As the crisp fall weather arrives, it beckons those who enjoy staying in to snuggle up with their favorite entertainment. If you’re ready to sink into the sofa and get comfy, this list of cozy movies and TV shows is packed with familiar favorites and warm knitted sweaters! Keep reading!
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
Despite its name and the theme song “Look Away,” A Series of Unfortunate Events is actually a charming show filled with fall vibes. With vintage costumes, moody lighting, and themes of sadness and bad luck, this dark comedy-drama is perfect for the season.
The story is narrated by Lemony Snicket (Patrick Warburton) and follows the adventures of the Baudelaire siblings: Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and Sunny (Presley Smith). After their parents (Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders) seemingly die in a fire, Mr. Poe (K. Todd Freeman), a bank worker, takes the kids to live with their “closest” relative, Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), who lives just three miles away.
Unfortunately (you probably saw this coming), Count Olaf is a terrible guardian. He’s a failed actor and a greedy person who wants the Baudelaire fortune and can’t wait for Violet to grow up to get it.
Based on the well-loved children’s book series, the show stays true to the original stories and features many amazing guest stars, including Joan Cusack, Aasif Mandvi, Alfre Woodard, Catherine O’Hara, and Tony Hale.
YOU’VE GOT MAIL
“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” This opening line from You’ve Got Mail, where Meg Ryan talks about autumn to Tom Hanks through a charming old-fashioned email, will make you crave the fall season no matter when you watch it. As the story goes on, their unintentional love-hate relationship develops against the backdrop of competing bookstores and two beautiful Manhattan apartments. It’s one of the most comforting movies to watch!
AMATEUR
Basketball season kicks off in the fall, and it’s all 14-year-old Terron Forte (Michael Rainey Jr.) can think about. After a video of his basketball skills goes viral, Coach Gaines (Josh Charles) recruits him to a top high school and offers him a full scholarship to play on the Liberty Prep team.
When the season starts, Terron becomes a star, and soon sponsors and the NCAA show interest, promising him a bright future filled with money. However, Terron learns that a career in amateur sports isn’t just fun and games. He has to deal with a lot of corruption, greed, and uncertainty, all while keeping up with his homework. Terron’s parents, Nia (Sharon Leal) and Vince (Brian J. White), worry about their son and suspect that Coach Gaines may care more about himself than about Terron.
You’ll want to see how everything unfolds, both on and off the court.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
Only Murders In The Building is one of the most autumn-like TV shows, making it perfect for this time of year. The series follows three quirky friends who start a podcast to solve a murder that happened in their apartment building. It features a beautiful autumn setting in New York, plenty of stylish fall outfits, and a fun (but mostly silly) murder mystery. It’s a 10/10 for cozy fall TV watching!
THE CHAIR
If we were to match seasons with school subjects, winter would be math, spring would be science, summer would be history, and fall would definitely be English. In The Chair, Professor Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) becomes the new chairperson of a struggling English department at a small college called Pembroke University. As the first woman in this role, Ji-Yoon is determined to make things better.
She works hard to secure tenure for her colleague, Yaz (Nana Mensah), while also dealing with the constant demands of other faculty members, Joan (Holland Taylor), Elliot (Bob Balaban), and the dean (David Morse). She tries to keep her crush on colleague Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) a secret.
Besides the strong academic vibes, the autumn atmosphere of this comedy-drama comes from its setting. The campus has a classic New England feel, with beautiful fall leaves, mahogany furniture, leather-bound books, and cozy fireplaces. Plus, we give Ji-Yoon’s fall-inspired work outfits a 10/10!
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY…
Here’s a younger Meg Ryan, once again embracing fall as her friendship with Billy Crystal develops over ten years. Their journey begins with a drive from Chicago to New York right after college and wraps up at a New Year’s party where they finally figure things out. The film features stunning scenes of golden leaves in New York, especially when Harry and Sally walk through Central Park discussing their dreams about love. They filmed in November, and Billy Crystal later shared that if they had waited just one more day, the leaves would have fallen after a rainstorm swept them away.
GILMORE GIRLS
No town does fall quite like the fictional wonderland of Stars Hollow. With its charming town square adorned with pumpkins for the Autumn Festival and Lorelai and Rory’s cozy sweaters, Gilmore Girls has become a favorite for many fans during the season. Binge this show if you’re in the mood for light-hearted drama, small-town charm, witty dialogue, and a never-ending love for coffee, coffee, coffee!
GOSSIP GIRL
If Stars Hollow isn’t serving up enough drama, Manhattan’s elite will definitely fill the void. Gossip Girl follows a group of wealthy New Yorkers navigating the ups and downs of being ultra-rich, ultra-privileged, and often misunderstood while being anonymously blogged about. This over-the-top show has a delightfully cozy early 2000s vibe. Plus, there are plenty of episodes showcasing the beauty of fall in New York City!
