The 14 best movies and TV shows on Netflix for fall

All American (2018–present)

All American follows the Friday Night Lights playbook by using sports as a backdrop to explore social issues. Based on the real-life story of former NFL player Spencer Paysinger, Daniel Ezra stars as Spencer James, a South Central L.A. football phenom recruited to play for a wealthy Beverly Hills high school. Cue the inevitable culture clash that finds Spencer torn between the life he knows and the posh world he’s thrust into. 

EW’s critic, a non-football aficionado, fell for the show’s mix of glowing California teen drama and the nuance it brings to unpacking race and class in America. —Sara Netzley

Where to watch All American: Netflix

EW grade: B

Cast: Daniel Ezra, Taye Diggs, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (2024–present)

Now it’s going to get just a little bit grim and scold-y: How much do you know about the ugly side of football’s beauty? Cheer creator Greg Whiteley pointed his camera at the 2023 hopefuls for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad, and what he found was cutthroat competition, grueling physical demands, and nearly impossible beauty and body standards, all for very little financial compensation. As EW’s critic put it, “Come for the high kicks, and brace for the heartbreak.” —S.N.

Where to watch America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Netflix

Cast: Kelli Finglass, Judy Trammell, Victoria Kalina, Kelcey Wetterberg, Charlotte Jones

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020)

Sure, the Dark Lord’s taken a special interest in you, but you’ve still got to make friends at your new school. That’s just one of the problems facing half-witch, half-human Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) on Netflix’s pitch-black adaptation of the Archie Comics character.

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told EW ahead of the series that he always intended for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to be, well, chilling. “The idea was to do a dark horror version of Sabrina, something that was more of a slow-burn horror, like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby and all those great satanic horror movies from the 1960s and 1970s.” Although the show’s four-season run wasn’t quite as long as Aguirre-Sacasa had hoped, Shipka’s Sabrina did fulfill her unholy destiny by turning up on her Archie pagemates’ CW show Riverdale a year later. —S.N.

Where to watch Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Netflix

Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Davis, Tati Gabrielle, Michelle Gomez, Chance Perdomo

The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018)

If you crave the macabre but don’t want to dip your toes into true terror, Christine McConnell has cooked up something just for you. The artist and internet personality worked with Jim Henson’s crew to create her puppet cohosts, including Rose the reanimated raccoon and Rankle the mummified Egyptian cat. 

This creepy, crafty baking show was frightfully underwatched, but its six episodes are ready to be discovered in all their scripted reality/DIY glory. These curious creations are bizarre, charming, and edgy enough to keep you glued to the couch, whether that’s in your tidy condo or a moldering gothic mansion. —S.N.

Where to watch The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell: Netflix

Cast: Christine McConnell, Adam Mayfield, Dita Von Teese, Colleen Smith, Michael Oosterom

Fear Street trilogy (2021)

This time-hopping trio of films will delight old-school horror fans as well as newcomers to the slasher genre. Based on a series of best-sellers by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, the interconnected Fear Street movies — set in 1994, 1978, and 1666 — all unfold in a murder-friendly little town filled with the likes of Gillian Jacobs and Sadie Sink.

“We’ve done slasher movies in various ways, and I was interested in how we could reinvent the [slasher] genre a little bit,” director Leigh Janiak told EW. “Part of that came from this opportunity to tell a different kind of story that had a bigger narrative, connected over all three, that you need to watch in a short amount of time to get the full experience. It’s not a traditional sequel model.” If that’s not enough to convince you, the Fear Street trilogy landed on EW’s list of the best horror films of 2021. —S.N.

Where to watch the Fear Street trilogy: Netflix

Director: Leigh Janiak

Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch

Firefly Lane (2021–2023)

This cozy dramedy, about the bond between women over the various seasons of their lives, is like a warm hug (not unlike the next show in this list). Based on the Kristin Hannah novel, Firefly Lane follows the friendship between Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey. Bouncing between their teenage years and adulthood (with Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke playing the characters in their 40s), the show tracks the many ups and downs as they take vastly different paths as their friendship evolves. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Firefly Lane: Netflix

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Sarah Chalke, Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, Ali Skovbye

The Four Seasons (2025–present)

Tina Fey’s latest TV creation may not have the joke-per-minute wackiness of 30 Rock or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but this warm dramedy is just as bingeable. Adapted from the 1981 film of the same name by Alan Alda, The Four Seasons follows three married couples as they go on vacation together every quarter of the year, where they face various challenges in their relationships. Fey’s costars include Steve Carell, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and Marco Calvani, who each bring their unique charisma to a group of fascinating, flawed characters. —K.J.

Where to watch The Four Seasons: Netflix

Cast: Tina Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver

The Half of It (2020)

No matter how far graduation is in your rearview, fall sparks nostalgia for those back-to-school days. But instead of grabbing a backpack and fretting about midterms, settle in with The Half of It, an LGBTQ+ spin on Cyrano de Bergerac that finds not-out, self-contained high-schooler Ellie (Leah Lewis) helping sweet jock Paul (Daniel Diemer) write love letters to his cool-girl artist crush (who is also her cool-girl artist crush).

