Up close and personal
"Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro" turns the camera on a World War II infantryman who went to great lengths to shoot photos in the combat zone, long before such a practice was as simple as making sure your cellphone was fully charged. The snapshots are riveting, as is his story.
7 p.m., HBO
Abort mission
"Mars," a hybrid miniseries in which interviews with real-life science geeks are woven into a 2033 fictional space mission, fails at liftoff, due to a sullen crew that has the collective personality of a bottle rocket. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer produced this six-part project, but they can't seem to find the same spirit that ignited "Apollo 13" and "From the Earth to the Moon."
8 p.m., National Geographic Channel
Behind the music
George Martin didn't live long enough to see the final results of his pet project, "Soundbreaking: Stories From the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music," but I'm guessing the fifth Beatle would have been pleased with the outcome, a thorough eight-part exploration that manages to make the behind-the-scenes players in recording studios seem vital — and cool. Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell and Willie Nelson are among those paying tribute to music's unknown soldiers.
9 p.m., TPT, Ch. 2
Neal Justin
