8 shows and movies to watch on Labor Day 2023

Labor Day is here, and it’s especially relevant this year — as the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes have shined the spotlight on the relationship between laborers and corporations.  

If you want to watch programming with those themes, or if you want to kick back, relax and take your mind off of everything, there’s something for everyone. 

Here’s your essential guide for what to watch and stream. 

“Horrible Bosses” 

Nothing is more themed to a holiday celebrating workers than this 2011 comedy. Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) are workers who decide to kill each other’s bosses — thus doing the perfect crime, since there will be no obvious motive. Their bosses are played by Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey. 

Where to stream: Max, AppleTV+. 

“Arrival” 

This 2016 Oscar-nominated drama, directed by Denis Villeneuve, follows Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguist who works with the US Army to communicate with aliens who have arrived on earth in order to attempt to prevent hostilities. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker co-star. 

Where to stream: Netflix.

Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy

TNT is having a marathon of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movies starring Christian Bale, with notable villains played by Cillian Murphy, Heath Ledger and Tom Hardy. Kick off your morning with “Batman Begins” at 10 a.m., followed by “The Dark Knight” at 1:00 p.m. and finish with “The Dark Knight Rises” at 4:30 p.m. 

Where to watch: TNT, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

“History’s Greatest Mysteries”

If you want your free day to be informative and a bit whimsical, look no further. There’s a marathon of this docuseries hosted and narrated by Laurence Fishburne, with various hour-long episodes exploring the mysteries of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Blackbeard’s lost treasure, Houdini, Roswell, Jack the Ripper and more. 

Where to watch: The History Channel (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.). 

“9 to 5”

The classic 1980 movie follows three working women — Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin — as they hatch a plot to get revenge on their boorish boss (Dabney Coleman). Parton’s Oscar-nominated song of the same name is the film’s theme song. It’s the perfect story themed to Labor Day. 

Where to stream: Max.

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”

For those who missed the latest “Indiana Jones” movie starring Harrison Ford when it was in theaters, it’s newly available to stream. The fifth installment in the series finds Indy fighting Nazis after World War II. Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas co-star. 

Where to stream: AppleTV+, Prime Video. 

“Office Race” 

This new Comedy Central original movie revolves around Pat (Beck Bennett, “SNL”), an aimless and unambitious office worker who is goaded into running a marathon and soon becomes interested in defeating his exercise-obsessed obnoxious boss (Joel McHale). Alyson Hannigan, J.B. Smoove and Kelsey Grammer co-star. 

Where to watch: Comedy Central (8 p.m.) 

“Dinner for Schmucks”

This underrated 2010 comedy stars Paul Rudd as Tim Conrad, a rising executive who is invited to a special dinner his bosses are throwing in which each person must bring an eccentric guest to mock. He choses a taxidermist named Barry (Steve Carrell). 

Where to stream: Paramount+.