10 TV Shows That Perfectly Encompass The Fall Season

With the weather turning colder, it’s worth curling up and watching these TV shows that perfectly encompass the fall season. As the leaves drop from the trees and knitted clothing starts to be pulled out from the back of wardrobes, it’s tempting to snuggle in front of the TV and stay inside. It’s not unusual for cozy rom-coms to be added to watch lists, but for those looking for something to binge, these TV shows are ideal. Fall TV shows can be defined in several ways.

Often, these titles have an overall atmosphere or tone that makes them feel familiar and comfortable. Some have qualities that are physically more representative of fall, such as having characters who are dressed for the weather, settings that reflect the holidays, or even scenes heavy with relevant colors. However, audiences who are looking for a wholesome fall watch should know that the best horror TV shows of 2024 don’t necessarily encapsulate the season just because Halloween lines up with the time of year. Horror and supernatural themes may overlap, but fall TV shows are their own subgenre.

10 Over The Garden Wall

A Deep Yet Cute Animated TV Show

Over the Garden Wall is an adorable short animated TV show about two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who get lost in the Unknown, an enigmatic woodland. While it initially seems to be a tale about the siblings’ attempts to get home, Over the Garden Wall’s true meaning is a metaphor for death.

Although that appears rather morbid, the way the show executes this heartfelt story is also quite cozy and profound. Over the Garden Wall is Halloween-centric, as the pair stumble into the Unknown on the night of the spooky holiday. However, the show’s imagery is fall-related overall and is full of dark and eerie shadows, autumnal leaves, and creepy creatures.

The animated series has a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 96%.

Over the Garden Wall is rated 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is impressive, considering it is a title from 2014. But ten years later, the wholesome yet thought-provoking miniseries is still being discovered by new audiences and remains a beloved watch to those who have already seen it.

9 Twin Peaks

Truly Autumnal In Its Characters, Settings, And Editing

Twin Peaks is undoubtedly a perfect fall watch. The first two seasons initially focus on whom the killer of Twin Peaks’ Laura Palmer is, and while the murder mystery story is uneasy enough, the addition of petrifying demons and unknown supernatural elements make the show even scarier. Although the show is set across different parts of the calendar year, it encapsulates the fall season more than any other.

This is mainly because of the visuals in Twin Peaks. A majority of scenes in Twin Peaks feature shots that perfectly represent fall, especially ones in nature. There are a lot of shots in eerie forests and woodlands, and even some of the town’s oddities are related to this, too.

For example, one of Twin Peaks’ best characters, the Log Lady, often carries a chunk of tree around with her. Even the color grading of the show can be attributed to the fall feeling, and the earlier seasons are full of different shades of greens and warm oranges, which are perfect for the tone.

8 Only Murders In The Building

Colorful Sweaters & Fall Releases

Only Murders in the Building is one of the best mystery TV series of the 2020s, which follows three strangers who bond over their love of murder podcasts and later start one themselves. Of course, the unsettling storylines with each season that focus on a suspicious death are great to settle down and watch on a fall evening, but there are other contributors to the show’s atmosphere.

Selena Gomez’s Mabel wears multiple autumnal outfits, and she’s a brilliant style icon for the time of the year. Her thick sweaters, often yellow or orange, present a beautiful fall vibe. Even Martin Short’s Oliver and Steve Martin’s Charles are frequently sporting knitwear, too. So far, every installment of the show has aired in August or September.

This is the perfect time, as it is the lead-up to the fall season, and when the leaves start to drop from trees, audiences are keen to rewatch the most recent season to look for intricate details and hints they miss during their first watch-through. Presumably, Only Murders in the Building season 5 will be the same.

7 Gilmore Girls

Stars Hollow Encapsulates Fall

If there is any fictional town that exemplifies the change from summer to colder weather, it’s Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. From the pilot, everything about the small Connecticut community screams fall. No matter the time of year, Stars Hollow seems to be permanently covered in crunchy leaves, and its residents are always dressed in fabulous coats.

Lorelai Gilmore is also fall-coded. Her love for coffee rivals the Friends gang, and her cozying up in Luke’s Diner almost every day is amazing. Gilmore Girls season 1 kicks off with Rory starting at the prestigious prep school Chilton, which is during the fall.

Even the
Gilmore Girls
intro is a reminder of the fall season because of its sepia tones.

The mother and daughter’s Friday night dinners are very autumnal, too, although this is mainly because of Emily Gilmore’s decorating tastes more than anything else. Even the Gilmore Girls intro is a reminder of the fall season because of its sepia tones. So many of Gilmore Girls’ coziest episodes represent fall, especially the original show’s only Halloween story.

6 Agatha All Along

Witches & Full Of Nods To The Spookiest Day Of The Year

Many reviews of Agatha All Along point out that the WandaVision spin-off is a fantastic Halloween watch. Naturally, the fact that the characters are witches and the show’s main storyline focuses on covens and trials provides an eerie narrative. Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha is surprisingly not the most creepy of the bunch, however.

Rio Vidal is easily the spookiest, and Agatha All Along knows that for any TV show to create such a tone, casting Aubrey Plaza is a must. Several scenes in the show use fall imagery, but other shots that aren’t in a strange forest add to the overall tone as well. Agatha All Along episode 5 sees Harkness’ new coven in her trial, which is designed to represent multiple cheesy ‘80s horror movies.

