| Gilmore Girls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Amy Sherman-Palladino |
| Showrunners | Amy Sherman-Palladino (seasons 1–6) David S. Rosenthal (season 7) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Sam Phillips |
| Opening theme | "Where You Lead" byCarole King andLouise Goffin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 153(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers |
|
| Production location | Los Angeles |
| Cinematography |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 39–45 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB |
| Release | October 5, 2000 (2000-10-05) – May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09) |
| Network | The CW |
| Release | September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26) – May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15) |
| Related | |
| Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | |
Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama television series created byAmy Sherman-Palladino. It starsLauren Graham andAlexis Bledel asLorelai Gilmore andRory Gilmore, a mother–daughter pair living in the fictional town of Stars Hollow,Connecticut. The series also stars an ensemble supporting cast, includingMelissa McCarthy,Keiko Agena,Yanic Truesdale,Scott Patterson,Kelly Bishop,Edward Herrmann,Liza Weil,Jared Padalecki,Milo Ventimiglia,Sean Gunn,Chris Eigeman, andMatt Czuchry. It premiered onThe WB on October 5, 2000, and ran for seven seasons, concluding onThe CW on May 15, 2007.
Set in a close-knit community of eccentrics, the series blends elements of family drama, romance, and comedy. It follows the personal and professional lives of its central characters as they navigate relationships, ambitions, and generational differences. It is distinguished by its rapid dialogue, literary and pop-culture references, and portrayal of women's relationships across multiple generations.[1] The writing and performances received widespread critical acclaim, and the series has been recognised for its humor, emotional depth, and exploration of themes such as independence, education, and social class.[2] Its later seasons garnered poorer reviews, particularly following Sherman-Palladino's departure after season six.
Gilmore Girls achieved strong ratings throughout its original broadcast, peaking in its fifth season as one of The WB's most popular series. Its audience and cultural influence have endured through syndication and streaming, particularly after becoming available onNetflix in 2014. The series has frequently been cited among the greatest television shows of all time by publications includingTime andTV (The Book), and it is regarded as a cult classic of 2000s American television.[3] In 2016, Sherman-Palladino and the original cast reunited for the four-part Netflix revivalGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Gilmore Girls follows the lives of single motherLorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her academically minded teenage daughter,Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), living in the quaint fictional town ofStars Hollow, Connecticut. Lorelai dreams of owning her owninn, and Rory plans to attendHarvard University. Eventually, Rory choosesYale University, her grandfather's alma mater, while Lorelai opens and operates the Dragonfly Inn.
The show's pilot introduces Lorelai's wealthy estranged parents,Emily (Kelly Bishop) andRichard Gilmore (Edward Hermann), whom Lorelai must approach for assistance in paying Rory's tuition to attend the prestigious Chilton Preparatory School. They agree to a loan, on the condition that Lorelai and Rory have dinner with them every Friday. This arrangement sets up one of the show's primary conflicts, as the Gilmores are now forced to face their differences and complicated past.
Rory's best friend, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), must conceal her "rebellious" interests from her authoritarian mother, Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda), a strict,religious,Korean immigrant, who runs an antique shop. She finds ways, many peculiar, to secretlydate, listen torock music, and express her love forpop culture, while Mrs. Kim repeatedly attempts to set her up with a Korean boy who will be a doctor. After many setups, Lane falls in love with a member of her band, Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody). Dave was written out in the following season to accommodate actor Adam Brody's exit. Lane then began dating another band member, Zach Van Gerbig (Todd Lowe), eventually marrying and having twin boys.
Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy) is Lorelai's "best friend" and chef at the Independence Inn, which Lorelai runs. She has a bubbly personality and is accident-prone, but is known for her cooking skills. Later, she becomes romantically involved with the inn's vegetable supplier, Jackson Belleville (Jackson Douglas). They end up marrying and having children together.
Also central toGilmore Girls is Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), owner of Luke's Diner, where Lorelai and Rory frequently dine. Present for many of Rory's milestones, he becomes a surrogatefather figure to her. Later, Luke and Lorelai begin a romantic relationship. InA Year in the Life, Lorelai and Luke marry in the last episode,Fall.
The townspeople of Stars Hollow are a constant presence—including the gossiping, flirtatious Miss Patty (Liz Torres) and the quirky Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn). Along with series-long and season-long arcs,Gilmore Girls is also episodic in nature, with mini-plots within each episode, such as town events, problems at Lorelai's inn, or school projects of Rory's.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 21 | October 5, 2000 (2000-10-05) | May 10, 2001 (2001-05-10) | The WB | |
| 2 | 22 | October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09) | May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21) | ||
| 3 | 22 | September 24, 2002 (2002-09-24) | May 20, 2003 (2003-05-20) | ||
| 4 | 22 | September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23) | May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18) | ||
| 5 | 22 | September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21) | May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17) | ||
| 6 | 22 | September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13) | May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09) | ||
| 7 | 22 | September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26) | May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15) | The CW | |
I sold it off of a line, 'It's [a] mother and daughter and they're more like friends than mother and daughter.' And they all perked up and literally said, 'Great, we'll buy that.' I walked out of there and turned to my manager at the time and said, 'That's all I got. I don't know what the show is.'
