1) “Quantum Leap,” 8 p.m., NBC. Now Ben (shown here, right) is in the body of a UFO investigator in 1949. Hearing a teen’s wild story, he admits: “I have seen things that are hard to explain.” Like leaping into past people’s bodies and getting help from a hologram of his ex-fiancee (center), who’s dating someone else because he vanished for three years. This is a smart story that will tickle both UFO buffs and doubters, while offering neat sub-plots about the sheriff (left) and a waitress.
2) “Magnum P.I.,” 9 p.m., CBS. These days, most shows juggle two or three stories … but at least try to make them seem like part of the same hour. Not here. The main story, brash and high-action, is fairly good. The second, involving the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans, is quietly moving. The third is just silly. There’s no effort to make them part of the same show, same hour or same island.
3) “Nature” season-opener, 8 p.m., PBS. Everything about the platypus seems off-kilter. Its a mammal that lays eggs … It has a walrus-like body and a duck bill … It’s a loner suited for the wilds, but Pete Walsh slowly befriended one in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, pop. 250,000. He named her Zoom and followed her life, creating a warm hour that has a happy ending.
4) “Sullivan’s Crossing,” 8 p.m., CW. At first, this continues to be a quiet drama, as peaceful as the Nova Scotia setting. Maggie’s past life (as a big-time surgeon in the U.S.) brings bad news; her dad has his annual land blessing. But then comes an abrupt (too abrupt?) shift into a high-stakes plot that continues next week. This is an easy show to like … as is “The Spencer Sisters,” which follows.
5) ALSO: “Fargo” (1996), a crime tale peppered with droll, Midwestern wit, is at 7:20 p.m. on HBO; it leads into the 9 p.m. finale of the three-part documentary, “Navajo Police: Class 57.” The big reality shows – “Masked Singer” at 8 p.m. on Fox, “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” at 8 and 9:30 on CBS – continue. And speaking of survival, the mid-section of the five-week “Nova: Ancient Earth” is a fascinating view of the rise and staying power of plants.