Teen’s use of the Ouija board and the brilliant ‘80s clothing everyone wears are fantastic indicators of Halloween. Even the episode’s final cliffhanger in the woodland, surrounded by thick mud and dark shadows, is a perfect example of why Agatha All Along encompasses fall.

5 Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

A Darker Take On Sabrina The Teenage Witch

While Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a great candidate, the show’s dark and serious reinterpretation, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, is a far more fitting title to watch during the fall. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is very gothic and full of autumn-esque visuals from the first episode. Sabrina and her aunts live in a morgue, frequently take part in rituals, and fight back against the paranormal.

The characters’ choice of clothing makes it seem like every episode is set in the fall, too, as everybody is always wrapped up in thick sweaters and long jackets. However, the spooky elements of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina aren’t the only thing about the show that makes it feel like fall.

The fictional setting of Greendale is undoubtedly Halloween-centered, but the town is permanently fixed between the summer and winter. The show’s cinematography plays into this well, and many scenes are dimly lit, making viewers feel cold while watching, regardless of when. It’s a shame that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 5 is no longer happening, but this doesn’t mean that seasons 1 to 4 aren’t perfect to watch throughout fall, and Sabrina’s story is continuing in the comics.

4 Charmed

Three Heroes In A Halloween-Esque World

The original Charmed and the reboot are both great fall TV shows. However, the original is generally considered the better of the two, there are factors of the 2018 version that are good, too. Charmed follows the three Halliwell sisters, the most powerful good witches of all time, who take advantage of their powers to protect the innocent from evil.

While it doesn’t always feel like fall throughout all 8 seasons of Charmed, the earlier installments definitely have a certain charm that encapsulates the time of year. The Halliwells try their best to balance their normal lives in San Francisco alongside their magical responsibilities.

The Halliwell Manor is very autumnal in its architectural design and interior decoration, which rivals some of the weirdest and creepiest haunted houses at times. Charmed is an amazing title, but it differs from several other supernatural TV shows because its lead characters are morally good. Despite this, their battles against warlocks and demons are still gripping, and their determination to be righteous makes their story even more wholesome.

3 What We Do In The Shadows

Vampires Who Refuse To Adapt To The Real World

The TV reinterpretation of Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows is a vampire TV show like no other. Because the centuries-old vampires cannot go out in daylight, they only leave the house at night, so regardless of the season, it’s always cold and dark. Multiple elements of What We Do in the Shadows feel autumnal, from the characters’ old-fashioned clothing to their decrepit mansion.

Multiple elements of
What We Do in the Shadows
feel autumnal, from the characters’ old-fashioned clothing to their decrepit mansion.

The show heavily relies on sitcom tropes, but it stands out for its gothic iconography and supernatural characters. What We Do in the Shadows season 6 will wrap the show up, but it’s still worth revisiting the previous installments in the meantime. The long-suffering Guillermo’s attempts to keep his master, Nandor, and his fellow vampires safe are hilarious.

What We Do in the Shadows
has 29 Emmy nominations.

Guillermo represents fall in several ways, too. He is often dressed in chunky sweaters, especially when he is forced to dig yet another grave in the garden. Guillermo’s efforts to try and become a vampire, essentially moving onto another stage of his life, is a metaphor in some ways and can be compared to trees losing leaves in the fall.

2 Dawson’s Creek

The Beachside Can Still Be Autumnal

Dawson’s Creek opens at the start of the school year, which sets the show up for an overall autumnal feel going forward. The coming-of-age TV show follows a group of friends in the fictional coastal town of Capeside, a location that captures the fall mood perfectly.

The show often relies on imagery of foliage in burned colors, and its characters are often wearing wooly hats or are found sitting in front of roaring fires. Even though they sometimes switch it up and sport t-shirts and shorts at the beach, the atmosphere of the show is still fall-focused. Dawson’s Creek’s Thanksgiving episode, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” is a perfect example of this.

Of course, the holiday itself is during the fall, but the deep conversation between Jen and her mother, in the backdrop of autumnal decorations and piles of leaves, makes it an even more beautiful symbol for the changing of the seasons. Dawson’s Creek is a cozy TV show to enjoy, and watching the characters grow and reach maturity in the gorgeous Capeside makes it even more engaging.

1 Virgin River

A Love Story In A Beautiful Town

Virgin River combines elements of soap operas and mystery to create a wholesome yet compelling show about nurse Mel Monroe. Mel moves from Los Angeles to the remote titular town and embraces her new life in a smaller setting, which looks like it has come straight out of a Hallmark movie. The town of Virgin River is absolutely beautiful, both outside and inside its buildings.

There are plenty of sprawling landscapes that are stunning and picturesque, and places like Jack’s Bar are homey and inviting, too. The show is inspired by the Virgin River book series by Robyn Carr, which is a collection of romance novels, so it makes sense that this kind of atmosphere is prominent throughout.

Virgin River is filmed in British Columbia, Canada, and the production truly takes advantage of the stunning scenery available to them. Mel’s budding romance with Jack, as she tries to grieve for her husband, is an enthralling storyline, and the show’s fall appearance is the perfect backdrop to execute such a plot.