EW’s critic applauded director Alice Wu’s tender handling of Ellie’s first tumble into love, as well as Wu’s exploration of “how our messy, well-intentioned attempts to do right by our own hearts can both wound and help us fumble toward the people we’re meant to be.” —S.N.

Where to watch The Half of It: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Alice Wu

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Becky Ann Baker, Enrique Murciano

Happiness for Beginners (2023)

In this Hallmark-y (it’s a compliment!) camping movie, Ellie Kemper plays a recent divorcée whose wide-eyed pixie energy bumps up against her brother’s sloe-eyed, smooth-voiced best friend (Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes). While Kemper’s Helen figures out how to navigate her new single life, she also finds herself falling in love against the autumnal splendor of the Appalachian Trail.

Kemper told EW that she was excited to play the grump in this adaptation of Katherine Center’s novel, and that filming was a nice change of pace. “As an adult, especially living in a city, you forget how soothing and healing and restorative it is to be in nature,” she said. —S.N.

Where to watch Happiness for Beginners: Netflix

Director: Vicky Wright

Cast: Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Blythe Danner, Nico Santos, Ben Cook

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Between The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Midnight Club, director Mike Flanagan has been Netflix’s go-to fall (as in the season) guy for years, and his jump to Amazon Studios’ stable of auteurs likely sent chills down many a Netflix exec’s spine. If you’re chasing your own spooky experience, start with The Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan’s adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s classic ghost story starring Elizabeth Reaser, Michiel Huisman, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti. 

“A ghost can be a lot of things: memories, guilt, regrets, trauma, loss,” Flanagan told EW in 2018. “We all have our ghosts to contend with, and that contention is where we learn the most about ourselves, as individuals and as a society. Ghosts are just reflections, and I find that fascinating.” —S.N.

Where to watch The Haunting of Hill House: Netflix

Cast: Elizabeth Reaser, Michiel Huisman, Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Last Chance U (2016–2020)

In a time of increasing CTE awareness and decreasing high school football participation rates, this critically acclaimed docuseries about junior college players is, in the words of EW’s critic, “a bluntly honest look at this desperate, almost nihilistic era of American football.”

Lest that sound too grim or scoldy, he also describes Last Chance U‘s focus on the dreams of its players, coaches, and teachers as ludicrously involving, with a cinematic feel that doesn’t sugarcoat the statistical improbability of these young athletes making it to the NFL. If you love sports, storytelling, and/or real stakes, fall is the perfect time to enroll in Last Chance U. —S.N.

Where to watch Last Chance U: Netflix

EW grade: A

Cast: Ron Ollie, Brittany Wagner, Buddy Stephens, Garrett Kruczek, John III Franklin

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Everyone knows the kid in The Sixth Sense can see dead people. Most know the twist at the end. And still, M. Night Shyamalan’s horror thriller holds up as a gloriously crafted ghost story anchored by three impeccable performances. Bruce Willis stars as a child psychologist who tries to help young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled boy who sees grisly visions of the deceased, with Toni Collette as his desperate mother. The film’s strengths lie in narrative momentum, doling out information at just the right pace for maximum impact. “Running the scenes over in your head afterward,” writes EW’s critic, “uncovers a construction that rewards wide-awake attention.” —K.J.

Where to watch The Sixth Sense: Netflix

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

Virgin River (2019–present)

Like Gilmore Girls, Virgin River doesn’t just weave its quirky spell in the autumn months. But in our hearts, it’s always fall in this Northern California-set show featuring a cast of thousands (give or take) led by Alexandra Breckinridge and Martin Henderson. 

That crisp fall feeling could come from its Vancouver filming location, where the perpetual chill in the air lends itself to slouchy beanies and reddened noses. Or it could be due to the warm, cozy hug that comes from binging multiple seasons of fresh starts, self-discovery, found families, small-town gossip, and, of course, new love. —S.N.

Where to watch Virgin River: Netflix

Cast: Alexandra Breckinridge, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Benjamin Hollingsworth

Wednesday (2022–present)

The raven-black yin to Sabrina Spellman’s platinum-blonde yang, death-obsessed Wednesday Addams was reborn on Netflix with Jenna Ortega taking over the role from Christina Ricci, who starred in the beloved ‘90s Addams Family film franchise. Ortega told EW she was game for the challenge of making the character her own: “You know, it’s funny and sweet and almost charming to hear this 8-year-old’s obsession with murder and blood and guts. As she gets older, that nasty attitude or [those] biting remarks, it’s almost kind of hard to not make it sound like every other teenage girl. So, it’s like, how do we establish this character and give her the same fire without letting her become something that she’s not?”

The show clearly did something right. Wednesday landed on Netflix’s top-10 most-viewed shows for the first half of 2023, and earned 18 Emmy nominations, including Best Comedy Series, with four wins in technical categories. —S.N.

Where to watch Wednesday: Netflix

Cast: Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwendoline Christie