Netflix

It’s October 1984. The first true essences of fall have made landfall in the humble town of Hawkins, Indiana. Chilling winds whisper a-top dry corn fields, swaying the stalks ever so slightly. Pumpkin patches thrive as local farmers capitalize on the spookiest time of the year.
The leaves surrender their verdigris shade and don colors of warm brown and soft orange. Melvald’s General store is stocked with spooky halloween decorations, bombarding the shelves for all to partake, as the sheriff watches over the quiet town with a worrisome eye, and only the warmth of his cigarette to bear the cold. These are just a handful of the fall settings portrayed in the second season of Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series created by The Duffer Brothers. As autumn arrives in the real world, there’s no better time to watch (or rewatch) this Halloween-centric season of spooky television.

I am a casual watcher of the show Bridgerton. Each season that has come out has been enjoyable. Though I have not read any of the books, Julia Quinn presents a fun and interesting take on the Regency era that Shondaland has adapted brilliantly for Netflix. Bridgerton is good entertainment, where I can be engaged while it's on-screen and then disengage and forget about it as soon as it's turned off. I started Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story with the same expectations, but I soon found myself thinking about it even when I was not actively watching. And now that I’ve finished it, I still find myself thinking about it because it was absolutely incredible. (Warning: Spoilers ahead)

The long-awaited third season of Outer Banks has finally been released. Everyone’s favorite Pogues have returned to Netflix, attempting to find the next big treasure: El Dorado. With not much more than a dream, bandana, and the occasional weapon, the group faces more adversity than they ever have before. This season features the largest treasure yet and higher stakes than ever, causing more fighting between the Pogues than seen in previous seasons. What makes this season great is that despite all of the fighting and all of the adversity, in the end, P4L dominates all other forces, keeping the group tighter-knit than ever before.

With the Thanksgiving season over and the holiday season arriving, nothing beats cozying up to a cheesy Christmas movie with a cup of hot chocolate and a cozy blanket. Now there are plenty of movies to choose from, with more and more being released every year. This year, instead of watching the same Christmas movies for the millionth time, I branched out and decided to watch something new. The queen of cheesy 2000s teen movies, Lindsay Lohan, has dipped her toes back into the spotlight with a leading role in Falling for Christmas. Alongside Chord Overstreet, known for his role as Sam Evans in Glee, the duo embarks on a journey with a laundry list of Christmas movie tropes. From the rich girl meeting a small-town boy to the way too-generous townspeople offering their services. From the Christmas miracle granted by a Santa Claus figure to the weird memory loss that somehow didn’t send her into a coma, these tropes have been beaten to death over and over again. Yet somehow, I still fall for it every single time. Despite the hatred many have for these tired tropes, I think that they make the Christmas movie-watching experience.

Netflix has done it again with the second season of Young Royals. The show many believed would be about out-of-touch rich teens getting away with rich teen things ended up having much more depth. The first season was able to craft a beautiful storyline centered around Wilhelm, the eventual Crown Prince of Sweden, and Simon, a fellow student at his boarding school. When a second season was confirmed, many of its fans were worried about the show’s ability to follow up the masterpiece that is the first season. Despite this, I think that they do a beautiful job of following up the arcs that they set up in the first season and expand beautifully on what it is like to feel like a teen.