Amy Sherman-Palladino, who came from a background of writing for half-hoursitcoms, hadGilmore Girls approved byThe WB after several of her previous pitches were turned down. On a whim, she suggested a show about a mother and daughter but had put little thought into the idea.[6] Having to create a pilot, she drew inspiration for the show's setting of "Stars Hollow, Connecticut", after making a trip toWashington, Connecticut, where she stayed at the Mayflower Inn. She explained: "If I can make people feel this much of what I felt walking around this fairy town, I thought that would be wonderful ... At the time I was there, it was beautiful, it was magical, and it was a feeling of warmth and small-town camaraderie ... There was a longing for that in my own life, and I thought—that's something that I would really love to put out there."[7] Stars Hollow was inspired by and is loosely based on the villages of Washington Depot, Connecticut;West Hartford, Connecticut, and the town ofNew Milford.[8]
Once the setting was established,Gilmore Girls developed as a mixture of sitcom and family drama.[9] Sherman-Palladino's aim was to create "A family show that doesn't make parents want to stick something sharp in their eyes while they're watching it and doesn't talk down to kids."[10] She wanted the family dynamic to be important because "It's a constant evolution ... You never run out of conflict."[11] The show's pace, dialogue, and focus on class divisions was heavily inspired by thescrewball comedies of the 1930s andKatharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy films.[12][13] Sherman-Palladino was also influenced by the "acerbic wit" ofDorothy Parker.[13]
Thepilot episode ofGilmore Girls received financial support from the script development fund of theFamily Friendly Programming Forum, which includes some of the nation's leading advertisers, making it one of the first networks shows to reach the air with such funding.[14] The show wasgreen-lit by The WB, and Sherman-Palladino exercised control over all aspects of its production.[15] Her husbandDaniel Palladino was a consultant and occasional writer for the first season, then agreed to quit his producer position onFamily Guy to commit toGilmore Girls; he became anexecutive producer with the second season and also played a major role.[16] The show's third executive producer wasGavin Polone.
Alexis Bledel was cast as Rory despite having no previous acting experience.[17][18] Sherman-Palladino was drawn to her shyness and innocence, which she said was essential for the character, and felt she photographed well.[19]Lauren Graham was pursued by the casting directors from the start of the process, but she was committed to another show onNBC. A week before the shooting, they had still failed to cast Lorelai, so they asked Graham to audition anyway. Sherman-Palladino cast her that day, on the hope that Graham's other show (M.Y.O.B., which wasburned off as a summer replacement series several months before the premiere ofGilmore Girls) would be canceled, which it soon was.[20][21] She later explained how Graham met all the criteria she had been looking for: "Lorelai's a hard fucking part. You've got to be funny, you've got to talk really fucking fast, you've got to be able to act, you've got to be sexy, but not scary sexy. You've got to be strong, but not like 'I hate men'".[22] Graham and Bledel met the night before they started filming the pilot.[6]
In casting the grandparents, Sherman-Palladino had veteran actorEdward Herrmann in mind for Richard and was delighted when he agreed.Kelly Bishop, a fellow New York stage actress, was cast straight after her audition; Sherman-Palladino recalled knowing immediately "and there's Emily".[20] Herrmann and Bishop were bothTony Award recipients in 1976.[23] The Stars Hollow diner owner was originally a woman, but the network said it needed more men andScott Patterson was cast as Luke. It was advertised as a guest role, but Patterson said he treated the pilot as "a chemistry test" and he was promoted to series regular.[24]
In the pilot,Sookie was played byAlex Borstein, but she could not be released from herMad TV contract. She was replaced byMelissa McCarthy, who refilmed Sookie's scenes. The role of Dean also changed after the pilot, with the original actor replaced by newcomerJared Padalecki. Lane was based on Sherman-Palladino's friend and fellow producerHelen Pai;Japanese-American actressKeiko Agena was cast in the role when they could not find an appropriateKorean-American actress.Liza Weil auditioned to play Rory, and while she was considered wrong for the part Sherman-Palladino liked her so much that she wrote the role of Paris especially for her.[20][21]
Headed by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino from seasons 1 to 6,Gilmore Girls had a small writing staff that changed regularly throughout the series. The Palladinos wrote most episodes and reviewed and reworked the dialogue in episodes allocated to others. As such, the show is considered to have a distinctive "voice". Sherman-Palladino said "every draft either I write, or it passes through my hands ... so that there is a consistency of tone. It's very important that it feels like the same show every week because it is so verbal."[25] The main job of the writers' room was to help develop storylines and create detailed episode outlines.[25][26] Notable writers who worked on the show includeJenji Kohan,Bill Prady,Jane Espenson,Rebecca Rand Kirshner, andJanet Leahy.
