TODAY'S MUST-SEE

"Heroes," 8 p.m., NBC. Unlike last season, producers promise, "Heroes" won't drag stories over an entire season. This hour wraps up "Volume II: Generations." Peter, Nathan, Hiro and Matt have converged in Odessa, Texas. There's soon dissension. Meanwhile, Micah needs his mom's scary powers, to save Monica. And Maya is starting to see the real Sylar.

"The Closer," 6 p.m., TNT. This shrewd holiday film starts with humor, ends with warmth, and piles rage in between. After a shootout in Los Angeles, Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) pursues a suspect to Atlanta, her hometown. She and Fritz boggle the holiday plans of her parents (Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen). The crime story is OK, but the best moments come as Brenda re-considers her life. Terrific work from Sedgwick and Corbin propel a quietly involving story.

OF NOTE

"Chuck," 7 p.m., NBC. Bummed by the fact that Sarah still likes Bryce, Chuck must pretend to be her husband.

"How I Met Your Mother," 7 p.m., CBS. A night of CBS reruns begins, with memories stirred by car trouble.

"Tin Man," 7 p.m., Sci Fi Channel, rerunning at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. In the opener (which reruns at 7 p.m.), we met this "The Wizard of Oz" variation. DG is a captive of her evil sister, the sorceress. Her new friends try to free her, aided by a sharply different version of Toto the dog. It's an OK episode, setting up Tuesday's finale.

"The Big Bang Theory," 7:30 p.m., CBS. With his dream girl interested in someone else, Leonard reluctantly dates a stranger.

"The Year Without a Santa Claus," 8 p.m., ABC Family. This is the popular, animated special that NBC recently turned into an overblown movie.

"Samantha Who?," 8 p.m., ABC. Samantha tries to cover up the fact that she's had an accident with her dad's car.

"Saving Grace," 8 p.m., TNT. Grace — the tough cop who talks to an angel — is pinned down by a tornado, alongside her suspects. It's an OK episode, the first of four new ones this month.

"Life," 9 p.m., NBC. This show, freshly renewed for the rest of the season, starts a two-parter that concludes Wednesday. Crews probes the murder of a Zen master, while learning of one person's possible connection to his false conviction.