Here at The Dallas Morning News, we love bringing you the news, but we also love indulging in popular culture. When the new Netflix revival of the cult classic Gilmore Girls was announced, Gilmore girls and guys behind the Rock of Truth slowly came out of the woodwork.
Gilmore Girls, the quintessential 2000s show about the relationship between mothers and daughters, re-entered the collective consciousness in October 2014, when the series was released on Netflix.
The show reached fans old and new and ultimately was approved for a Netflix revival written and directed by the original showrunners, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.
In anticipation of Friday's release of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix, our Gilmore Gang reflected on just what makes the show so special.
As you read, I suggest listening to this 342-song playlist, the complete soundtrack to the seven seasons curated by Spotify:
'Where did all the anvils go?'
I love living in Stars Hollow. It makes me happy even when it's sad, and I like all the characters, even when they're not likable. I love Friday night dinners and the episode where Emily buys everything at the mall to get back at Richard.
I can rewatch any episode time and time again, but the ones where Lorelai and Rory aren't speaking are almost unbearable.
My sister thinks Christopher is the best choice for Lorelai, but I think she says that just to annoy me. Her arguments are all nonsense.
My favorite riff ever was Lorelai asking where all the anvils went.
— Laura Jacobus, staff editor
Oh dear, a deer
When season one of Gilmore Girls aired, I was 13 years old. I still remember the first episode — the one where Rory gets hit (crucial point) by a deer and is late for her test. I was sold.
Eventually, I hooked my mom and two sisters. For me, the show is like a good novel. You can watch it over and over, and it keeps getting better. And similar to a good book, the characters become like friends. Is that weird? Maybe, but it's true.
On Friday, I'll watch the show in my pajamas with my mom and my sisters. We'll drink coffee, eat doughnuts and enjoy it the Gilmore way.
— Nanette Light, staff writer
A rare dynamic between female characters
When I first got into Gilmore Girls as a high schooler, I loved it for all the reasons you'd expect a super-literate, sarcastic teenage girl to love a show like Gilmore Girls: Rory and Lorelai made funny, obscure pop culture references; I liked to think I made funny, obscure pop culture references. Rory wanted to be a journalist; I also wanted to be a journalist. Rory was studious and her hobbies were unexciting, but hot dudes still liked her — which was a lifestyle I coveted.
In other words, I saw in Rory a more straightforward TV role model than I'd ever seen before. And that was awesome.
Years later, rewatching the entire series (yay, Netflix), I started to notice different things. Both Rory and Lorelai were actually kind of self-centered and impulsive. And I found myself agreeing with Mitchum Huntzberger: Rory, in the grand tradition of fictional journalists, was actually not great at journalism.
But I also really started to notice the depth of the relationships between the women on the show. Lorelai, Rory and Emily (not to mention Sookie, Paris, Lane and Mrs. Kim) interact in ways that are complicated and real. A decade later, that's still satisfying — and still rare.
— Jill Cowan, staff writer
Being a 'Gilmore Guy'
When I was young, my family would load into our Volvo for long road trips. My father and mother in the front seat, me and my little sister, Maggie, in back. To keep us occupied, my parents propped up a little DVD player for us to watch. I'd always have a handful of movies. Maggie would have boxes of TV shows. Her favorite — my least — was Gilmore Girls.
I rolled my eyes at the very mention of the show, but Maggie breathed it all in. She loved the snappy dialogue, the uncountable pop culture references. She'd quiz me on the people and places of Stars Hollow. She'd refer to real situations in our lives as "just like that time on Gilmore Girls." (After Maggie learned to drive, a deer actually hit her car, just like in the first season. Seriously.)
Over time, I grew into being a "Gilmore Guy." I learned to care about the characters and begrudgingly have an opinion about Rory's boyfriends — #TeamJess, obviously. What I never realized in the back of that Volvo was that while I rolled my eyes at Maggie's obsession, she was taking notes.
Maggie's a TV writer now — or is about to be. She'll be a hirable graduate of Indiana University with a degree in comedy screenwriting come May. She's able to throw a punch line into conversation as quick as Lorelai and Rory, and I'm always left two steps behind. Gilmore Girls wasn't the only TV show that taught her how to be funny, but it's one that taught her to be witty on her feet.
On Black Friday, after a long Gilmore-less road trip to our parents' house in Illinois, Maggie and I plan to plop in front of the TV and watch the new episodes — no eye rolling this time.
— Charles Scudder, staff writer
Rory, an inspiration for us all
I always say I got into journalism thanks to Rory Gilmore.
I knew I wanted to be a writer from a young age, and seeing Rory apply to a journalism program opened my eyes to the possibility of doing the same when applying to college.
The fact that Alexis Bledel is a Texan and a Latina (Mexican mother and Argentine father) also deepens the connection I have with Rory's character. I know she doesn't play a Latina on the show, but it's nice to see Latino actors play roles that are not stereotypes, and with whom I, a bookworm who eats a little too much junk food, can identify.
— Elvia Limon, staff writer
Pass the coffee, Luke
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. I love Gilmore Girls because it's the first show that really makes you feel a part of a town. You can't find memorable characters and witty banter on many shows. It might not have the biggest budget or the biggest stars, but it has the biggest heart.
— Mark Francescutti, staff editor
Bringing fathers and daughters together
Why does a 54-year-old guy have a TV crush on Gilmore Girls?
It's pretty simple. I'm a sucker for witty dialogue that snaps and crackles with pop culture references. I love the tension in the show's storytelling — between generations, between friendship and romance, between the pull of parts unknown and the familiarity of home.
It also helps to have a daughter who started watching reruns of the show as a teen. Emily identified fiercely with Rory. She's 23 now, home for the holidays and tells me there's no need to make plans for Friday. Let the caffeine and viewing binge begin!
— Keith Campbell, deputy managing editor
A powerful world with a secret language
I watched Gilmore Girls from the beginning, when I was in middle school. My mom and I would settle in to watch it together while eating dinner on Tuesday nights. I'm sure it sparked conversations we otherwise wouldn't have had and at the very least, it gave us something we both loved.
My friends and I would unpack the episodes as we walked around the track during dreaded athletics. We'd of course debate Rory's boyfriends, but we'd also compare the show to our own lives and consider how we would've handled a situation. It helped me think about the kind of person I wanted to be. It's part of my narrative now, guiding me through adolescence and now young adulthood.
When I need comfort during a rough time or I crave a bit of nostalgia, I curl up with Gilmore Girls. Rory and Lorelai aren't always the best role models, but it was — and still is — empowering to watch whip-smart, witty women excel and enjoy life on their terms. Plus, it's just downright entertaining.
Their exchange of references is like a secret language in a world I want to live in — where snow is magical, food is endless and exercise is only a punch line. I can't wait to get back there this week, and you'd better believe I'll be downing a pot of coffee as I do.
— Liz Farmer, staff writer