As signaled by its tagline "Life's short. Talk fast",Gilmore Girls is known for its fast-paced dialogue and "witty repartee".[22][27][28] Sherman-Palladino wanted snappy delivery from the characters because she believes that "comedy dies slow",[16] which required large volumes of dialogue to fill the hour-long time slot.[29] Scripts averaged 80 pages per episode, compared to an "hour-long" average of 55–60 pages, with one page translating to 20–25 seconds of screen time.[30][31] Patterson later said that the pace of the dialogue led both him and Graham to quit smoking: "She needed her wind, and I needed my wind."[32]
Much of the dialogue is peppered with references to film, television shows, music, literature, and celebrity culture. The range of references is broad, summarized by criticKen Tucker as "some cross betweenMystery Science Theater 3000 andUlysses".[33] Sherman-Palladino wanted the characters to speak this way to indicate their worldliness and intelligence, and to cater to a broad audience.[34] At the start, she argued with the network about the frequently old-fashioned references; when she refused to remove a comment aboutOscar Levant, she felt the executives adopted an attitude of "Let the crazy woman dig her own grave."[22] The relative obscurity of some of the allusions resulted in explanatory "Gilmore-isms" booklets being included in the DVD sets of the first four seasons.[35]
In contrast to the rapid-fire dialogue, the storylines move slowly. Sherman-Palladino's motto was "make the small big, make the big small", which she learned while writing forRoseanne. She chose to be "very stingy with events", and the drama is low-key because "sometimes the average everyday things are more impactful".[36] Key incidents often take place off-screen and are only revealed through character conversations, which journalist Constance Grady says is because "OnGilmore Girls, the explosion is never what matters: It's the fallout."[27] The show similarly uses subtext rather than exposition, "where people will talk a great deal in order to obscure what they really mean to say".[27] The writers did not like overly sentimental moments, preferring that characters show love through actions and behavior.[20][27] Sherman-Palladino said the network did not interfere or request changes,[25][29] though there is speculation that she delivered scripts at the last minute to avoid its input.[37][f]
Sherman-Palladino treated Lorelai as a reflection of herself. Her husband said: "Amy writing for Lorelai Gilmore has always been really special. No surprise, they're kind of doppelgängers ... Amy and Lorelai are very, very similar. That character is a great cipher for a lot of what Amy is and has been, from the very beginning."[39]
Thepilot episode was shot in the Toronto suburb ofUnionville. The rest of the series was filmed at theWarner Bros. lot inBurbank, California. Exterior scenes of Stars Hollow, along with those at Luke's Diner and Miss Patty's dance studio, were all filmed on thebacklot—with dozens ofbackground actors to make it look like a town. Production designers regularly decorated the town square with fake leaves or fake snow to make it look like a New England fall or winter. Interiors of Lorelai's house and inn, and all scenes at Yale and the Gilmore mansion, were filmed on asound stage.[40] Very occasionally, the show was filmedon location. The exterior shots of Rory's preparatory school, Chilton, were filmed atGreystone Mansion inBeverly Hills, California.[41] Rory's visit to Harvard was filmed atUCLA, the first visit to Yale was filmed atPomona College, and subsequent Yale shots were filmed at sound stages inBurbank, California, andUSC.[42][43]
The shot of Stars Hollow in the first frame of the show's opening credits is actually a panoramic view of SouthRoyalton, Vermont.[44]
Gilmore Girls relied on amaster shot filming style, in which a scene is filmed to frame characters and their dialogue together within a long and uninterrupted single take; often illustrated through another method regularly employed on the show, thewalk and talk.[45] Sherman-Palladino said, "There's an energy and style to our show that's very simple, in my mind ... [it] almost needs to be shot like a play. That's how we get our pace, our energy, and our flow ... I don't think it could work any other way."[25]
It took eight working days to shoot an episode,[46] and days were regularly 14–20 hours long.[47] Graham said: "We filmed alongsideThe West Wing, andAaron Sorkin shows are known for having the worst hours ever, they go on and on, but we were always there even after they had gone home, because you couldn't change a word of the script."[48] The cast was required to be word-perfect in every scene while also reciting large amounts of dialogue at speed.Matt Czuchry, who had a main role for the final three seasons, said, "The pace of the dialogue was what made that show incredibly unique, and also incredibly difficult as an actor. To be able to maintain that speed, tone, and at the same time, try to make layered choices was a great experience to have early in my career. It really challenged me."[49] The combination of the difficult dialogue and long takes meant each scene had to be shot many times; Graham said in 2015: "never before or since have I done as many takes of anything".[50] Bledel recalled that one scene required 38 takes.[51] Graham added, "That show—as fun and breezy and light as it is—is technically really challenging."[50]
