TV Daily

Prime Pick

Photo: PBS

In the PBS documentary "The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus" (9 p.m. EDT, check listings) filmmakers re-create the first transatlantic crossing on full-size replicas of the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. (Did they sell them to CBS's "Pirate Master" afterward?) But the aim of this two-hour special is not just to celebrate Columbus' accomplishments in a way that he couldn't (he went to his grave unaware that he'd discovered two continents). There's also an effort to express the dramatic (and in many cases negative) impact that European explorers had on the virgin lands and indigenous peoples they encountered.

-- H.H.

Also…

Viewers may be tired of traditional sitcoms, but CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" (8:30 p.m. EDT) is actually pretty good, particularly if you tend to chuckle at inside jokes about quantum physics. Speaking of nerds and chuckling, NBC's "Chuck" is a spy-thriller-dramedy hybrid with a few hearty guffaws on-board (third episode airs at 8 p.m. EDT). For the crustier (yet lustier) crowd, Showtime's duo of indulgent comedies, "Weeds" (10 p.m. EDT) and "Californication" (10:30 p.m. EDT), are still worth a look, too, particularly with Nancy following in Hank's Californicating footsteps.

On the talk shows

Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter

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