QUANTUM LEAP -- "Secret History" Episode 206 -- Pictured: Eliza Taylor As Hannah Carson -- (Photo by: NBC)

Best-bets for Dec. 13: a night stuffed with new dramas

1) “Quantum Leap,” 8 p.m., NBC. Last week’s episode had a finish that was far-fetched, even by time-travel standards. Now “Leap” bounces back; an engaging story, set among spies in 1950s Egypt, marks the return of the show’s best character. Hannah (Eliza Taylor, the former “100” star) is the only person outside the lab who knows about Ben’s time-travel. He met her when she was an underemployed waitress and steered her toward her career as a physicist (shown here); now they meet again in Egypt. Read more…

1) “Quantum Leap,” 8 p.m., NBC. Last week’s episode had a finish that was far-fetched, even by time-travel standards. Now “Leap” bounces back; an engaging story, set among spies in 1950s Egypt, marks the return of the show’s best character. Hannah (Eliza Taylor, the former “100” star) is the only person outside the lab who knows about Ben’s time-travel. He met her when she was an underemployed waitress and steered her toward her career as a physicist (shown here); now they meet again in Egypt.

2) “Magnum P.I.,” 9 p.m., NBC. This starts with two unpromising stories: Magnum and Higgins secretly probe a professor accused of sexual relations; the other guys try a sort of father-and-son camping trip. Then, in the second half, there’s a major plot twist, followed by a long chase scene that’s both wildly unlikely and quite exciting.

3) “The Buccaneers” conclusion, Apple TV+. A great mini-series concludes in ways that will surprise many viewers. Edith Wharton died before finishing the novel; a 1995 mini-series had an ending very different from this one. Nan (the superb Kristine Froseth) loves the duke, as their wedding day nears; she also loves his sometimes-friend Guy and despises her sister, who revealed a secret. Some viewers (me, anyway) will admire this ending.

4) “Sullivan’s Crossing” season-finale, 8 p.m., CW. Like “Buccaneers,” this starts with a mountain of problems; unlike that show, it’s in no hurry to straighten them out. Maggie faces her malpractice suit in Boston; back in Nova Scotia, where she temporarily fled, she remained bitter at her dad and hasn’t yet expressed her love for Cal. Now even Rob and his sister are arguing. This well-made drama wraps its season with some kick-in-the-gut moments.

5) ALSO: Three more shows have season-finales tonight. It’s the amiable detective show “The Spencer Sisters,” at 9 p.m. on CW; the offbeat game show “Snake Oil,” at 9:02 on Fox; and “The Amazing Race,” from 9:30 to 11 p.m. on CBS. Two 8 p.m. shows – CBS’ “Survivor” and Fox’s “The Masked Singer” – are a week from their finales.

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