Thursday’s TV highlights

SERIES

Known Universe: Construction is hard enough on Earth, imagine doing it in space. This new episode takes viewers inside NASA’s tool lab, where scientists have developed high-tech wrenches, hammers and a robotic handyman all designed for building projects in orbit (6 and 9 p.m. National Geographic).

The Big Bang Theory: Leonard (Johnny Galecki) gets depressed when he realizes that he is the only one in the group without a girlfriend in this repeat (8 p.m. CBS).

So You Think You Can Dance: The top 20 finalists perform (8 p.m. Fox).

Love Bites: In this new episode Annie’s (Becki Newton) friend Jodie (Michelle Trachtenberg) scares away a new beau (Bret Harrison) by baking for him (10 p.m. NBC).

Swords: Life on the Line: A Japanese fishing boat causes trouble for the fleet in this new episode (10 p.m. Discovery).

24 Hour Restaurant Battle: Two guys from Miami who are into cooking with a focus on the science of it all compete with a father-daughter team with a vision of a socially conscious restaurant in this new episode (10 p.m. Food).

MOVIES

Them! Enormous ants wreak havoc on a New Mexico desert town in this 1954 cautionary tale about the dangers of messing with nuclear material. James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn and James Arness star (5 p.m. TCM).

Magnum Force: Clint Eastwood is in fine form in this sequel to “Dirty Harry.” The 1973 drama puts the maverick San Francisco cop on the trail of rookies (including TV-stars-to-be David Soul and Robert Urich) who become vigilantes (8 p.m. AMC).

Jackass 3.5: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and the gang perform more outrageous stunts and pranks (10 p.m. MTV).

SPORTS

Baseball: Regional coverage (4 p.m. MLB); the Chicago Cubs visit the Philadelphia Phillies (4 p.m. WGN A); the Dodgers visit the Colorado Rockies (5:30 p.m. FS Prime).

2011 NBA Finals: The Miami Heat visit the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5. (6 p.m. ABC).