Gilmore Girls' non-diegetic score was composed by singer-songwriterSam Phillips throughout its entire run. Sherman-Palladino, who served as themusic supervisor of the series, was a big fan of hers and secured her involvement.[52] For the score's instrumental arrangement, Phillips primarily used her voice and anacoustic guitar, and on occasion includedpiano,violin, anddrums. Many of the musical cues are accompanied bymelodic "la-la"s and "ahh"s, which developed because Sherman-Palladino wanted the score to sound connected to the girls themselves, almost like "an extension of their thoughts ... if they had music going in their head during a certain emotional thing in their life." Sherman-Palladino felt the score elevated the series "because it wasn't a wasted element in the show. Everything was trying to say a little something, add a little something to it."[53] Several of Phillips's album tracks are also played in the show, and she made an appearance in the season six finale "Partings", performing part of "Taking Pictures".[54]
Thetheme song is a version ofCarole King's 1971 song "Where You Lead".[55] King made a new recording specially forGilmore Girls: a duet with her daughterLouise Goffin. She was happy that it gave the song "a deeper meaning of love between a mother and her child".[56] King appeared in several episodes as Sophie, the town music shop owner, and performed a brief portion of her song "I Feel the Earth Move" in the revival.[57]
Music also plays a large part in the show as a frequent topic of conversation between characters and in live performances within scenes and at the end of episodes.[54] Musical acts that made appearances includeThe Bangles,Sonic Youth,Sparks, andthe Shins.Grant-Lee Phillips appears in at least one episode per season as the town'stroubadour, singing his own songs and covers.[54] In 2002, aGilmore Girls soundtrack was released byRhino Records, titledOur Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls. The CD booklet features anecdotes from show producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino about the large part music has played in their lives.
A selection of Phillips's score for the series was released on the Mutant label, in association with Warner Bros' WaterTower Music, in November 2025 on vinyl, cassette, CD and streaming platforms.[58][59][60][61]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happy" | 0:51 |
| 2. | "Getting Married (Suite)" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Where The Colors Don't Go" | 3:01 |
| 4. | "How Much Longer" | 0:53 |
| 5. | "Go (Suite)" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Watching" | 0:59 |
| 7. | "Luke's Window" | 1:18 |
| 8. | "Shoo & Bad Bird" | 0:47 |
| 9. | "Maybe Next Week (Suite)" | 3:54 |
| 10. | "Taking Pictures" | 0:51 |
| 11. | "Large Clouds" | 0:39 |
| 12. | "Sad Dog" | 1:33 |
| 13. | "Popcorn (Suite)" | 5:32 |
| 14. | "If I Could Write" | 2:18 |
| 15. | "Night Vocal Band" | 0:51 |
| 16. | "Book (Suite)" | 3:08 |
| 17. | "Alternate" | 0:36 |
| 18. | "Reflecting Light" | 3:17 |
| Total length: | 38:16 | |
In 2006, the WB merged withUPN to form a new network,The CW.[62]Gilmore Girls survived the merger, selected as one of seven WB shows to be transferred for a new season, but it resulted in a significant change. In April that year, it was announced that Sherman-Palladino and her husband could not reach an agreement with The CW and would leave the show when their contracts expired that summer.[63] JournalistMichael Ausiello said of the decision: "The thought ofGilmore Girls heading into what is likely to be its final season (and its first on a brand-new network) without its mama or her right-hand man is unfathomable."[63] Discussing the departure later, Sherman-Palladino reflected on the contract dispute in an interview withVulture, saying:
It was a botched negotiation. It really was about the fact that I was working too much. I was going to be the crazy person who was locked in my house and never came out. I heard a lot of 'Amy doesn't need a writing staff because she and Dan Palladino write everything!' I thought,That's a great mentality on your part, but if you want to keep the show going for two more years, let me hire more writers. By the way, all this shit we asked for? They had to do [it] anyway when we left. They hired this big writing staff and a producer-director onstage. That's what bugged me the most. They wound up having to do what we'd asked for anyway, and I wasn't there.[64]
David S. Rosenthal, who worked on the show as a writer and producer for season 6, was selected by Sherman-Palladino to replace her asshowrunner.[65] Commenting on this change, an article inWired says: "the Palladinos had written the majority of the episodes up to that point, and their distinctive rhythms and obsessions were what definedGilmore Girls. What remains after their departure is something that seems likeGilmore Girls Adjacent more than anything."[9]
There was speculation during the seventh season that it would be the show's final year, as Graham's and Bledel's contracts were both coming to an end. As negotiations continued between the actresses and the network, Rosenthal planned a finale that "could serve as an ending or a beginning of a new chapter and a new season".[66] Graham later said that by the end of the filming schedule "there was a 50/50 chance we'd be returning", and she requested that the finale provide "an opportunity to say goodbye" to the characters, in case of cancellation.[67] Due to the uncertainty, the cast and crew did not have a final wrap party or an opportunity to say farewells.[47][68]
