 PM	NCIS: Origins	CBS	⭐ TOP PICK — “Return of the Mack”
10:00 PM	R.J. Decker	ABC	New Episode — “Blame It on the Rain”
10:00 PM	Frontline	PBS	New Investigation
10:00 PM	1000-lb Roomies	TLC	New Episode
10:00 PM	The UnXplained Special Presentation	History	New Episodes

All times Eastern. Streaming programs are available on demand unless otherwise noted. The NBC NBA season-opening doubleheader begins at 3 PM ET under its Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presentation; exact game airtimes should be checked against NBC's live sports listings.

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Gets Personal on Dedication Night

ABC's Dancing with the Stars continues Season 35 at 8 PM ET, with the remaining ten couples performing routines dedicated to important people and experiences in their lives.

Dedication Night is usually one of the more emotional installments of the season, giving contestants an opportunity to share stories that extend beyond their dance performances. Former professional dancer Kym Johnson returns as a guest judge, joining the panel as the competition moves into another elimination round.

Of course, heartfelt stories don't automatically translate into strong scores. The couples still have to deliver technically sound performances, and the judges aren't going to ignore a missed step simply because everyone is crying. With fewer contestants remaining, the competition is becoming increasingly difficult, and tonight's performances could significantly change the leaderboard.

Connie Britton Returns to Television With Hulu's ‘Phony’

Hulu premieres Phony today, a coming-of-age mystery starring Connie Britton and Sam Nivola. The series follows a teenager recovering from a car accident who becomes convinced that his mother has been replaced by someone pretending to be her.

It's an unsettling premise, particularly because the person he's questioning is also the person he trusts most. Is something genuinely wrong, or has the accident changed his perception of the world?

Britton plays the mother at the center of the mystery, while Nivola portrays the teenager struggling to determine what's real.

Created by Nick Paley, the series also stars Grace Brennan, Maliq Johnson and Meera Syal. For fans who enjoy psychological mysteries that make ordinary family relationships feel deeply uncomfortable, Phony could be one of today's more interesting streaming options.

‘NCIS’ and ‘NCIS: New York’ Keep CBS Busy

Before NCIS: Origins closes the night, CBS has two additional investigations.

At 8 PM, NCIS continues Season 24 with “Sleeping Dogs.” Torres finds himself confronting his undercover past when someone begins using one of his former identities to commit murders. The investigation forces him to reconnect with his former handler, played by Mike O'Malley, and revisit a chapter of his life he'd probably prefer to leave buried.

At 9 PM, NCIS: New York continues its first season with “Carousel.” The team investigates the kidnapping of a prosecutor's children, with the possibility that the crime is connected to her work. It's a particularly dangerous case, especially when the investigators must determine whether the kidnappers are seeking revenge or something more complicated.

With three different teams handling three different cases, CBS has Tuesday's crime drama audience pretty well covered.

‘DOC,’ ‘Best Medicine’ and More Tuesday Favorites

FOX begins its evening with Best Medicine at 8 PM, followed by DOC at 9 PM.

In Best Medicine, Martin faces an unusual situation involving a traveling magician whose wife dies unexpectedly. The case presents both medical and emotional complications, particularly when the surviving husband struggles to accept what happened.

On DOC, Amy must help a family confront devastating medical news while experiencing intrusive memory episodes of her own. Meanwhile, Bravo continues The Real Housewives of New York City, where accusations involving Erin, Jessel and Sai's marriages create more tension among the women.

FX also has a new episode of The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, while ABC closes the evening with R.J. Decker.

Tuesday offers a strong combination of crime dramas, reality television and streaming mysteries. NCIS: Origins gets our Top

Pick, but Dancing with the Stars and Phony are giving fans two very different reasons to tune in.