“Life Is Wild” (8 p.m., The CW): “Life Is Wild” — an American version

“Life Is Wild” (8 p.m., The CW): “Life Is Wild” — an American version of a British drama — could do the trick for those of you missing “7th Heaven.” “Wild,” debuting tonight, isn’t quite “Heaven”-ly. Instead of religious overtones, this series has an environmental message as a backdrop to the family story. It revolves around a veterinarian (D.W. Moffett) who is at wit’s end with his fractured family. His children and stepchildren don’t get along. The big city is a bad influence on them. So when a job comes along that takes him and his family to South Africa, he snatches it up. The kids think he’s crazy and are hardly happy about being uprooted to such a foreign land. After they arrive, they are also unhappy with the living accommodations — a dilapidated bed and breakfast on the plains. The drama deals with the family’s adjustment to the new terrain. They trade taxicabs for giraffes and elephants. The pavement gives way to grass and trees. Visually, this is a beautiful series, taking advantage of shooting on location in South Africa. “Wild” is the first American network TV series to originate from there.

“Low Winter Sun” (8 p.m., BBC America): A murder in Edinburgh causes police to ask: Is it possible that this is the perfect crime?

“Breaking Point” (9 p.m., Discovery Channel): Comparing a California prison to Harvard seems a stretch. But, according to a new Ted Koppel documentary, it costs about as much to contain one prisoner for a year as does an academic year’s tuition, meals and housing at Harvard. And neither has vacancies. Built to accommodate no more than 100,000 inmates, California’s prison system now holds 173,000, reports Koppel, which potentially could lead to a court-mandated release of inmates to ease the crush. How did the situation reach this extreme? That’s what Koppel explores in his new documentary, “Breaking Point.”

“Columbus: The Lost Voyage” (9 p.m., History Channel): In his persistent hunt for a passage to the Orient, Christopher Columbus made three return trips. “Columbus: The Lost Voyage” provides an account of Christopher Columbus’ final ocean crossing, in 1502.

“The Next Iron Chef” (9 p.m., Food Network): The culinary competition heats up as eight of the country’s top chefs vie for a spot on a new season of “Iron Chef America” in November. After demonstrating their kitchen skills for three judges, one participant will be named the winner on the sixth and final episode Nov. 11.

“Brotherhood” (10 p.m., Showtime): The second season of “Brotherhood” continues with an episode that has Tommy launching his re-election campaign and turning to his sister, Mary-Kate, rather than Eileen for support. Also, Michael’s estranged Irish cousin returns to Providence.

“Snapped” (10 p.m. Oxygen): It’s the true-crimes tale of women and the illegal things they do when pushed to the edge.