Happy Independence Day from The A.V. Club

We're stepping away from the desk today.

By Drew Gillis | July 3, 2026 | 7:00am

Photograph courtesy of HBO

News News Happy Holidays

Happy Independence Day from The A.V. Club

It’s the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Well, actually, tomorrow is, but the birthday falls on a Saturday, so Friday is the federal holiday. Perhaps it’s appropriate for a semiquincentennial that feels… like this for the actual holiday to not fall on the actual day. All of this pontificating is to say that we, The A.V. Club, are away from the desk today because it is the federal holiday marking Independence Day. Regularly scheduled news programming will resume tomorrow, and, yes we know it’s a little odd.

If you haven’t decamped to the beach and if you’re not one of the untold dozens exploring the National Mall this week, we’ll still have a few things for you to read later today. In film, we’ll be exploring the films of 1976, which captured the national mood during the United States’ last big birthday: The bicentennial. Over in TV, our recaps of Cape Fear continue, as do our recaps of TV Club Classic Quantum Leap. And in games, William Hughes shares his latest Game Theory. Enjoy the holiday, whatever that might mean to you in 2026—we’ll see you tomorrow!

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