Summary
- Fall TV shows capture the autumnal mood, with shows like Gilmore Girls and My So-Called Life embodying the cozy atmosphere and school days of the season.
- Some shows gain a Fall vibe through supernatural story elements, such as Over The Garden Wall and Charmed, while others achieve it through small-town settings like One Tree Hill and Virgin River.
- The aesthetic of Fall, with its falling leaves and brown and orange color palette, elevates shows like Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, giving them a warm and cozy feel.
As the leaves change color and the evenings grow longer, there’s nothing better than a quintessential Fall TV show to get into the autumnal mood. While summer might be full of sun and blockbusters and winter has the holidays, there is no season more underrated in media than Fall. The twilight of the year has been effectively captured onscreen by some choice TV shows, but Fall is often neglected in favor of hot summers and cold winters. However, some shows perfectly capture the vibes of Fall and earn themselves an annual re-watch as a result.
While the impeccable Gilmore Girls castwas a big part of the show’s appeal, the cozy atmosphere of the cult dramedy was also a major part of its success. With its college-set subplots, small-town and campus settings, and focus on Rory’s school terms, Gilmore Girls had a Fall feeling that only a few other shows have been able to replicate. Sometimes, a series can gain a Fall vibe thanks to supernatural, Halloween-y story elements as is the case with Over The Garden Wall, Charmed, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch. In other cases, small-town settings do the trick as proven by One Tree Hill and Virgin River.
11 Over The Garden Wall
The Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall followed a pair of half-brothers who go on a bizarre, fantastical adventure through dark, mysterious woods. A rare kids show that is genuinely frightening at times, Over The Garden Wall boasts some hilarious one-off characters, an impressive cast, and a killer twist ending. However, a huge part of Over The Garden Wall’s appeal is the autumnal setting of the miniseries. Like its lighter Disney Channel equivalent Gravity Falls, Over The Garden Wall lovingly recreates the feeling of nostalgic childhood Fall adventures.
10 Charmed
Charmed portrayed the professional, personal, and romantic lives of three San Francisco sisters who happened to be the three most powerful witches in the world. While Charmed integrated countless demons, vampires, witches, and other supernatural figures into its plot, the show’s primary appeal came from its tone. Feeling like a blend of Practical Magic and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed used its brown and orange color palette to perfectly capture the season famous for falling leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.
9 Virgin River
Netflix’s Virgin River season 5 brings back the story that became a hit for the streaming service thanks to its warm tone and charming characters. However, while viewers did tune in to see Melinda, Jack, Doc, and Hope’s stories go next, there is no denying that Virgin River’s autumnal feel also elevated the show’s aesthetic. Spending time in Virgin River feels like visiting a rural town where things move at a slower pace, and that is a tough thing to resist.
8 One Tree Hill
Like the later Virgin River, One Tree Hill’s setting was integral to the show’s appeal. On paper, the teen drama should have felt like a slightly more rural knock-off of the successful ‘00s teen drama The O.C. However, where The O.C.’s entire appeal was rooted in sunny beaches and self-aware rich kids behaving badly, the adventures of One Tree Hill’s Nate, Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and Haley were appealing because of the show’s warmer, more autumnal feel. One Tree Hill was a small-town antidote to its beach-set predecessors and the show’s autumn vibes accentuated this.
7 My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life was a classic teen dramedy for a multitude of reasons, not least the show’s impressive cast. However, while the one-season wonder was elevated by early performances from Claire Danes and Jared Leto, My So-Called Life’s unique appeal also owed a lot to the coming-of-age show’s autumnal feel. Like many of the shows listed here, My So-Called Life revolved around school days and the show managed to romanticize high school without becoming over-the-top or rendering the setting unrecognizably glamorous.
6 Gilmore Girls
While not everything about Gilmore Girls has aged well, the show’s Fall vibes are hard to deny. Of all the series listed here, this is the one that is most often selected as the quintessential Fall re-watch by viewers online. There is good reason for this as the small town setting of Stars Hollow never looks more appealing than when the leaves start to fall outside Luke’s Diner.
5 Twin Peaks
David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surreal murder mystery Twin Peaks wasn’t always an easy watch, but the series did have a surprisingly warm feel to it despite the show’s darker elements. A lot of this comes down to its eponymous setting. Twin Peaks made it look like Fall lasted all year around in Washington state and, in a town that pretty, this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
4 Stranger Things (Particularly Seasons 1 and 2)
While Netflix’s huge hit Stranger Things did prioritize Summer holidays and Spring break in seasons 3 and 4, the first two outings of the sci-fi horror show are essential Fall viewing. Stranger Things uses holiday settings to ensure that the show always has an excuse to send its school-age heroes on epic adventures. However, this comes with the added benefit of giving the first two seasons a sweet, Stephen-King-inspired sense of small-town, autumnal charm.
3 The Chair
Set in the fictional Pembroke University, The Chair is a long-overdue starring vehicle for Sandra Oh. The Grey’s Anatomy star plays the chair of a failing English department in a show that balances comedy, drama, romance, and some impeccable Fall vibes. The vaguely New England setting, the blanket of crunchy leaves, and the impressive collection of coats Oh’s character cycles through all give this series a perfect autumnal feel.
2 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Admittedly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s most dangerous villains ensured the show wasn’t always a light-hearted romp. However, its college setting, the cast’s quintessentially ‘90s cold weather wardrobes, and the small-town vibe of Sunnydale all mean that Buffy the Vampire Slayer still screams Fall. The series might have its fair share of demons, monsters, murderers, ghouls, and vampires, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer still feels unmistakably cozy despite its best efforts.
1 Sabrina The Teenage Witch
While Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina might be scarier, few shows can beat Sabrina The Teenage Witch for pure Fall vibes. Maybe it is the show’s high school setting or the fact that Sabrina’s quirky home influenced everything from Charmed to Practical Magic. Whatever the reason, this classic ‘90s teen comedy is a perfect Fall TV show that deserves to be revisited annually.
