For many, fall is about new beginnings. While summer comes to a close, school brings a whole new year of possibilities and responsibilities for kids across the nation. Some might find themselves wondering, “What is the best way to cope with all of these new responsibilities?” One way is to start watching some new TV shows, or to pick up on ones you may have left behind over the summer. Now is the perfect time to start browsing through On Demand, Netflix, or Hulu to spark an interest in some new shows, and rekindle the flame with some old favorites.

One of the most anticipated returning shows this fall is Grey’s Anatomy. The thirteenth season of the show aired just a few weeks ago. The twisted love triangles, death of beloved characters, and intrigue of interpreting complicated surgeries has kept the dedicated fans of the show interested since the beginning. Kalyn Nix ’17, a die-hard Grey’s fanatic, explained, “I wasn’t ready for the show to be over so I’m really excited that they are bringing it back this year and focusing on the originals. I cannot wait to see what happens with my favorite character, Alex Karev.” While some are anxiously anticipating what is to come in the new season, others think the show has run its course: “Obviously,” added Lizzie Kane ’18, “if Grey’s is on I am going to watch it. However, I just feel like the show could not have gotten any better than last season or any of the previous seasons, so I think it would have been best if it ended on a high note.” No matter if you are happy about the new season or not, it seems as though the show’s true fans will always stick around to see what happens next.

One show that has just begun is the spin-off of hit show The Walking Dead. The new show, Fear the Walking Dead, tells the story of families that experienced the very beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Just as some of us are trying to fight off the stress that this year brings, our on-screen companions are fighting off blood thirsty zombies. Matt Denney ’17 commented, “I’ve been a dedicated fan of the show The Walking Dead, so I was super excited to find out that there was a spin off show. I always wanted to know exactly how everyone started dying and becoming zombies and how there became so few survivors.” Fear the Walking Dead offers viewers some answers to their questions about what sort of epidemic put the entire world’s population at risk and how different groups of people preserved neighborhoods or started other communities of survivors.

Additionally, on top of these new and returning TV shows, there are also some new and highly anticipated movies this fall, including the upcoming release of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which comes to theaters on Friday, November 11. Several of the current classes at Wilmington Friends School have read Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in English class in their sophomore year. However, seeing a story portrayed in a movie may can oftentimes be remarkably different than reading the story in a book. Sully Connors ’19 said, “I’m interested to see how the movie differs from the book. I found the book intriguing, but I’m afraid seeing the movie might change my perception or liking of the book.” Those that read the book may have to decide for themselves if they would want to see it portrayed in a movie, but those who did not read the book may not be affected by the movie as they have never heard the story before.

While there are many fun activities you could invest your time in this fall, getting into new shows and seeing new movies are always a good way to wind down after a long week at school or at home.