The holiday brings a brand new National Geographic nature series about the continent and its wildlife, big and small, from the makers of “Planet Earth.” The big difference for “America the Beautiful” (Disney+, streaming) is the use of jets mounted with cameras, giving a turbo-charged view across the landscape, hundreds of miles at a time. Maybe it’s the new connection with Disney, but some of the nature stories, like the squirrel vs. bear that starts the series, are right out of a Chip ’n’ Dale cartoon. Here’s a story I did about the series.
Independence Day brings the usual collection of music and fireworks specials.
“A Capital Fourth 2022” (PBS, 8 p.m., repeating at 9:30, check local listings) from Washington is hosted by country singer Mickey Guyton and features performances from Darren Criss, Cynthia Erivo, Yolanda Adams, Andy Grammar, Chita Rivera, Gloria Gaynor, Rachel Platten, Keb’ Mo,’ Emily Bear, Jake Owen and Loren Allred.
Besides the 246th birthday of the nation, the 46th annual concert will mark the 65th anniversary of “West Side Story” and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial. Fireworks will be accompanied by the national Symphony Orchestra.
From New York, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (NBC, 8 p.m., repeating at 10) will feature performers that include Brett Eldredge, 5 Seconds to Summer, Carly Pearce, Pitbull and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of “Freestyle Love Supreme.”
“A Fourth in America” (CNN, 7 p.m.) features performances from the B-52’s, Def Leppard, Machine Gun Kelly and Journey. Dana Bash hosts from dana Bash, Ana Cabrera in Nashville, Don Lemon in New York City and Sara Snider in San Diego.