1) “The Lost Symbol” opener, 10 p.m.. NBC. In three Ron Howard movies, Tom Hanks played Robert Langdon, a master of ancient symbols and codes. Now this prequel has young Langdon (Ashley Zukerman, shown here) trying to save his mentor (Eddie Izzard). The nine-week first season concludes Thursday on Peacock, where you can find the other episodes. To get us in the mood, NBC shelved a rerun of “Ordinary Joe” (which returns next week) and inserted this hour, a robust blend of peril and mystery.
2) “Independent Lens: Ferguson Rises,” 10 p.m. PBS. Forget the misleading title; the only hints of Ferguson, Mo., rising are at the end of this 80-minute film. What we get is a story of righteous rage. Yes, Michael Brown Jr. was an imposing (6-foot-4, 290-pound) guy, walking in the street. But he was unarmed; a policeman shot him nine times. Brown died a week before he would have gone to college. Skillfully blending interviews and news footage, this captures the agony in the Black community.
3) British mysteries, www.acorn.tv. It’s a double good day for this streaming service. “Manhunt” – the quietly involving four-parter about a real-life case – concludes. That’s at the same time that Acorn has the middle of its three-week stretch of new “Dalgleish” movies. “The Black Tower” has a mournful Adam Dalgleish trying to visit a friend in a cult-like seaside retreat. He’s soon suspicious of “natural causes” deaths. Without his usual support team – a local cop ignores the case – he’s on his own.
4) “Dancing With the Stars,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. It’s Janet Jackson night: The opening number is “Nasty”; the tour dancers perform to “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” The eight remaining couples – after last week’s ouster of wrestler Michael Mizanin – also dance to Jackson tunes. That goes against NBC’s “The Voice,” which has its top 20 singers perform.
5) “NCIS,” 9 p.m., CBS. Patricia Richardson guests as McGee’s mother-in-law. She’s on a cruise when, of course, she finds a body in the sauna.