School is in mid-semester. It is Thursday night, homework is done, snacks are out and the television is on. This can mean only one thing: fall has finally arrived, and television programs, new and old alike, return.

The fall television season officially kicked off the week of Sept. 23, but that does not mean all the fun is over. From “The Vampire Diaries” to “The Walking Dead,” October is full of television premieres, vampire families and the undead.

Shows like “Modern Family,” “Glee” and “The Voice” already premiered for returning seasons this fall and, according to the Wall Street Journal, the public received them well. The newspaper reports the 2013 fall television season got the ball rolling with higher average prime-time ratings than last year.

Several prime-time networks such as ABC, NBC, and CBS offer their shows for free online viewing. If one missed the premiere of shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “2 Broke Girls,” or “The Voice,” he or she is not out of luck and can go online to watch the shows he or she missed.

Cliff hangers from last year are not the only factor that draws viewers to television this fall. Many networks introduce new programs. One of these is “Dracula,” a show premiering on NBC Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. that continues the vampire trend on the rise in recent years. 

According to “TV Guide,” “Dracula” features Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who plays an old-school vampire as he arrives in London impersonating an American entrepreneur who wants to introduce modern society to Victorian society.

Though Dracula plays an entrepreneur, his intentions are a little more twisted. To summarize the show, “TV Guide” said, “Of course, Drac is just there to seek revenge on those who’ve wronged him. Along the way, he falls in love with Mina Murray (Jessica De Gouw), who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.”

Another new TV show which involves vampires and is a “TV Guide” Editor’s Pick, is “The Orginals,” which premieres Thursday on the CW at 9 p.m. The premiere follows the season premiere of “The Vampire Diaries,” on the same network, at 8 p.m. 

The highly anticipated premiere is a spin-off of “The Vampire Diaries.” “The Originals” follows the original family of vampire siblings made famous in ‘The Vampire Diaries:” Elijah (Daniel Gillies), Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Rebekah (Claire Holt).

“Entertainment Weekly” spoke to Julie Plec, executive producer of “The Originals.” 

Plec hinted that the show will not be an ordinary “Vampire Diaries” narrative, as “The Originals” works with the same fictional world but in different ways. 

 “People are always asking how will it be different, and why should I care about watching two versions of the same world. And that is the key: you just can’t retell the same story with different players in a different location,” she said. 

Plec went on to explain that while Damon and Stefan’s battle for pursuit of Elena’s heart creates the action in “The Vampire Diaries,” the conflict in “The Originals” is over control of the New Orleans French Quarter.

The grotesque does not end with vampires, though, as the premiere of AMC’s award-winning “The Walking Dead” is right around the corner. Season four of “The Walking Dead” premieres  Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. on AMC. 

Jenni Kilburn, junior elementary education major, said she awaits the premiere of “The Walking Dead” due to the unsatisfying season three finale. 

“I was very upset with how the last season ended, and I have been waiting for this new season to start,” she said. “I am very anxious to see how they are going to do season four, and I would recommend everyone to watch it.”

TV cranks up again in the fall, but this time of year is usually associated with midterm exams and endless studying for Mississippi State University students. 

Margaret Burleson, freshman nutrition major, and Rebecca Dumke, freshman business administration major, said they both dislike that new shows start at a busy time of the school year.

 “We hate it how in the summertime when we actually have nothing to do, no new shows come on, but when school actually starts going and tests start coming up, all the shows return,” Burleson said.

 Dumke said though she has a full schedule when shows return, the advent of online streaming services allow her to view TV shows on her own time. 

 “I don’t really have time to catch premieres, so I usually have to catch up online or on Netflix,” she said. 

 The thought of favorite TV shows returning can help alleviate the anxiety of midterms. While the battle between school and TV can add stress in itself, the stress of school, tests and time management can fall away with a good dose of zombies or vampires. Fall TV premieres may come at the midpoint of the semester when leaves just begin to fall, but round after round of premieres act almost as an early Christmas, albeit a gothic, undead, blood-drinking one.