1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, PBS. Blending vibrant music, stories and fireworks (shown here in a previous year), this is an annual delight from Washington, D.C. This year has the Beach Boys and the Temptations, plus “American Idol” winner Abi Carter and stars from country (Josh Turner, LoCash), Christian music (Yolanda Adams, Lauren Daigle) and jazz (Trombone Shorty).
2) More Fourth, Friday. At 8 p.m., NBC will be in New York for fireworks and music by Lenny Kravitz, Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Keke Palmer, Ava Max and DeBose; a highlight hour is at 10. At 9 p.m., CW has the Boston Pops, LeeAnn Rimes, Bell Biv Devoe and Leslie Odom, Jr. There’s more on Fox News, CNN, AXS TV and beyond
3) “SharkFest” opener, Saturday, National Geographic. Reruns start at 9 a.m. daily, with new hours at night. At 9 p.m., “Investigation Shark Attack” probes attacks in California (Saturday) and “Hawaii” (Sunday.) At 10 both days is “Super Shark Highway.” At 8 p.m. Saturday is a visually splendid (albeit frustrating) search for great white sharks.
4) “Transplant,” 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. It’s the pivotal episode in an excellent season. As usual, there are odd patients — including spouses literally glued together. There are career crises for Bash and Theo. And there’s Mags, a doctor (and Bash’s loved one), with a transplanted heart. The result is beautifully crafted and deeply emotional.
5) “Yes, Chef” finale, 10 p.m. Monday, NBC. We’re down to three chefs. Zain Ismail, only 28, has links to Mauritius, India, Texas and Los Angeles. Lee Frank, 46, is descended from Holocaust survivors. Emily Brubaker , 44, once vowed not to work with her husband again. Now they do link; each finalist has two aides, for a high-stress, three-course dinner.
6) “High Potential,” 8-11 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. Here are the first episodes in the season’s top new ratings hit. Kaitlin Olson plays a high-IQ single mom, getting by as a cleaning lady. Working nights at the police station, she cracks a case. At 9 p.m., she probes the attempted murder of a tap dancer. At 10, she uses her cleaning knowledge to solve a hotel-room mystery.
7) “Sullivan’s Crossing,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, CW. Maggie, a former Boston surgeon, is at her dad’s Nova Scotia resort. An idyllic world was threatened by a developer, who’s now hospitalized. With good people (mostly) in great settings (always), this hour resolves many crises … then, in the last minute, starts a bigger one, setting up the season’s final two hours.
8) “Human Footprint,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. At times, “biocontrol” works beautifully. In Thailand, 10,000 ducks are released to gobble up farm pests, then are rounded up. And at times, it fails. In 1935, Australia brought cane toads to stop beetles; they soon swarmed everywhere … just as rabbits did much earlier. Like last week’s opener, this is a terrific hour.
9) Streamers, Thursday, As the holiday weekend begins, we get some fanciful shows. Peacock’s “Poker Face” has an unwelcome wedding guest, with Justin Theroux and Haley Joel Osment as guest stars. Netflix’s “The Sandman” finally has its second season (35 months after its first), with crises in the nightmare and waking worlds.
10) “Holidazed” opener, 8 and 9 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark. This ambitious eight-parter helped launch Hallmark+ last year, now it moves to the larger channel. In the first hour, we meet five families on a cul-de-sac, with Christmas gatherings. The second focuses on the Hills; Josh has been arrested by the sheriff, his former teen girlfriend.