Six Shows to Put You in the Fall Mood this Season

Fall is the best time of the year! The world turns gold, pumpkins abound on doorsteps, the weather gets cooler, and Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. There is no better time for cozying up in your dorm with friends, hot cocoa, a blanket, and a comforting show on your computer — or projector. Here are some of the best shows to watch by yourself or with company to get into the fall mood!

6. “Pretty Little Liars” (2010-2017)

Cult-classic TV series “Pretty Little Liars” is filled to the brim with gossipy romance and conspiracies. It’s always great to watch year-round but the nostalgic feel of this mystery shines through to the fullest during the fall season. The show follows a group of girls — Aria, Hannah, Spencer, and Emily — after the disappearance of their best friend. “Pretty Little Liars” captures the frenzy of beginning school and seeing your friends for the first time after three months away. It also is constantly in a state of suspense that is reminiscent of running through a haunted corn maze with friends on a crisp night. It is perfect to watch as you transition from the heat of summer to the chill of autumn.

5. “Scooby-Doo, where are you?” (1969-1978)

The theme song of Scooby-Doo is enough to get you in the mood for fall. The cartoon expertly embodies both children’s imagination and fear — like dark corners, ghosts, and… talking dogs? Cozy up on the couch and turn the TV on for this spooky adventure with a group of friends in a colorful van as they solve mystery after mystery. It is aesthetically pleasing and vibrant and the dialogue promises to be nostalgic. After an episode, you will want to run outside and jump into a pile of fall leaves, singing “Scooby-doo-by-doo…”

4. “American Horror Story: Coven” (2013)

Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” will send shivers down your spine. The third season, “Coven,” follows six witches learning to control their powers and defeat evil in New Orleans. Episodes of the show provide a selection of Halloween outfit ideas and witty one-liners. The show is a constant reminder that frolicking in the woods with friends before the winter begins is always a wonderful idea. Most of all, “Coven” reminds every viewer that this is the season of holding your family close and enemies closer. You never know what tricks someone has up their sleeves… Regardless, Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” will always deliver a satisfyingly haunting watch with Halloween themed episodes to match.

3. “Charmed” (1998-2006)

What feels more like fall than witches from 1990? “Charmed” follows the personal, professional, and oftentimes romantic lives of three sisters — Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell — in San Francisco as they discover that they are the most powerful witches in the world. A delightful combination of beloved shows like “Sabrina: The Teenage Witch” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Charmed” is alluring with its familiar structure and comforting nature. The Halliwells invite audiences to throw on a blanket and snuggle up with apple cider to watch them cast spells and constantly get themselves into trouble. The show may even urge you to dabble in tarot or try out a Ouija board for the first time. Watching and rewatching this bewitching series is a telltale sign that fall has finally arrived.

2. “Over the Garden Wall” (2014)

If you need something quick to watch this fall season, turn on “Over the Garden Wall” and be whisked into this world of adventure and song. One night, two young brothers Wirt and Greg enter a fantastical forest, called “Nowhere,” and must find their way home with the help of magical creatures. From talking birds to singing pumpkin heads, the show embodies the nostalgic charm of the Halloween season — rekindling people’s love of costumes, fairy tales, and scary stories to tell in the dark. It is childhood innocence and terror at heart. The show is perfect to put on while carving pumpkins with family and friends or waiting for kids to knock on the door, begging for bags of candy.

1. “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2009)

Without a doubt, this show perfectly captures the tone of the season. Lacking jumpscares, witches, ghosts, or ghouls, “Girlmore Girls” is a family-friendly watch. The show itself is about a mother, Lorelai, and her teenage daughter, Rory. It is the quintessential fall time rewatch for its cozy setting — a small, friendly town in Connecticut, colored by warm reds and yellows. Due to its themes of community, friendship, and motherhood, the show will always hit closer to home during the colder months. As Lorelai and Rory go into Luke’s Diner for coffee and laughs, the leaves outside turn from green to brown, calling you to grab your own cup and enjoy the fall binge. “Gilmore Girls” is the real treat of this season.

—Staff writer J.J. Moore can be reached at jj.moore@thecrimson.com