Happy Memorial Day from The A.V. Club

While we're taking the day off, we've left some great writing for you to read in between bites at the barbecue.

By Drew Gillis | May 25, 2026 | 7:00am

Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

News News Holidays

Happy Memorial Day, one and all. It’s a federal holiday and the unofficial start to summer in the United States. The A.V. Club‘s staff is off at our respective barbecues today, but as the blockbuster season kicks off, we’ve left plenty for you to read while we’re away from the news desk. Over the weekend, staff writer Matt Schimkowitz dug into the origins of the summer blockbuster season, unpacking how Star Wars turned Memorial Day weekend exhibition tradition. There’ll be more Star Wars to come later today, too, with writing from Caroline Siede on The Mandalorian And Grogu and on the sequel trilogy’s Rey.

Today’s also a great time to reflect back on the tenure of Stephen Colbert. On Friday, Senior TV Editor Erik Adams dissected what the end of The Late Show means within the history of television, and our late-night correspondent Dennis Perkins studied Colbert’s performance in his final week. Regular news coverage will resume tomorrow—enjoy your holiday!

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