As Seen on TV: 7 Characters to Be for Halloween, From Scandal to The Walking Dead

We're giving you tips on how to dress up as Olivia Pope, Dexter Morgan, Katherine Pierce and more TV characters this spooky season!

By Tierney Bricker Oct 21, 2013 8:00 PMTags
The Mindy Project, Revenge, Dexter, ScandalFOX; ABC, Showtime

Trick-or-treat!

It's almost Halloween, people, which means you are in one of two mind sets right now: You're either hard at work on your costume that you've had planned since July (Way to go overachievers!) or you are in full-on panic attack mode over your lack of costume.

If it's the latter, take a breath and relax, we are here to help. All this week we are handing out costume suggestions like Halloween candy, and the best part? All of our suggestions are TV characters from some of your favorite shows, like The Walking Dead, Scandal and The Vampire Diaries!

Today's suggestions are  for all the lone wolfs out there looking for a great individual costume that people (or fellow couch potatoes!) will immediately recognize...

The Character: Dexter Morgan from Dexter
How to Be Kill Dexter: Olive henley (muscles not included), khakis and a black apron (no blood splatters). And you can't forget the face shield and knife. (Tip: Showtime sells almost all of these Items on their website!)
How to Be Series-Finale Dexter: Start growing a a beard, wear a plaid shirt and find a Dementor from Harry Potter to suck all the happiness out of you.

Craig Sjodin/ABC

The Character: Olivia Pope from Scandal
How to Be Handing-It Olivia: All-white (or gray) everything: Pants, blouse, and of course, a stunning coat. Oh, and you can't forget the white hat and the sassiest gait on TV. Loyal gladiators optional.
How to Be Chilling Olivia:  All-white (or gray) comfy everything! Think silk camis, cashmere wraps, etc. Plus, you get to have an excuse to walk around eating popcorn and drink red wine.

ABC/Vivian ZInk

The Character: Nolan Ross from Revenge
How to Be Hamptons Nolan: The more collars to pop the better. Layer up on polos or a bright polo under a printed oxford shirt and pair it with patterned shorts. Don't be afraid to throw on an ascot and feel free to carry around any fancy devices.
How to Be Prison Nolan: The Nolan Ross mug shot T-shirt, duh! Plus, a gray hoodie (hood up) as an homage to Emily Thorne.

Eddy Chen/FOX

The Character: Mindy Lahiri from The Mindy Project
How to Be Breakup Mindy:  Fat steps sneakers (obviously), sweatshirt (preferably with wine stains), rain coat, beanie and a box for good measure.
How to Be Put-Together Mindy: Printed blouse, A-line skirt, hella cute heels, stethoscope, a lab coat and hipster-chic specs.

FOX

The Character: Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow
How to Be: This is pretty easy, considering Tom Mison has yet to wear a different outfit in four episodes. Find a long military coat, a white blouse and black knee-high boots, all of which should be covered in dirt and disheveled. A wig, with the hair pulled back in a green ribbon, is also essential, as is Crane's perfect hipster scruff. Eye-rolling deputy sidekick optional.

Quantrell Colbert/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Character: Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries
How to Be Flashback Katherine: Get your Gone With the Wind on and find a great period dress as a costume store or vintage shop. The bigger the skirt and the tighter the corset the better. Perfectly curled hair is essential.
How to Be Present-Day Katherine: Find the tightest leather pants you can, a low-cut black top and a fitted biker jacket. Throw on 5-inch heels, heat up your curling iron and give yourself a manicure using Essie's Wicked polish. Bonus points if you can find a replica of Katherine's daylight necklace and if you go all out and do the vamped-out makeup on your face (black veins around the eyes).

The Character: Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead
How to Be: Just be lazy a buy the costume from Party City, plus an axe. (Just put on the costume and run around the block a couple of times and roll around in some dirt to make it look more authentic.) You're welcome.

What (or who?) are you being for Halloween this year? Let us know in the comments and check back tomorrow for some suggestions on TV BFFs to be for Halloween!

PHOTOS: The Spookiest Shows on TV!