WORTH NOTING ON TV

THURSDAY Johnny Carson anniversary special (NBC, 9:30-11 p.m.): He's a TV phenomenon who has now racked up a truly epic 28-year run in the mercilessly fickle late-night talk-show business. Live and in prime time, this salute includes clips - culled from his years as host of ``Tonight'' - illustrating the style that has made Carson a dominant fixture amid the fits and starts of competing shows. MONDAY David L. Wolper Presents (A&E cable, 8-9 p.m.): Decades later, many Wolper documentaries stand among the finest TV has seen, and this two-year series offers classic samples - from the '50s through the '70s - beginning with ``The Race for Space,'' an acclaimed program that first aired in 1960 and quickly began copping awards. The Infinite Voyage (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): The science series' fourth season begins with ``The Keepers of Eden,'' a world tour of ``zoos'' - but note that the word no longer means prisons for animals, but carefully researched environments dedicated to the survival of threatened species - sometimes by returning them to the wild.

TUESDAY Invention (Discovery cable, 9:30-10 p.m.): First of a 13-part series profiling people with the urge and talent to innovate and examining the kind of - human inspiration that lies behind their array of inventions. These have a startling range, from devices that spurred the industrial revolution to a flying car someone hopes will be the vehicle of choice for commuters in the year 2000.

Please check local listings for all programs, especially on PBS.