It’s officially fall! The time of year when staying in and watching TV sounds like the perfect day. The weather gets colder, the leaves start changing color, and suddenly watching the same comfort shows you have seen a hundred times feel like the perfect way to spend a night.
Whether you want something cozy, spooky, nostalgic, or just funny enough to have playing in the background while you do homework, these shows and episodes belong on your fall watch list.
The Vampire Diaries
It’s almost impossible to think of Mystic Falls and not immediately associate that with the season. The Vampire Diaries has everything you could want for a seasonal binge: vampires, witches, high school drama, romance, parties, and enough supernatural chaos to keep you watching “just one more episode.”
The show follows the protagonist Elena Gilbert after she meets Stefan and Damon, the mysterious Salvator brothers who just arrived to town. She soon discovers that their town has a much darker history than she realized. The series is perfect for October, when you want something spooky without committing to an actual horror movie.
And if you have already seen The Vampire Diaries, fall is a pretty good excuse for you to pick it back up again.
Teen wolf
If The Vampire Diaries is already on your fall rewatch list, Teen Wolf should be too. Its a supernatural drama that follows Scott McCall after he is bitten by a werewolf and has to find balance between high school and everything that comes with becoming part of the supernatural world. It’s the perfect show to binge when you want something spooky but still centered around teenage characters. The series also has a few episodes that tie directly to Halloween.
Pretty Little liars
For something a little more rooted in mystery, go back to Rosewood with Pretty Little Liars. After the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis, her four friends start recieving threatening anonymous messages from someone known only as “A”.
The show’s secrets, creepy messages, nighttime scenes, and constant twists makes it an easy binge when you want something darker without watching something categorized as horror. The series also has multiple Halloween episodes, making it a perfect fit for an October rewatch.
American Horror story
If you want to kick up the horror a level, American Horror Story gives plenty of options. Since each season tells a different story, you don’t have to commit to one big storyline. You can pick the season based on what type of horror you’re in the mood for this fall.
From haunted houses and witches to cults and supernatural creatures, there is enough variety to make the series a fall staple. Coven, in particular, is the perfect choice for anyone looking for witches and a Halloween feel.
my babysitter’s a vampire
After all that supernatural drama, take a trip back to something a little more nostalgic with My Babysitter’s a Vampire. The Disney series follows Ethan and his friends as they deal with vampires, monsters, and other supernatural problems while trying to survive being teenagers.
The show originally aired as part of Disney Channel’s Halloween-focused programming, so it already has that nostalgic October feeling. If you grew up on “Monstober”, this is an easy way to bring some of that childhood Halloween energy back.
Halloweentown
Speaking of Disney nostalgia, Halloweentown is a required watch if you want a classic Halloween movie night. The 1998 Disney Channel movie follows Marnie Piper after she finds out her grandmother is a witch and that a magical world exists within her town. It is spooky without being scary, which makes it perfect for a cozy October night in.
Twitches
If Halloweentown brings back the Disney Channel Halloween nostalgia, Twitches definitely belongs in the same lineup. The 2005 Disney Channel Original Movie follows twin sisters Alex and Camryn who were separated at birth. When they reunite on their 21st birthday, they discover that they are actually witches
Between the magic, Halloween atmosphere, and classic early-2000s Disney feel, Twitches is an easy movie to add to a fall movie night. And if you like it, there is always Twitches Too to keep the marathon going.
Hocus Pocus
Another Disney classic is Hocus Pocus. It follows Max, Dani, and Allison after they accidentally bring the Sanderson sisters back to life on Halloween night. Whether you watch it every year or have somehow never seen it, it is hard to go wrong with a movie full of witches, Halloween decorations, and an entire town trying to survive one chaotic night.
Wednesday
If you’re looking for something new to add to your fall rewatch playlist, Wednesday is a good choice to add to the rotation. The Netflix series follows Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, where she becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the school and the town.
The gothic setting, dark humor, supernatural storyline, and school drama make it feel almost designed specifically for a fall binge. Even if you watched it when it was first released, October is a good excuse to revisit it.
Scream
If you’re looking for something truly scary, Scream is an easy fall movie to put on. The 1996 horror classic follows Sidney Prescott as she becomes the target of a masked killer known as Ghostface, who begins terrorizing her small town in California. The movie mixes horror, mystery, and comedy while playing with the rules and cliches of the slasher genre.
And why stop at one movie? Scream has grown into a full franchise with seven movies, including the newest, Scream 7, which was released earlier this year. The franchise will take you along different generations of characters while continuing to play with the idea of what audiences expect from a horror movie.
For a full fall binge, start with the original Scream and work through the movies in order of release. Then, if you really want to get deeper into the franchise, there is a Scream television series that aired on MTV from 2015 to 2019. You can compare how the franchise’s characters, storylines, and approach to horror changed when the story moved from movies to a TV show.
Halloween
On the topic of horror movie franchises, the Halloween franchise is a must for fall binges. The first film from 1978 follows Laurie Strode as she is stalked by Michael Myers on Halloween night.
There are plenty of movies to work through, so you can make your own Halloween marathon and compare the different timelines, characters, and versions of Michael Myers. The best part of doing a franchise watch during October is that you can actually see how the same character and horror concepts change over time. It can turn a regular movie night into a whole fall project.
When you only want a fall episode
Sometimes you don’t want to commit to an entire series or movie marathon. Maybe you only need one episode to get you into the fall spirit.
Iconic TV shows like iCarly, Good Luck Charlie, New Girl, Modern Family, Friends, and Full House all have plenty of Halloween and Thanksgiving themed episodes. Sometimes all you need is a good 20-minute episode from a show you love or grew up watching to make a regular night in feel a little more like fall.
The best part of a fall watch list is that there are no rules. You can spend an entire weekend in Mystic Falls, revisit your favorite Disney Channel Halloween movie, finally start American Horror Story, or watch nothing but holiday sitcom episodes. So grab a blanket, make a fall drink and snack, and pick something to watch because there is no better time for a good rewatch than fall.