{"id":478311,"date":"2026-09-28T14:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/478311\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:48:15","slug":"road-trips-tv-shows-must-read-books-to-celebrate-fall-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/478311\/","title":{"rendered":"Road trips, TV shows, must-read books to celebrate fall in California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fall has officially arrived, and leaf peeping has already started in parts of east-central California\u2019s Inyo and Mono counties<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For those of us down in Southern California, we can\u2019t focus on the changing colors of leaves because we\u2019re trying to find relief from the heat. <\/p>\n

It feels like we\u2019re stuck in perpetual summer thanks to El N\u0129no and marine heat waves, which have caused high temperatures, extreme humidity and intense storms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t let that stop you from spicing up fall. There are so many TV shows to watch, books to read, concerts to attend and experiences to have right here in California or from the comfort of your home.<\/p>\n

You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n

L.A. Times reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the morning.<\/p>\n

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n

Earlier this month, my colleague Christopher Reynolds in Travel put together a list of 13 fall travel ideas<\/a>, from California deserts to the coast, with a couple of mountain destinations mixed in.<\/p>\n

And for those not interested in taking a road trip, my colleagues on the Entertainment team created a fall preview guide<\/a> just for you.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sampling from their great coverage.<\/p>\n

California destinations to explore \"Fall <\/a> <\/p>\n

The colors of fall are seen along California 168 in the Inyo National Forest along Bishop Creek in 2024.<\/p>\n

(Brian van der Brug\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Of all the places Christopher highlights in his guide<\/a>, the Eastern Sierra is a standout for autumnal aura. U.S. 395 \u2014 which runs past Lone Pine, Independence and Bishop \u2014 is a great route for seeing fall color and mountain grandeur.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a 5\u00bd-hour drive from Los Angeles, but if you\u2019re pining for shades of the season, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

Two Essential California readers mentioned the highway in their responses to our reader question last week, which asked where to find fall color in California.<\/p>\n

Carol W. suggests \u201cheading south on Highway 395, then taking the June Lake Loop, which is a riot of fall colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill W. told us he and his wife \u201clove to drive along Highway 395, especially the June Lake Loop, for fall colors. With our anniversary on Oct. 17, it\u2019s a tradition for us to visit this beautiful area during that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

New books to keep on your radar<\/p>\n

The Times\u2019 Entertainment editors called on some of the best in the book world to curate a list of this season\u2019s most anticipated reads<\/a>. Their selection includes entrancing translated texts, morally ambiguous characters and a foray into flash fiction (as in super, super short).<\/p>\n

For autobiography lovers, the list includes the second memoir of Gloria Steinem, who died earlier this month<\/a> at age 92. \u201cAn Unexpected Life\u201d traces the initial glimmers of her political consciousness to her education at Smith College but shows how far she moved beyond genteel 1950s classrooms.<\/p>\n

TV shows to watch \"Original <\/p>\n

Several original \u201cA Different World\u201d cast members reprise their roles in the new version of the series, including Charnele Brown, left, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell and Cree Summer.<\/p>\n

(Quantrell Colbert\/Netflix)<\/p>\n

Among a slew of TV shows making debuts this fall<\/a> is \u201cA Different World,\u201d an updated version of the popular sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1993.<\/p>\n

The groundbreaking sitcom has returned as a sequel<\/a>, blending nostalgic callbacks with Gen Z storylines about mental health and activism. The initial push to revive the series was derailed in part by the allegations against the original show\u2019s creator, Bill Cosby.<\/p>\n

Another familiar title will premiere later this fall, centered on Jane Austen\u2019s most famous work, \u201cPride and Prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1995 BBC miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen are the definitive, most popular screen adaptations of the work.<\/p>\n

Now, the classic novel is getting its streaming-era adaptation with Emma Corrin (\u201cThe Crown\u201d) and Jack Lowden (\u201cSlow Horses\u201d) as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more from our fall guide:<\/p>\n

The 15 most intriguing theater offerings hitting SoCal stages this fall<\/a> <\/p>\n

The 17 fall movies we can\u2019t wait to see<\/a> <\/p>\n

10 can\u2019t-miss concerts this fall from Bruno Mars to My Chemical Romance<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dudamel\u2019s return and 15 other classical music and dance shows to catch this fall in SoCal<\/a> <\/p>\n

16 ambitious art shows to see in and around L.A. this fall<\/a> <\/p>\n

Top stories \"Waves <\/a> <\/p>\n

Waves crash along Capistrano Beach, where large boulders are used to protect homes.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

California\u2019s plan to save homes could kill beachesWith California\u2019s coast getting pounded by strong waves amid a strengthening El Ni\u00f1o, homeowners and officials are turning to rocks, seawalls and sand berms to protect homes and vital rail lines.But there is growing concern that this defensive strategy will end up harming California\u2019s famed sandy beaches<\/a>.Although California is on alert for big storms and accompanying flooding due to a strong El Ni\u00f1o, it will also bring an upside:<\/a> a bonanza of water.Bills aimed at protecting LGBTQ people become lawGov. Gavin Newsom said the legislation was needed<\/a> because of recent moves by the Trump administration that threaten that support.One of the six bills would provide housing, employment and other help to service members discharged from the U.S. military as a result of President Trump\u2019s efforts to ban transgender people from serving.$200 million-plus spent fighting and supporting the billionaire taxMore newsCommentary and opinionEditor\u2019s pickMore picksThings to do \"A <\/a> <\/p>\n

A visitor pushes through the final room of \u201cThe Horror Show,\u201d the Academy Museum\u2019s new exhibition exploring more than a century of the making of horror films.<\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s recipe \"Closeup <\/a> <\/p>\n

Funke\u2019s olive oil cake with citrus and candied fennel.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Funke\u2019s executive pastry chef, Shannon Swindle, calls this olive oil cake with citrus and candied fennel<\/a> a seasonal cake, because you can add whatever fruit is in season as garnish. This recipe makes more candied fennel than you\u2019ll need for the cake, but it keeps well.<\/p>\n

Question for you<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a television show that takes place in California that you\u2019d recommend to friends?<\/p>\n

Tom A. says, \u201cThe canceled after one season (2010) \u2018Terriers\u2019 on FX was a great noir-ish, shaggy dog detective show set in San Diego. The great Donal Logue is the lead, solving crimes with his partner played by Michael Raymond-James.\u201d<\/p>\n

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n

Photo of the day \"Shohei <\/a> <\/p>\n

(Tony Avelar \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Games \"Mini <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s today\u2019s mini crossword<\/a>, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n

Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fall has officially arrived, and leaf peeping has already started in parts of east-central California\u2019s Inyo and Mono…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":478312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":["post-478311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-civic-revolt","tag-covid","tag-covid-19","tag-days","tag-essential-california","tag-israel","tag-l-a","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-may","tag-pandemic","tag-part","tag-president-biden","tag-red-county","tag-san-diego","tag-state","tag-time","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/478312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}