The CW initially considered bringing the show back for a shortened, 13-episode season, but decided against it.[67] On May 3, 2007, shortly before the final episode aired, the network announced that the series would not be renewed.[69][70] Graham said the possibility of returning fell through because "We were trying to find a way we [she and Bledel] could have a slightly easier schedule, and there was really no way to do that and still have it beGilmore Girls."[67]
Because the final season was not written by the series creator, and the new writers had not known that the finale was definitely the last episode, Graham noted that many fans "were disappointed with how it ended".[71] In 2009, Sherman-Palladino expressed interest in aGilmore Girls film, to finish the series as she originally intended.[72] Over the following years, fans and journalists continued to ask if the show would return. Privately, Sherman-Palladino stayed in contact with Graham, Bledel, Patterson, and Bishop to discuss the possibility, but nothing came to fruition.[73]
In June 2015, for the 15th anniversary of the show, the cast and showrunners reunited for a special panel at theATX Television Festival. When asked about a possible revival, Sherman-Palladino told the audience "I'm sorry, there's nothing in the works at the moment."[74] The hype generated by the reunion, however, empowered Sherman-Palladino to pitch new episodes and encouragedNetflix to produce them.[15] In October 2015 – eight years after the show had ended –TVLine reported that the streaming channel struck a deal with Warner Bros to revive the series in a limited run, consisting of four 90-minute episodes, written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.[75][76] The Palladinos explained that it felt like the right time creatively to continue the story, and that the freedom provided by Netflix made it possible.[39]
The revival miniseries, titledGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, was filmed from February to May 2016. Aside from Edward Herrmann, who died two years prior, every cast member who received a main credit on the show returned for at least a scene, while many supporting characters also made an appearance. The sets all had to be rebuilt from scratch, using nothing but photos and footage from the original series.[77] The revival was released on Netflix on November 25, 2016, to positive reviews.[78] There is speculation regarding a possible second revival, with Netflix reportedly keen.[79]
Gilmore Girls' first season commenced on The WB in the Thursday 8pm/7pm Central time slot, as a lead-in forCharmed.[80] Renewed for a second season, the show was relocated on Tuesdays 8pm/7pm, the time slot ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, which transferred to UPN, and served as a lead-in forSmallville, which became an instant hit and always beatGilmore Girls in the ratings. During seasons 4 and 5, it led intoOne Tree Hill, which slowly became a hit. In season 6, it led intoSupernatural, which became another hit for The WB and continued on until 2020.[81] Both series were led by formerGilmore Girls actors, withOne Tree Hill starringChad Michael Murray, andJared Padalecki as a co-star inSupernatural.
First-season reruns aired on Monday nights from March 5 until April 9, 2001, during a mid-season hiatus ofRoswell, to build audience awareness of the series. An additional run of the first season aired in 2002 on Sunday nights under the titleGilmore Girls Beginnings (which featured a modified opening sequence voiced with a monologue detailing the premise from Graham), and was one of two shows on The WB to have "Beginnings" in its title for reruns, along with7th Heaven.[22]
In the US, the show began itssyndicated release onABC Family in 2004.[82] The network continued to air the show daily under its new nameFreeform until the fall of 2018, when those rights moved toPop. In October 2015,Gilmore Girls began running onUp TV, which continues to air it to this day. Josef Adalian ofVulture commented on the rarity of Freeform and Up TV carrying a series of its type in syndication: "not that many non-procedural, hour-long shows from the early part of the century—particularly those from a small network such as WB—are still even airing regularly on one cable network, let alone two."[83] Up TV showedGilmore Girls 1,100 times in its first year; Freeform aired it 400 times in the same period.[83]
From 2009 to 2013,Gilmore Girls also aired in weekend timeslots onSOAPnet. The series began running onLogo TV in August 2020. Since 2016, UP TV has aired a weeklong marathon of all episodes ofGilmore Girls around the Thanksgiving holiday. As the network maintains a family-friendly focus and programming schedule, some minor dialogue edits are made in a number of episodes, mainly when "hell" and "damn" are said, though all episodes are carried.Start TV began airingGilmore Girls on May 13, 2025, as part of Warner Bros.' commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the series.[84][85]Hallmark Channel began airingGilmore Girls on August 25, 2025.[86][87]
In the UK, the series premiered onNickelodeon in 2003. Only the first three seasons were shown, with episodes edited for content, and some, like "The Big One", dropped entirely. The series was subsequently picked up by theHallmark Channel, which gave UK premieres to seasons four and five. It was rerun in its entirety onE4 until January 2012. The show moved to5Star, then in 2018 changed to daily screenings on theParamount Network.
