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.
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.
Regis and KellyABC, 9 a.m. EDT | Cate Blanchett, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin |
The ViewABC, 11 a.m. EDT | Meredith Vieira |
Ellen DeGeneresSyndicated, check local listings | Dylan McDermott, Matchbox Twenty |
Oprah WinfreySyndicated, check local listings | TBA |
Charlie RosePBS, check local listings | TBA |
Larry KingCNN, 9 p.m. EDT | Vicente Fox |
Jon StewartComedy Central, 11 p.m. EDT | TBA |
Stephen ColbertComedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EDT | George Saunders |
David LettermanCBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT | George Clooney, Kid Rock |
Jay LenoNBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT | Ben Affleck, Jim Norton, the Shins |
Tavis SmileyPBS, check local listings | Jimmy Smits, John Dean |
Jimmy KimmelABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT | Denis Leary, Charlie Day, Modest Mouse (repeat) |
Conan O'BrienNBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT | Joaquin Phoenix, Jim Gaffigan, Paramore |
Craig FergusonCBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT | Jimmy Smits, Michelle Monaghan, Shout Out Louds |
Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter
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