1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Each year, this offers a rich variety of music from the Capitol lawn, capped by fireworks (shown here). This year has a Tina Turner tribute from Adrienne Warren (who played her on Broadway), a musical tribute to soldiers and their families by Renee Fleming and Charles Esten singing “Let Freedom Ring” as the fireworks flow. Also Chicago, Babyface, Boyz II Men, Belinda Carlisle, Maddie & Tae and more.
2) “Fireworks Spectacular,” 8 p.m., NBC, with highlights rerunning from 10-11 p.m. And here’s the New York City celebration, with Macy’s planning to explode 60,000 shells. The music will be from Bebe Rexja, Ja Rule, Jelly Roll, Ashanti and country’s Lainey Wilson. And as we near the 50th anniversary of hip hop, LL Cool J performs with The Roots and DJ Z-Trip.
3) Musicals, Turner Classic Movies. The obvious July 4 ones wrap up the day – “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942) at 5:30 p.m. ET, “The Music Man” (1962) at 8 and “1776” at 10:30. Before that, the day is awash in Americana – “Annie Get Your Gun” (1950) at 9:30 a.m. ET, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954) at 11:30 and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “On the Town” (both 1949 with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly) at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
4) More movies. Networks can’t resist showing “Independence Day” (1996) on Independence Day, even though it’s not really about the holiday. Today, Starz has it at 6:32 and 9 p.m.; A&E has its sequel (2016) at 8. In a day filled with soldiers, MGM+ has the well-crafted “Top Gun: Maverick” at 9:16 a.m. and 8 p.m.; HBO has the big-budget (but so-so) “Pearl Harbor” (2001) at 8.
5) ALSO: The broadcast networks that don’t have fireworks will stick with reruns. That includes game shows on ABC and Fox, plus CBS dramas: On “FBI” (8 p.m.), an Ivy League drop-out is linked to pawnshop murders. On “FBI: International” (9), a Russian hit man is after Forrester. On “FBI: Most Wanted” (10), two college women are missing after a dorm murder.
— Mike Hughes, TV America