InIreland, the series aired its entire run onRTÉ One on Sundays, before moving toTG4. In Australia, on theNine Network it premiered on December 12, 2001, at 7.30pm and from March 16, 2015,Gilmore Girls began airing again at 5.30pm weeknights on digital terrestrial networkGEM. In 2025, it streamed on7plus andDisney+.
Warner Home Video released all seven seasons ofGilmore Girls on DVD, in regions1,2 and4, mainly in full-screen4:3 ratio due to Amy Sherman-Palladino's preference at the time of original release. The full series DVD boxset was released in 2007. Special features include deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast interviews, montages, and one episode commentary (for "You Jump, I Jump, Jack").[88]
On October 1, 2014, all seven seasons of the series began streaming on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service in the United States; all episodes, including the three seasons before The WB transitioned the series to16:9HD broadcast from season four on, are in that format. On July 1, 2016,Gilmore Girls became available on Netflix worldwide.[89][90] In an unprecedented move,Gilmore Girls became available to stream onDisney+ in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and other regions via theStar hub from the start of early 2025.[91][92] All seasons ofGilmore Girls are also streaming on Hulu, Disney+ and available for digital download on theiTunes Store,Amazon.com and other digital sales websites, with all digital sites offering all episodes in HD.
Gilmore Girls will be released onBlu-ray on May 5, 2026.[93]
The merchandising and Tie-ins that came from the show have ranged through several official merchandise and fan driven merch. With the more recent rise of popularity of the show from it being added to streaming platform, we have been seeing more and more cutesy merchandise that is linked to the show, such as mugs, clothing, themed coffee with ties to Luke's Diner. With in recent year we saw some of the cast reunite for a Walmart advert, where they also carried certain items of merch. Through this advert who playedLorelai Gilmore,Luke Danes andKirk Gleason, respectively, reunited for a new Walmart holiday advert.[94]
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Gilmore Girls premiered to critical acclaim.[95][96] Upon debut,Gilmore Girls was lauded for the distinct, dialogue-infused style created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the strength of the dynamic familial themes, and the performances of its cast, particularly leading star Lauren Graham. OnMetacritic, the first season has an average rating of 81 out of 100 from 26 reviews, indicating "universal praise".[97]
In theSan Francisco Chronicle, John Carman wrote "It's cross-generational, warm-the-cockles viewing, and it's a terrific show. Can this really be the WB, niche broadcaster to horny mall rats?"[98]Caryn James ofThe New York Times called it a "witty, charming show" that "is redefining family in a realistic, entertaining way for today's audience, all the while avoiding the sappiness that makes sophisticated viewers run from anything labeled a 'family show.'"[10]Ray Richmond ofThe Hollywood Reporter declared it "a genuine gem in the making, a family-friendly hour unburdened by trite cliche or precocious pablum,"[99] while Jonathan Storm ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed it "a touching, funny, lively show that really does appeal to all ages".David Zurawik ofThe Baltimore Sun calledGilmore Girls "One of the most pleasant surprises of the new season".[97]
For the second-season premiere, Hal Boedeker of theOrlando Sentinel praised the show as "one of television's great, unsung pleasures", and said "Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino writes clever dialogue and ingratiating comedy, but she also knows how to do bittersweet drama."[100] Emily Yahr ofThe Washington Post retrospectively called the second installment "Pretty much a perfect season of television".[101] Viewers were concerned that the show would suffer when Rory left for college after season 3,[102] and Yahr commented that the show was not "the same" from this point but gave seasons four and five a positive 7/10.[101]
The last two seasons were less positively received.Maureen Ryan of theChicago Tribune described the sixth season as "uneven at best", explaining, "the protracted fight between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore left the writers scrambling to cram the show with filler plots that stretched many fans' patience to the limit."[103] The introduction of Luke's daughter has been described as "pretty much the most hated plot device inGilmore Girls history".[101]Ken Tucker fromEntertainment Weekly rated the seventh season "C", describing it as "a death-blow season [which] was more accuratelyGilmore Ghosts, as the exhausted actors bumped into the furniture searching for their departed souls and smart punchlines". But he concluded that before this came "six seasons of magnificent mixed emotions" among a "perfect television idyll". Giving the show an overall rating of "A−", he added, "industry ignorance of the writing and of Graham's performance in particular will remain an eternal scandal".[33]
