The Best TV Shows to Binge-Watch in the Fall
These shows are the epitome of cozy autumn vibes. As the air grows colder and trees turn from glowing green to crisp orange, the only thing we want to do is cuddle up under a knitted blanket, PSL in-hand, and binge a TV show. In order to achieve maximum fall coziness, not just any show will do. A series set in the summer is merely a painful reminder of long-gone vacation days, and a surplus of lights and snow is jumping to Christmas way too fast.
Shows with a balanced mix of leaf-strewn paths, sweaters, witches, and Thanksgiving decor allows the autumn-oriented few to cling to pumpkins and spooky vibes for as long as possible. The following 20 shows are the perfect binge-worthy pick to this watch fall!
Did your fall-favorite make the list?
Friday Night Lights
Thousands of Americans are already watching college football in the fall, so it’s no surprise that Friday Night Lights made the list. This small Texas town, with its perpetual autumn and high-school setting, will welcome you with open arms to enjoy a brief nostalgia trip back to the “good ‘ole days.”
Liking Texas, football, or school isn’t a requirement for binging this show. In fact, it has so much substance outside of petty high school drama that you’ll be surprised how quickly you fall in love with the Permian varsity football team.
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is seven seasons of small-town charm and cheesy seasonal celebrations. Other shows attempt to replicate the snug atmosphere of Stars Hollow in autumn but can’t seem to match the sheer level of decoration or unique cast of characters. And because Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) is a student, much of the show focuses on back-to-school and the transition from summer to fall.
From first kisses to four Thanksgiving dinners, autumn is the season that Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory tend to achieve big milestones surrounded by hay bales, corn mazes, and fall colors (unless you’re at Luke’s Diner, of course).
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Witches are grained into the fall season, whether they like it or not. And Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart), the teenage witch herself, invites viewers to learn her newly-discovered powers alongside Salem the talking cat and her two magical aunts. What’s more Halloween than a talking black cat?
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is seven seasons of witchy schemes, but if you’re desperate for more after the bittersweet season finale, Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes the story to an entirely creepier level.
This is Us
This is Us is easily a contender for top fall shows. Why is that? Not only is the costuming and set-design for the season impressively done in both past and present, the focus on family drama is basically one big, disastrous Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, the Pearsons easily go the hardest for the holiday with traditions ranging from hiking to hotdogs and movie-watching.
Frasier
Another Washington-based show, Frasier may be the most “why?” inducing show on this list. But hear us out! Of the same caliber to Seinfeld and Friends—with arguably more refined humor—this show is quick-witted and relatable in ways that many sitcoms fail to deliver.
Watching Frasier for three-straight hours is completely possible (even if ill-advisable) and transforms down-on-your-luck viewers into hope-filled optimists. Like the taste of a fresh-baked pumpkin cookie, Kelsey Grammer’s performance is as satisfying as it is rewarding.
Anne with an E
Anne with an E, regrettably canceled after three seasons, centers around the provincial Canadian farm of Green Gables. Anne’s (Amybeth McNutly) whimsical dialogue and strong-willed imagination hinder the revelations of a miserable past to suck the joy from viewers.
Her fascinations with the gothic and macabre lend to the show’s appropriateness for the autumnal season.
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks, three seasons of crime drama and surrealist imagery, fits the bill for a quick fall binge. Despite Washington’s heavy snows, this show has all the markings of an eerie Halloween mystery.
Occasionally cheesier than it is suspenseful, Peaks captures the effects of grief and trauma sustained by a rich, uncanny mood.
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time is a Disney fan’s dream come true. A tale of love, loyalty, and persistence, watch your favorite princesses and storybook characters navigate a life of curses, villains, and tumultuous family relationships.
Both the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, Maine, are leafy, misty, and crisp. With the exception of the last season, Once is the ultimate show to marathon (and get some Halloween costume inspiration!).
Friends
Friends, the ultra-popular 10-season sitcom, always dedicates specific episodes to the primary fall holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving alike.
Whether it’s getting a giant turkey stuck on people’s heads or pun-related costumes (we’ll never forget the infamous “Spud-nik”), the New York friends create the perfect laugh-inducing show with hundreds of digestible episodes.
Stranger Things
Despite the wintery ending to season 1 and the summer setting of season 3, Stranger Things can’t help but be inextricably linked to autumn. The first two seasons featured Hawkins, Indiana, as a moody town of dying leaves and drifting fog. Essentially, the perfect creepy setting for horrifying events to take place.
