The sun doesn’t set until about 8:30 on Independence Day. Ya know what that means? You’ve got a lot of time to kill before the big fireworks show that night! Here are a few of Spinnaker’s suggestions on which movies and TV shows to watch to pass the time before the main event.

TV

John Adams

Have access to an HBO account? Think about streaming this 7-episode miniseries about the little-known details of the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers.

Drunk History

Yeah, history can be a little dry sometimes. Thankfully, Drunk History is here to spike things up a little with 5 seasons of America’s key historical moments— with a twist, of course.

All of the cooking shows. All of them.

You can bet the Food Network will likely be doing Independence Day-themed episodes featuring the best barbecue/cookout food in the U.S. of A. Maybe it will even inspire some of your own takes on classic Fourth foods! Or you can just go buy those cookies at the grocery store with the absurdly thick red, white and blue icing that you always had in middle school. You know which ones we’re talking about.

Veep

You know who’s awesome? Julia Louis-Dreyfus, that’s who. Check out Veep, where she plays the Vice President of the United States trying to handle a variety of political mishaps and blunders. It’s an American-themed comedy with Emmys to spare.

Movies

The Patriot

You shouldn’t have a problem finding this one on TV. The Patriot puts you smack dab in the middle of the Revolutionary War with Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), who renounces his pacifist ways to fight the British tooth and nail for America’s freedom. Yay.

Independence Day

More classics! The British were one thing. But we’re dealing with space aliens now, and we’re going to have to summon the same spirit that won us our freedom over 200 years ago if we’re going to survive. And we will! Why? Because America, or something.

The Purge (for a dystopian twist)

Okay, so maybe you’re someone who’s not quite as enthusiastic about America’s birthday as everyone else appears to be. This calls for a brutal, dystopian-style critical commentary on this good ole’ country of ours and some of its ideologies. If The Purge sounds more like what you’re looking for, then good news! There’s four of them.

Captain America films

I mean, just LOOK at him.

That enough ‘Murica for you?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Alright, hear us out. There are certain movies everyone thinks of when they hear “Fourth of July,” which means a lot of these lists are probably going to look pretty close to identical. But Rogue One isn’t likely to appear on most Independence Day movie recommendations articles, and we think there’s a real case for it! Think about it. A small group of freedom fighters with hope in their hearts seeks to overcome insurmountable odds to end the tyranny of an oppressive governing body and free those subjected to it. It’s the Revolutionary War in space! Except Rogue One happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Soooo the Revolutionary War technically happened after. Is “technically” the right word we want to use? Sure. Happy Fourth!

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