Gilmore Girls was listed as one ofTime magazine's "All-Time 100 TV Shows".[104] and was ranked the 87th greatest American television series inTV (The Book), authored by criticsAlan Sepinwall andMatt Zoller Seitz in 2016.[105]Entertainment Weekly placedGilmore Girls 32nd on its "New TV Classics" list,[106] and included the show on its end-of-the-2000s "best-of" list,[107] andThe A.V. Club named "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" as one of the best TV episodes of the decade.[108] Alan Sepinwall included the show in his "Best of the 00s in Comedies" list, saying: "Gilmore offered up an unconventional but enormously appealing family ... As the quippy, pop culture-quoting younger Gilmores were forced to reconnect with their repressed elders, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino got plenty of laughs and tears out of the generational divide, and out of showing the family Lorelai created for herself and her daughter in the idealized,Norman Rockwell-esque town of Stars Hollow. At its best,Gilmore Girls was pure, concentrated happiness."[109]
In 2016, Amy Plitt ofRolling Stone reflected on the enduring appeal ofGilmore Girls, and noted that it stood out from other family shows like7th Heaven,The O.C. andEverwood by being "far richer, deeper ... The characters were funny and relatable, the banter was zinger-heavy, the familial drama was poignant and the romantic chemistry ... was off the charts."[15]
Viewer ratings forGilmore Girls were not relatively large, but the numbers were a success for the smaller WB network and it became one of their flagship series.[83][110][111] For its first season the show aired in the tough Thursday 8pm/7pmCentral time slot dominated byFriends onNBC andSurvivor onCBS.[110] Critical acclaim encouraged the network to move it to Tuesday evenings, as part of a push to promote the series and due to the move of Tuesday stalwartBuffy the Vampire Slayer to UPN in the same timeslot.[112] During season 2, ratings forGilmore Girls surpassedBuffy[113] and it became The WB's third-highest-rated show,[114] with viewer numbers that grew by double digits in all majordemographics.[113] For seasons 4–7,Gilmore Girls was up against the US's top-rated showAmerican Idol, which led to a drop in viewers,[83] but with Season 5 it became The WB's second-most-watched prime time show.[115] The series was often in the top 3 most-viewed shows in its time slot for women under 35.[83]
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Network | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | |||||||
| 1 | Thursday 8:00 pm | The WB | 21 | October 5, 2000 (2000-10-05) | 5.03[116] | May 10, 2001 (2001-05-10) | 4.31[117] | 2000–01 | 126 | 3.6[118] |
| 2 | Tuesday 8:00 pm | 22 | October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09) | 6.55[119] | May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21) | 6.21[120] | 2001–02 | 121 | 5.2[121] | |
| 3 | 22 | September 24, 2002 (2002-09-24) | 6.20[122] | May 20, 2003 (2003-05-20) | 5.49[123] | 2002–03 | 121 | 4.97[124] | ||
| 4 | 22 | September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23) | 4.53[125] | May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18) | 5.46[126] | 2003–04 | 157 | 4.13[127] | ||
| 5 | 22 | September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21) | 5.80[128] | May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17) | 5.89[129] | 2004–05 | 110 | 4.8[115] | ||
| 6 | 22 | September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13) | 6.22[130] | May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09) | 5.33[131] | 2005–06 | 153 | 4.58[132] | ||
| 7 | The CW | 22 | September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26) | 4.48[133] | May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15) | 4.86[134] | 2006–07 | 206 | 3.73[135] | |
In its 2016 syndicated release,Gilmore Girls averaged 100,000–120,000 viewers per episode, for an annual viewership of 11 million on each of its networks.[83] The same year, thechief content officer for Netflix,Ted Sarandos, citedGilmore Girls as one of the streaming channel's most watched shows worldwide.[136] According to data fromNielsen,Gilmore Girls was one of the top ten most watched television programs on all platforms in 2021, 2022, and 2023.[137]
Gilmore Girls earned several accolades, but did not receive much attention from the major awarding bodies.[138] Its onlyEmmy nomination was forOutstanding Makeup for a Series, for the episode "The Festival of Living Art", which it won at the56th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2004.[139] Michael Ausiello has attributed this to "a notorious bias against the WB".[140] Recognition did come from theAmerican Film Institute, who namedGilmore Girls one of the ten best shows at theAmerican Film Institute Awards of 2002,[141] and theTelevision Critics Association (TCA) who named itOutstanding New Program of the Year at the17th TCA Awards in 2001.[142] TheTCA Awards also nominated the show forOutstanding Drama in 2001 and at the18th TCA Awards in 2002, andOutstanding Comedy at the21st TCA Awards in 2005. TheSatellite Awards nominated it forBest Series – Musical or Comedy at the7th Golden Satellite Awards in 2002 and the9th Golden Satellite Awards in 2004, while it was nominated for Favorite Television Drama at the31st People's Choice Awards in 2005.[138] The show was honored by theViewers for Quality Television with a "seal of quality" in 2000.[143] The series also achieved considerable attention from theTeen Choice Awards, where it received multiple nominations and wins including the award forChoice Comedy Series at the2005 Teen Choice Awards.[138]
