1. ‘Chuck’
7 p.m., WMAQ-Ch. 5
Life is hard enough; leading two lives is a bear. As Chuck (Zachary Levi, above) is coerced into going under cover for his first real spy gig, he receives a challenge at Buy More: go for the job of assistant manager. To do that, he’ll need help from Morgan (Joshua Gomez) and the Nerd Herd. Adam Baldwin also stars in this new episode.
2. NFL Football
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Before coming up for air during next week’s bye week, the Buffalo Bills continue a brutal schedule tonight at home against one of the NFC’s better teams, the Dallas Cowboys. The Bills had trouble scoring in their first two games — both losses — operating with a conservative, J.P. Losman-led (right) offense. Letting him loose may help, although the Cowboys ball-hawking defense will give Losman plenty of different looks that could prove confusing.
3. ‘Heroes’
8 p.m., WMAQ-Ch. 5
This new episode is full of surprises, starting with the undiscovered Isaac Mendez painting that Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) finds in New York — a painting predicting the death of someone close to him. Ando (James Kyson Lee) gets a more pleasant surprise when he returns to work, and Hiro (Masi Oka) gets one from Kensei (David Anders). Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter also star.
4. ‘The Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus’
9 p.m., WTTW-Ch. 11
No matter what you think of Christopher Columbus, there’s no denying he changed history. In this new documentary, updated from Zvi Dor-Ner’s 1991 project “Columbus and the Age of Discovery,” a crew re-enacts the explorer’s first voyage across the Atlantic. The two-hour film also reflects on what that trip meant to the world and to Columbus himself.
5. ‘Hip-Hop Honors’
9 p.m., VH1
The fourth Hip-Hop Honors pays its respects to A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott and Whodini, all of whom will perform. Also performing: Ciara, Eve, Pharrell Williams, The Game, T.I., Timbaland, Bow Wow, Busta Rhymes, Common, T-Pain and Keyshia Cole. Tracy Morgan hosts, and Nick Cannon and Chris Rock are scheduled to appear.
6. ‘The Boondocks’
10:30 p.m., Cartoon Network
Now, after a long wait, “The Boondocks” returns. Aaron McGruder’s adaptation of his own incisive cartoon strip is funnier than before, exploring issues both timeless (going to a movie) and a little dated (“Soul Plane”).
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Compiled by Barbara Schaffner from Tribune wire reports
