"Although fall is often affectionately referred to as “spooky season,” I happen to believe it’s also one of the coziest times of the year. All of the hustle and bustle of summer is winding down just as the weather gets cooler. It’s about that time to take a lesson from the Danish lifestyle and prioritize all things hygge. Take this as a time to relax, slow down, and take in life’s simple pleasures.
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There’s nothing I love more than cuddling up on the couch on a gloomy Sunday with a cup of apple cider watching a heartwarming tv show or movie. Some of my favorites are the small towns that are too good to be true, the over-exaggerated dramas, and the heartwarming tales of unconditional love. If you want to feel all the cozy vibes this fall, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of the coziest of cozy movies and shows for your next hygge streaming session.
TV Shows
Gilmore Girls
Where to stream: Netflix
When the clock strikes midnight on August 1st, I take that as my cue to put on the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls. It is the quintessential fall show. Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter of the same name, also known as Rory, are an inseparable duo. Though mother-daughter by biology, their relationship is more like that of sisters. Watch as the two navigate life in a picturesque small town. And see how Lorelai grapples with the fact that Rory may fit into the high society life she left years ago more than she’d like to admit.
Virgin River
Where to stream: Netflix
After a life-altering event, an LA nurse practitioner relocates to a small town in Northern California. As she navigates her new slow-paced life, finds her footing within a job that isn’t exactly welcoming, and tries to forget her past troubles, she’s surprised by the life she’s able to make and the relationships she’s able to form. Be careful. You may just find yourself contemplating moving to a small mountain town after watching this one.
Jane the Virgin
Where to stream: Netflix
We’ve all been there. We just had the “birds and the bees” talk with a family member and are perpetually mortified. Ever since having the talk with her grandmother, Jane has been steadfast in holding onto her “flower” until marriage. Her life is flipped upside down when a doctor tells her she’s pregnant. It turns out she had accidentally been artificially inseminated by a previous doctor who was having a bit of a rough day. (That’s quite the mix-up!) Now, she must navigate her new life.
New Girl
Where to stream: Netflix
After finding out her longtime boyfriend and housemate had been cheating on her, Jess needs to find a new apartment—fast. She finds herself bunking with an eccentric bunch of guys in a Los Angeles loft. Little does she know her temporary residence will change her life and provide her with an unusual but lovable family unit. The outcome of Jess’s situation is basically the best-case scenario if you ask me—even if she does have to deal with the side effects of living with the opposite sex.
The Vampire Diaries | The Originals | Legacies
Where to stream: HBO Max | Netflix | Netflix
Elena Gilbert is no stranger to tragedy. Her life has been a series of losses, namely the tragic death of her parents that she had to witness. Determined to have a fresh start this school year, she can’t imagine she would fall in love with an over-100-year-old vampire. When she finds out her best friend is also a witch, their small-town life in Virginia becomes a lot more complicated. This show will have you questioning what you know about good versus evil. It will have you feeling serious attraction and affection towards villains. And it’ll leave you obsessed for years to come. When you can’t decide which Salvatore brother is your favorite, just remember, “It’s okay to love them both.”
We know you’ll be hooked after the first season. And the ending of the series will leave you only wanting more. Lucky for you, the show has not one but two spinoff series, each as captivating as the first.
Schitt’s Creek
Where to stream: Netflix
Schitt’s Creek quickly worked its way to the top of my comfort shows list and is one that I find myself going back to again and again. When a wealthy family loses almost everything due to a tax scandal, they are left with only a few material things and a town the father purchased years before as a joke for his son. They must learn to live in a rundown small town while trying to make their way back to the glamorous lifestyle they held so dearly. What they don’t realize is how much they will learn about love, friendship, and the true meaning of family along the way. You will laugh (a lot), cry for a bit, and be utterly entertained by the Roses.
One Tree Hill
Where to stream: Hulu
Rivals on and off the basketball court, half-brothers Nathan and Lucas navigate high school in their North Carolina town of Tree Hill. They have more to battle over than just basketball. Their brotherhood is strained due to several romantic relationships as well as the complex relationship each has with their shared father. Even though I never want to experience high school again, it sure can be entertaining and nostalgic to watch a show about it.