Lauren Graham was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama at the59th Golden Globe Awards and twice for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her work on the first and second seasons, and received five successive nominations for theSatellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.[138] The TCAs nominated her forIndividual Achievement in Drama in 2002, then forComedy at the22nd TCA Awards in 2006. She also received a Family Television Award,[144] and she won the Teen Choice Award for Parental Unit three times.[145] Alexis Bledel won aYoung Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series: Leading Young Actress at the22nd Young Artist Awards,[146] twoTeen Choice Awards for Choice TV Actress Comedy,[citation needed] and a Family Television Award.[147] She was also nominated by the Satellite Awards in 2002. Kelly Bishop was twice nominated for theSatellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series in 2002 and 2004.[138]
Gilmore Girls is considered a cult classic, with an "avid following".[148][149][150][151] During the run of the show this was mostly a small but dedicated group, predominantly of females, but its audience has grown steadily since it came off the air.[83][152][153] The series experienced a resurgence when it became available on Netflix in October 2014, introducing it to a new generation of viewers.[154][155][156] When the revival was announced in 2015, star Lauren Graham credited it to the campaigning and persistence of the fans.[157][158] At this point, according toThe Washington Post, the show became "a quirky pop culture obsession".[159] The enduring popularity ofGilmore Girls is considered to come from its comforting quality and cross-generational appeal.[149][157][154][153] It is particularly known as a show that mothers and daughters watch together.[154]
The Gilmore Girls Fan Fest has become an annual event since its inauguration in 2016. The unofficial festival takes place in Connecticut over an October weekend, and includes panels with cast and crew, themed activities, and screenings.[160][161][162] For the 16th anniversary of the show, 200 coffee houses around the US and Canada were transformed into "Luke's Diners".[163] For two weeks in winter 2018–19, Warner Bros. added a special feature to their studio tour that recreated the Stars Hollow set and displayed props and costumes from the series.[164] The show has an active fandom, posting ininternet forums and creating work such asfan fiction.[165][166] SpecialGilmore Girls trivia nights have been held at venues in multiple different cities.[167] Actor from the show, Scott Patterson, who played Luke started his coffee brand which features blends themed after the show. His brand,Scotty P's Big Mug Coffee, sells blends themed after places in the show, such asLuke's blend, named after Patterson's character's diner. These coffees can be found on the Warner Bros website and in person at the Warner Bros Studio Tours, allowing fans to feel like they're actually visiting Luke's during the tour.[168]
TheIrish Independent has commented that "Even though it preceded social media,Gilmore Girls has been internet gold for the past few years. Thanks to its snappy one-liners, it's spawned thousands ofmemes that have introduced theBuzzFeed generation to its coffee-swilling, cheeseburger-loving, critically thinking characters."[149] The show has been parodied onMad TV[169] andFamily Guy,[170] and featured in an episode ofSix Feet Under.[171] A cocktail bar inBrooklyn devised a menu inspired by the show.[172] Warner Bros. has produced a range ofGilmore Girls merchandise, including T-shirts, mugs, and dolls.[173]
Three collections of academic essays that analyze the show have been published:Gilmore Girls and the Politics of Identity (2008);Screwball Television: Critical Perspectives on Gilmore Girls (2010); andGilmore Girls: A Cultural History (2019). In 2002, fouryoung adult novels were published that adapted scripts from the first and second seasons into novel form, told from Rory'sfirst-person point of view. There have also been several unofficial, fan-based guides to the series, includingCoffee At Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gab Fest (2007),The Gilmore Girls Companion (2010),You've Been Gilmored!: The Unofficial Encyclopedia and Complete Guide to Gilmore Girls (2020),[174] andBut I'm a Gilmore!: Stories and Experiences of Honorary Gilmore Girls: Cast, Crew, and Fans[175] The program is also the source of a book club, in which followers aim to read all 339 books referenced on the show, and the inspiration for a cookbook calledEat Like a Gilmore.[149]
Gilmore Girls is the basis for the successful podcastGilmore Guys (2014–2017), which was named byTime as one of the 50 best podcasts of 2017 – the only television-based inclusion.[176][177] It follows the hosts, Kevin T. Porter andDemi Adejuyigbe, as they watch every episode of the series. Sadaf Ahsan of theNational Post commented that it "helped reignite – and, for some, initiate – fan fervour" towardsGilmore Girls.[153]
The show has sparked new love from a new form of audience through the show becoming available via platforms likeNetflix in 2014. This introduced the show to new type of younger audience who weren't there for the original release of the show.[178]
More example of how annual streaming has become a part of the new fandom, with articles highlighting how during autumn there's an increase in views of Gilmore Girls and related content online through posts and meme posted on social media platforms related to the show.[179] Based on several years of streaming data, the show has gotten a significant boost in viewership every autumn since 2021, when Nielsen began issuing weekly top 10 lists of original and acquired streaming shows in the United States.[94]
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