Best Bets on TV tonight

Can we forget all that stuff we learned in grade school about Christopher Columbus and the New World? Well, maybe. "1421: The Year China Discovered America?" (9 p.m., PBS) is a fascinating two-part documentary that claims Zheng He, a daring Chinese admiral during the Ming dynasty, commanded the largest wooden armada ever built and reached America 71 years before that famous guy from Italy.
A New York City firehouse is the setting for the new 13-episode drama series "Rescue Me" (10 p.m., FX). Denis Leary stars as a firefighter who came to fear his work after 9/11 but must try to hide that fear from his colleagues. Jack McGee, who spent a decade as a New York firefighter, plays a fire chief who has a gambling problem.
"Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies" (8 p.m., PBS). A two-part visit to elaborate 'fairytale structures' in the wilderness concludes with a trip along the Trail of the Great Bear. Tonight's stops include the lavish Chateau Lake Louise, the Jasper Park Lodge, the Prince of Wales Hotel with its bell tower, and rustic Lake O'Hara Lodge.
A tribute to landmark black Broadway musicals, "Evening at Pops" (8 p.m. PBS), features Vanessa Williams and songs including "I Never Has Seen Snow," "Beat Out Dat Rhythm of the Drum," "Takin' a Chance on Love," and "Loads of Love."