Charmed (Original)
Where to stream: Peacock
Whenever I’m asked what TV series I could win a round of trivia in, my mind instantly goes to the original Charmed series. I loved it so much growing up that I would wake up at 6 a.m. on summer weekdays because that’s when it would play on TV (unhinged, I know). To this day, it is a major comfort show for me, and even after seeing it literally 20+ times, I still always enjoy a rewatch.
Three sisters, partially estranged by life, are brought back together by the death of their grandmother. Their complications include more than a sibling feud. Upon being back in their family home, they soon discover that they heir from a long line of witches and are the most powerful the world has ever seen. Together they must fight the demons that threaten San Francisco, all while navigating their personal lives, careers, and love.
Full House
Where to stream: HBO Max
We all got very lucky when Warner Bros. decided to gift us a Full House reboot—Fuller House. Returning to the Tanner household was just what our nostalgic hearts needed. Widowed father Danny Tanner enlists the help of his brother-in-law and his best friend to raise his three daughters by having them move into their San Francisco home. The eccentric group of men must navigate raising three girls together under one roof and help one another deal with the struggles of fatherhood as well as bond over the joys.
This is Us
Where to stream: Hulu
Following one family over the span of generations, This is Us captures all of life’s struggles and successes, as well as the endless trials and joys of family. Following the three Pearson “triplets,” two biological and one adopted, you will watch each grow to become their own person throughout the series. Each has individual struggles—some they must lean on each other for and some they must learn to navigate on their own. Each episode will pull on your heartstrings and make you want to hold onto your loved ones a little tighter.
A Million Little Things
Where to stream: Hulu
When a group of friends loses one of their own to suicide, they begin to question the lives they’ve been leading. Wondering how they could have been so close to him but not know the struggles he was dealing with, they vow to do better by each other going forward. They realize that “Friendship is not one big thing; it’s a million little things.” There’s truly something we can all learn from this friend group.
Movies
The Parent Trap
Where to stream: Disney+
There’s not a single movie I love more than The Parent Trap. Solo Lindsay Lohan iconically plays the role of twins. The on-screen fashion is still trendy to this day. Dennis Quaid graces us with his role as dreamboat Nick Parker. And it is the ultimate wedding aesthetic inspiration. It truly has become a classic, a favorite to many, and the perfect movie to throw on during a rainy day.
Twins Halle and Anna are separated at birth by their mother and father and don’t know of each other’s existence. When by a stroke of fate they are reunited at summer camp, they realize they have more in common than just their appearance. Their worlds are flipped upside down. Each has gone her whole life without knowing one of their parents, so the twins hatch a plan. After camp, they will trade places. Each will go back to the other’s home. When their parents realize what’s happened, they will have to be reunited. The girls hope perhaps their scheme will bring their family together once and for all.
Harry Potter
Where to stream: HBO Max
One of my favorite memories growing up was when my older sister would read me her Harry Potter books. (It was also one of the few times we weren’t arguing.) Together, we could sit and dream about having magical powers and discuss our favorite spells. Now, every time I watch the movies, those fond memories come rushing back.
Young Harry Potter knows very little of the true meaning of family. After losing his parents at a young age, he was sent to live with his strict aunt and uncle and their dreadful son. When a letter arrives for Harry explaining that he has been accepted into Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his life is forever changed. He not only learns to harness his magical powers but also about his family and dangerous past. He makes a family of friends along the way.
The Breakfast Club
Where to stream: Prime Video
In this classic John Hughes tale, five students—each from different high school social groups—find themselves forced together during Saturday detention. In the hours that they spend together, they learn they may have a lot more in common than they thought. You’ll have the soundtrack to this one stuck in your head for days after watching (and you won’t be mad about it).
