4 reasons why 'Over the Garden Wall' is a cozy fall classic

A scene from the Cartoon Network's "Over the Garden Wall," which turns 10 this year.

Oct. 25, 2024 12 PM PT

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who needs something to snuggle up with this weekend.

In this week’s Break Down, staff writer Tracy Brown offers four reasons why Cartoon Network miniseries “Over the Garden Wall,” which turns 10 this year, is the perfect choice for just that.

Plus, we catch up with “Social Studies,” Lauren Greenfield’s extraordinary docuseries about teen social media use, and Yvonne Strahovski stops by to discuss her new Peacock series “Teacup.”

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Catch up

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

A teenage boy on his laptop as a woman looks over her shoulder.

As a parent who raised two daughters in Los Angeles, the younger of whom just left the nest for college, I thought I had a good handle on the challenges Gen Z teens face today. But the eye-opening five-part docuseries “Social Studies” (FX, Hulu), which concluded on Saturday, reveals just how much I might have missed. Documentarian Lauren Greenfield (“The Queen of Versailles”), herself an L.A. parent, follows 15 teenagers from diverse backgrounds, most of whom attend Palisades Charter High School, as they navigate a world where social media dictates everything from their self-image to their sense of belonging. Greenfield doesn’t just give us their stories; she gives us their screens, using real phone recordings to show exactly what these teens are exposed to on platforms like TikTok and Instagram — and what they expose of themselves. A surgeon general’s warning come to life, the raw, unflinching series tackles heavy issues like eating disorders, sexual assault and online bullying, showing how the relentless pressure to curate their digital lives leaves many teens feeling trapped, anxious and vulnerable. As Greenfield told The Times, a friend described the series as “a horror movie” — and it’s easy to see why. But unlike, say, the killer clown of “Terrifier 3,” social media’s impact on teens is a reality that parents, and frankly anyone concerned about the future, can’t afford to ignore. — Josh Rottenberg

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Yvonne Strahovski is no stranger to serious subject matter. As Serena Joy in Hulu’s dystopian drama series “The Handmaid’s Tale” — now in production on its sixth and final season — and a spate of other projects, the Australian actor has made characters in extemis something of a specialty. “Teacup,” now streaming on Peacock, is no different. In it, Strahovski and Scott Speedman star as a couple fighting to save their marriage when a mysterious figure emerges from the woods around their Georgia farm and instructs them not to leave under any circumstances. Strahovski stopped by Screen Gab recently to discuss why she’s drawn as much to intimate extremes as societal ones, how she unwinds from tough material and more. —Matt Brennan

What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?

As a mom of three little ones I don’t get to watch much at all — except for, of course, the occasional kids movie. We are huge fans of “Sing” [Netflix] and “Sing 2” [Freevee] in our house and love a dance party after watching.

What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the film or TV show you return to again and again?   

“Vanderpump Rules” [Peacock] and “Selling Sunset” [Netflix].

“Teacup” showrunner Ian McCulloch has been open about how radically different the series is from its source material, Robert McCammon’s novel “Stinger.” I’m curious, what was Ian’s pitch to you about what he was after and why you were the right fit for Maggie? What sparked your interest most about that vision?

He was interested in making something elevated that focused on character and relationship dynamics, even through the horror genre lens. I was interested in doing that with him and in the family storyline that sets the tone of distrust throughout the whole series. I loved what he had to say and the rest is history.

You’ve built a list of credits in recent years — “Stateless,” “The Tomorrow War,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and now “Teacup” — dealing with societies in various stages of failure or collapse, both very like and very unlike our own. So what do you do when you need to unwind/recuperate/lift your spirits from that grim subject matter?

Turn off the news. Calm my nervous system down by focusing on my kids. There is nothing like kids to bring you into the present moment. I’m so grateful for them.

Break down

Times staffers chew on the pop culture of the moment — love it, hate it or somewhere in between

Wirt and Greg journey through the forest in a scene from the show "Over the Garden Wall."

Fall is the perfect time to cozy up with our favorite shows and for me, like many others, that includes revisiting “Over the Garden Wall.”

Created by Patrick McHale, the Emmy Award-winning series follows brothers Wirt and Greg as they travel through some mysterious woods called the Unknown looking for a way home. Originally airing in November 2014, the 10-episode show was Cartoon Network’s first miniseries and is emblematic of the studio’s more creator-driven originals of that time.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the fall favorite, Cartoon Network has announced that a new 2-minute stop motion short in collaboration with McHale and Aardman will be released Nov. 3. (L.A. locals can also celebrate in person by checking out a tribute exhibition at Gallery Nucleus.)

For those who have yet to check out the series, which is available to stream on Hulu, here’s a quick breakdown of why “Over the Garden Wall” remains an autumn classic.

It’s both timely and timeless. The show’s relationship to Halloween is a bit of a spoiler, but as Wirt and Greg make their way through the woods, it’s clear that the events of the show takes place in the fall. If the foliage and the palette didn’t scream autumn enough, there’s also an episode that revolves around a town of dancing pumpkins.

“Over the Garden Wall” is more moody and eerie than gory or scary, but it’s still plenty spooky. And the lack of modern technological distractions — like phones and anything with a screen — helps the show maintain its classic folktale vibes.

It’s supposed to feel like a quilt. McHale previously told The Times that “one thing that [they] talked about when … making the show was that it was supposed to feel sort of like a quilt.”

“Every episode had its own unique color and pattern and everything but overall it was supposed to become one quilt that all works together. Every episode should feel exciting,” said McHale in a 2015 interview.

Each 11-minute episode sees Wirt and Greg (and Beatrice, a talking bluebird they meet along the way) have encounters with various people, including an ominous woodsman, and creatures. While the episodes can stand alone, it’s seeing them all together as a whole that makes the story truly special. And what’s more appropriate for fall than a cozy blanket?

It’s got a stellar soundtrack. From its somber opening theme song to its sillier ode to adding molasses to mashed potatoes, the music of “Over the Garden Wall” carries a vintage sound that helps complete the show’s moody ambiance. The score, composed and performed by the Blasting Company, carries the warmth and whimsy of real instruments and spans a variety of genres but all would sound at home on an antique record player.

It’s wholesomely quotable. And that’s a rock fact.