‘A Capitol Fourth’: PBS explains recycling July 4 fireworks from previous years

The Fourth of July is typically a cause for celebration, but for some watching the PBS broadcast of “A Capitol Fourth” last night, it was a cause for some complaining over some fireworks that felt eerily familiar in the Washington DC sky.

Following the big fireworks display last night, viewers took to social media to complain that rather than seeing all-new fireworks, some footage from previous years was used. As for the reasoning behind this, the network explained in a statement that this decision was in part due to the weather conditions in the area, which made it really hard to see the actual presentation:

“We are very proud of the 2016 A Capitol Fourth celebration. Because this year’s fireworks were difficult to see due to the weather, we made the decision to intercut fireworks footage from previous A Capitol Fourth concerts for the best possible television viewing experience. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.”

Could you make the argument that the network should’ve put a scrolling message about this during the show? Maybe, but this was a situation that was utterly no-win for them. If they aired this year’s fireworks, viewers would have likely called them “lame” and weak compared to ones in the past. Think of this as one of the least controversial controversies ever, or at least proof that when it comes to things set in Washington DC, somehow even fireworks become a story of great contention.

Even if it doesn’t always have the most star power, we’d still contend that when it comes to pure patriotism alone, this is the best special you’re going to find for this holiday out of any out there.

What did you think about the fireworks: Big deal, or no deal at all? Share below, and head over here to secure some more TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: PBS.)