Getting cosy: the best TV shows to watch during autumn

*Shorthand piece is found here!

Looking outside of my window at 4pm to see darkness already falling has Netflix calling my name, and who am I to deny her service. With autumn in full swing and winter and Christmas fast approaching, cosy nights are looking more and more tempting. Below I’ve shared some shows to accompany you on these quiet nights in, because if we’re going to be cold and hidden inside, we may as well bless our eyes with some good cosy content.

Gilmore Girls // Available on: Netflix

I cannot think of a single show that screams autumn more than Gilmore Girls. The cosy small town of Stars Hollow, with its coffee shops and independent grocers, has an autumnal essence regardless of the time of year that passes through the show. Summer and winter episodes somehow still embrace the cosiness of autumn with a brown and calm hue always dominating the aesthetics, and a cup of coffee constantly in the hands of our mother-daughter duo. Perhaps it is the small-town community spirit, or the warm nature of the main characters snuggling in their home to watch old movies and eat takeaway food, but Gilmore Girls will forever be the perfect watch at this time of year for me.

Normal People // Available on: BBC iPlayer

What could be better on a dark and lonely night in autumn than witnessing the slow burn romance between two Irish sweethearts. Normal People is a limited series of 8 episodes with a docile pace but plenty of rich content to keep you gripped. This show is the embodiment of what candles feel like to me; it is cosy, slow, and it flickers between light and dark moments. Perhaps a slightly less joyful watch than Gilmore Girls – but certainly the perfect show to accompany a mountain of blankets and a cup of tea or hot chocolate. If you are as sad as me, you may even be able to squeeze it all into one long binge.

Stranger Things // Available on: Netflix

For a more intensive but super fun watch, Stranger Things is a great option. The first season transports us back in time to the autumn of 1983 and the second begins right in the midst of Halloween. From the comfort of your cosy home you can follow the lovable group of kids on their crazy sci-fi adventures and experience this time of year in the 80s. With 99% of the scenes seeming to take place at night, for optimum ominous vibes, you really feel immersed in the world and the story which provides a lovely escape from the cold outside your bedroom window.

Boy Meets World // Available on: Disney +

Autumn habitually comes hand in hand with nostalgia and has me yearning for the comforts of simpler times, which is encompassed perfectly for me in the show Boy Meets World. An innocent gem of the 90s, Boy Meets World provides wholesome stories of family life, friendship, and young love. Every episode ends in a big ‘awwww’. A light brown/yellow filter seems to constantly fall over each episode, regardless of the time of year it depicts, and the entire show feels like a warm familial hug. Though I watched the show when I was a bit younger, I think the autumnal feelings would be equally felt by those watching it for the first time. So, if you haven’t already, I really recommend it. 

Hopefully you will be able to find cosy autumn comfort in one of these TV shows but regardless of what you choose to fill your screen, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to yourself to relax in this dark and cold season.