The Goonies
Where to stream: Prime Video
I don’t know about you, but the idea of searching for buried treasure with my best friends sounds pretty awesome. I would have loved to be a member of the Goonies back in the day. In an effort to save his home and the friend group’s favorite hangout spot, Mikey and the gang set out to find a lost treasure rumored to be somewhere in their town. Using a map found in the attic of his home, the eccentric bunch find themselves in more than one dangerous situation on their quest for gold.
Sweet Home Alabama
Where to stream: Prime Video
Chasing her dreams in the big city, Melanie Carmichael leaves her small-town Alabama home for New York City. She left behind more than her southern accent, though. When she meets someone in New York and ends up engaged, she must travel back south to finalize the divorce she initiated years before and face the man she left behind. Now she must choose between the love of her past or the life she has created. You’ll feel all the feels with this one. Plus, I’d be lying if I said having a “Melanie and Jake kissing on the beach during a thunderstorm” moment wasn’t high on my bucket list as an adolescent.
The Princess Bride
Where to stream: Disney+
In this fairytale told by a grandfather to his sick grandson, Westley must fight to be reunited with his love against all odds. After being Buttercup’s farmhand and falling in love with her, the two become separated when he voyages overseas. During their separation, while believing Westley to be dead, Buttercup becomes unwillingly betrothed to a Prince. Westley must take on countless obstacles and enemies with the help of some unusual allies to get Buttercup back. In doing so, he shows the courage and strength of true love. It’s the fairytale of the ages and one you’ll want to rewatch again and again.
50 First Dates
Where to stream: Prime Video
When Henry sets his sights on Lucy, he can’t imagine how difficult it would be to win her over. Having short-term memory loss, Lucy doesn’t remember anything from each day prior. Each morning, Henry must woo her all over again, all the while proving to her family that he truly loves her. I always end this movie feeling hopeful of finding someone with as much dedication to me as Henry has for Lucy.
Paddington
Where to stream: Netflix
After a devastating storm destroys his home in Peru, a young bear named Paddington winds up in London, where he must search for shelter. He finds just that in the home of Henry and Mary Brown. As he adjusts to life in the city, a malicious taxidermist gets her eyes on Paddington, and his new family must fight to keep him safe. I truly can’t think of anything cozier than a cute bear in a bucket hat. (The British accents are a plus, too.)
Grease
Where to stream: Prime Video
You know how we’ve always been told not to change ourselves for the sake of a relationship? Well, that’s basically the opposite of what Sandy does in Grease, and lucky for her, it works out—and she looks pretty amazing doing it. Sandy and Danny are from two different walks of life. She’s the “good girl,” and he’s the troubled “greaser.” But when the two meet over summer vacation, opposites attract, and they fall in love. Little did Danny know, Sandy would show up at his school when classes restarted and his affection for her could threaten his bad boy reputation. Sandy has to choose between her perfect image and the man she loves. And everyone in the 1950s high school has to sing about it along the way.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Where to stream: Disney+
With a modern twist on a classic tale, watch Cinderella as you’ve never seen it before. A young girl stuck under the wing of her evil stepmother is gifted one unforgettable night by her fairy godmother. She will be dressed in a beautiful gown and driven to the Prince’s ball in a pumpkin. What starts as the promise of one magical night may just change her life forever. After finishing the movie, you’ll be dreaming of (or singing about) your own fairytale ending.
Twilight
Where to stream: Peacock
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say one of the great debates at my middle school lunch table was Team Edward vs. Team Jacob. While I tend to lean toward the werewolf side (sorry, Cullen stans), it was clear from the beginning that the only true connection for Bella was Edward. Rehash the great debate with all of your friends after rewatching Twilight again this season!
When awkward and timid Bella moves from Arizona to Forks, WA, she has no idea she’ll have to get used to more than just the gloomy weather. After meeting Edward at school, the two are instantly enamored with each other, even though Edward feels the responsibility to stay away. Bella soon learns that Edward and his family are a group of vampires that don’t drink human blood. What she doesn’t yet realize is that there are vampires out there who do pose threats to humans, and she has just become their main target.