VIRGIN RIVER
If you enjoy classic soap operas filled with will-they-won’t-they romances, the occasional “whose baby is that?” storyline, and a charming setting, then Virgin River is perfect for you. This show fits into the appealing subgenre of “big city medic moves to small town and finds happiness” seen in American films and TV shows (think Doc Hollywood and Hart of Dixie). It follows a nurse who, after losing her husband, relocates to the remote Northern California town of Virgin River. While working for the local grumpy doctor, she unexpectedly finds love with the rugged bar owner. Filmed in British Columbia, the series features beautiful redwoods, misty mornings by the river, and cozy plaid lumberjack outfits.
CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
You really can’t find a more gothic, autumn vibe than that of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The teenage half-witch, half-mortal Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), along with her aunts (Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto) and cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo), live in a mortuary! This supernatural horror series is a much darker take on the classic ’90s sitcom, featuring blood, satanic rituals, and haunting images.
Set in the fictional town of Greendale, it feels like Halloween come to life, complete with mysterious woods and witchy residents. As Sabrina faces the challenges of normal life (like high school bullies) and supernatural threats (like hellish demons), her coming-of-age story—and the show’s striking, dark costumes—definitely captures the spirit of “spooky season.”
CHARMED
As Halloween approaches, shows about witches and the supernatural are perfect for getting into the spirit, and Charmed, which entertained us throughout the early 2000s, is a great example. The series follows three sisters—played by the talented trio of Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty, and Holly Marie Combs—who are powerful witches trying to save the world while leading relatively normal lives in modern-day San Francisco. Their magical missions often clash with everyday life, causing chaos in their romantic relationships and frequently bringing them into contact with the police. For a similar feel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a wonderfully nostalgic option!
FRIENDS
What’s cozier than spending a few episodes with your best friends? Escaping to a world where NYC apartments are huge and every problem can be solved at Central Perk is perfect for a cozy night in. The ’90s fall fashion is definitely enviable, and there are plenty of autumn-themed episodes to enjoy, like “The One With The Football” and “The One With All The Thanksgivings.”
PRACTICAL MAGIC
We could spend a long time exploring witchy films and TV shows that are perfect for October, but Practical Magic, featuring a young Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two witches in Massachusetts, is definitely our favorite. We especially love Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as their witch aunts who raise them. With a mix of two of our favorite plot elements—murder and magic—this film promises cozy viewing. A close second in this genre is, of course, Hocus Pocus, where Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have an absolute blast as modern-day witches in Salem.
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
In the fall-inspired category of “strong academia vibes,” Dear White People is a dramedy that follows Black college students at the fictional Ivy League school, Winchester University. The main characters include Sam (Logan Browning), Joelle (Ashley Blaine Featherson), Troy (Brandon P. Bell), Lionel (DeRon Horton), Coco (Antoinette Robertson), and Reggie (Marque Richardson).
The series is based on a 2014 comic-satirical film of the same name, with the writer and director, Justin Simien, returning to write and direct several episodes. Each half-hour episode offers a different character’s perspective, showcasing some of the best seasonal fashion. While Winchester believes it is “post-racial,” the everyday experiences of the characters tell a different story.
Dear White People addresses important issues like race relations, class hierarchy, politics, microaggressions, and unconscious biases, balancing sharp social commentary with humor and storytelling that resonates long after the episode ends.
The Half Of It
In the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Squahamish, autumn brings a chill and a comforting coziness. The atmosphere is muted and grayish, yet it radiates a quiet optimism that keeps hope alive for a happy ending, even when the narrative takes a somber turn. High school student Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) runs an essay-writing side hustle to support her widowed father (Collin Chou).
One day, she is approached by a football player named Paul (Daniel Diemer) with a unique request: he needs help writing a love letter to his dream girl, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). Unbeknownst to Paul, Ellie is a lesbian, and the feelings she pours into the letters to Aster aren’t entirely fabricated. While the plot may hint at familiar outcomes, the film’s true love story lies in the evolving friendship between Ellie and Paul.
They discover that truly understanding someone is a messy process, but ultimately rewarding, as what you initially see is often only half the story.
CONCLUSION
As the leaves change color and the air begins to crisp, there’s no better time to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite entertainment. Whether you’re in the mood for a heartwarming drama, a suspenseful thriller, or a lighthearted comedy, this list of top 15 cozy TV shows and films has something to offer everyone. So grab your blanket, turn off the lights, and get ready to enjoy a cozy autumn filled with laughter, tears, and unforgettable stories.