What’s a more perfect time than autumn to longingly watch four characters play Dungeons & Dragons and dress up as the Ghostbusters for Halloween? Exactly, there isn’t one!
Pretty Little Liars
Filmed on the same set set as Gilmore Girls and subsequently renamed to Rosewood, Pretty Little Liars is the seven-season dramatic phenomenon following a murderous trail of lies up to the reveal of the primary antagonist, A.
Including all the atmosphere of Gilmore Girls’s Stars Hollow but with a harrowing mood shift, PLL is the far creepier small-town drama alternative.
Game of Thrones
If you’re not a fan of horror but still desperate for a seasonally appropriate watch, Game of Thrones is a fantastical drama set in perpetual fall. Any series that hints to the coming of winter for over six seasons is obviously an autumnal show.
Barely any series compares to the phenomenon that is this dragon-filled drama in creativity (at least until that dreaded series finale) and girl-power, so why not give it a shot?
Scooby-Doo
Ruh-roh! What’s a fall TV list without Scooby Doo, Where Are You? for a sentimental binge watch? With all the mysterious charm of adult thrillers minus the heart-stopping jumpscares, the Mystery Machine gang always manages to escape any trouble they fall into.
Settling in to unmask the antagonist alongside Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy—with the privilege of solving the mystery in the comfort of your home—is an unparalleled autumn activity filled to the brim with nostalgia.
Bates Motel
Bates Motel is the spine-chilling prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Following the relationship between Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother (Vera Farmiga), the beautiful White Pine Bay is distracting to the deranged events of Norman’s formative years precursing his serial murders.
Despite the setting’s picturesque quality, the members of the coastal community are far creepier than they seem, giving the series a horrific survival plotline. Probably don’t watch this show in the dark if you’re particularly paranoid!
Over the Garden Wall
One of the few included cartoons, Over The Garden Wall is an underhyped, mind-bending miniseries characterized by inexplicable horrors quenched by the cutesy animation depicting the adventure of two lost brothers.
The decaying forest setting and astonishing twists contribute to the ethereal ambiance fans can’t get enough of. With just one season, the series conveniently allows watchers to marathon the episodes in one sitting. Grab a frothy drink and settle in!
American Horror Story
The amount of good horror movies out there are slim, so it’s common among horror watchers to be desperate for more. Luckily for them, American Horror Story is the scary anthology series all horror and Black Mirror fans can enjoy. Unlike Black Mirror, however, each season follows the same cast just with a different eerie theme.
Rife with witches, murder houses, and creepy clowns, AHS is the surprisingly absorbing show that’ll make you lose all trust in normalcy. Plus, the Evan Peters-Sarah Paulson acting duo will never get old. Mix in a few Emma Roberts cameos and we’re over-the-moon!
The Twilight Zone
Pop-culture sensation The Twilight Zone is described by IMDb as “a strange mix of horror, science-fiction, drama, comedy and superstition.” With something there for everyone, the black-and-white coloring of the series and over 180 episodes of eccentric stories grants it a particularly frightening aura.
Easy to pick up and watch because each episode follows a new story, working through all five seasons is a breeze similar to the chill of autumn air.
The Good Witch
Fantasy-comedy-drama The Good Witch acts as the quintessential witch-themed show if you’re less likely to engage in youth-catered content. Not merely a fantasy, the sitcom quality of the show displays a greater opportunity for common viewers to relate with paranormal characters.
The Hallmark Christmas-movie equivalent for Halloween lovers, The Good Witch remains the wholesomely magical series for both teenagers and parents to enjoy.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
A 1966 television adaptation of Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a singular Halloween special following Linus’s pursuit of the mythological “Great Pumpkin” while Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts engage in a Halloween party.
A mere 25 minutes, this short is low-commitment seasonal entertainment overflowing with retro charm. But the main question still stands, does the “Great Pumpkin” appear? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Halloween Wars
Switching gears to reality TV, Halloween Wars is a Great British Bake-off worthy watch for particularly sweet-toothed watchers. The bright orange decorations met by the exquisite craftsmanship of the bakers makes us drool at just the thought of watching.
With up to ten seasons of macabre-themed treats, this simple cooking show is a light-hearted break from October horror-movie marathons without losing the Halloween spirit.
