Despite the glitzy gowns, major stars and prestigious awards at the recent Emmy Awards, one moment meant the world to every fan waiting to smell the snow. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the cult series Gilmore Girls, on stage together to present the award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” were Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel — better known as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. As the unmistakable voice of Carole King’s “Where You Lead I Will Follow” played in the background, the beloved Stars Hollow porch was recreated on stage and the two reflected on their journey to that moment.
“Gilmore Girls was actually a very small show. Meaning we had no money,” they said. “If there was a birthday at The Drew Carey Show next door, they would send us their leftover sheet cake because we looked hungry. We saved up all year long to have one snow episode, and then ER would wet down their street and wash it all away. Basically, we were bullied and starving. But at least we had scripts — great scripts, big scripts, terrifyingly lengthy scripts.” The two, who have previously admitted that each episode’s script was twice the length of a typical series, received the coveted “Iconic” title for their work on Gilmore Girls.
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Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel at the 2025 Emmy Awards
(Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
And here lies the obvious question: why does a series that debuted back in early October 2000 — and told the story of a unique mother-daughter relationship separated by just 16 years — still make us “follow where it leads”?
'They developed this interesting camaraderie that you can’t cast, it just happens'
The WB (Warner Bros.’ TV network) was founded in the mid-1990s. Yet until 1997, it struggled for a meaningful audience; many of its shows were cancelled and then rebooted. What changed the network’s fortunes were shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Felicity and Charmed, all of which positioned it as a home for teen drama and a launch pad for new stars. But despite these successes, WB remained a small network compared with its competitors, and its productions had to make do with much smaller budgets. From that constraint emerged shows that emphasized sharp dialogue and unforgettable characters, among them Gilmore Girls.
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'The magic of the series is absolutely the unconventional relationship between Rory and Lorelai'
(Photo: Warner Bros./Delivered by Online USA/Getty Images)
“We had no money,” said Yanic Truesdale (who played Michel), in an interview with People earlier this year. “We kept complaining that Amy (Sherman-Palladino, the series creator) had ideas, but we couldn't do them, because they were too expensive. 'No money, no money, no money,' was always the answer.” Although the story was set in Connecticut, filming took place at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, on sets used for other shows as well. The Gilmore home stood across from Sookie’s; to save on new locations, Graham would walk circles around the same set while props were repositioned. Costume designer Brenda Maben still runs a TikTok account where she reveals how she reused existing pieces, bought second-hand clothes or pulled items from the Warner Bros. storage to keep within budget.
If some of the gowns worn at the Life and Death Brigade event in season five looked familiar, it’s because fans identified them as the same dresses worn in season two’s debutante ball — and over the years, avid viewers spotted wardrobe items recycled from Friends (which, though it aired on NBC, was also filmed at Warner Bros.). Despite the limited budget, Sherman-Palladino (with her husband, Daniel Palladino, the executive producer) managed to imagine and create the small town of Stars Hollow. With humour, witty and detailed dialogue, she turned a place where everything was within walking distance into a vibrant universe crowded with unforgettable characters from Kirk to Miss Patty, complete with colourful shops and town meetings that inevitably slid into chaos.
Sherman-Palladino understood that with the right casting, she didn’t need a big budget. “The combination of that real pro (Graham) with the girl who kind of just is herself (Bledel) created something magical, and that was partially what made the show so special,” she told Entertainment Weekly a decade ago. “Lauren and Alexis spent a lot of long hours yapping to each other, walking in circles around Stars Hollow. They developed this interesting camaraderie that you can’t cast, it just shows up and then it happens. And we got lucky with Ed Herrmann and Kelly Bishop (Richard and Emily), because I don’t think anybody anticipated how important the parents were going to be. Kelly Bishop was the other Gilmore girl. Gilmore Girls is an intergenerational freak show. Without all the generations represented, it would not have been complete. I think having those amazing parents/grandparents there, which allowed us to really go places that we wouldn’t have been able to go to with lesser folks, it made our show different because there kind of was no place we could not go.”
“The magic of the series is absolutely the unconventional relationship between Rory and Lorelai,” Bledel echoed in a 2016 interview with Glamour. “That’s what most fans mention when they come up to me. They either relate to it or wish they had a relationship like that. A lot of mothers and daughters watch it together.”
“We had a lot of freedom when it came to casting,” Sherman-Palladino added. “We knew that we had to populate a town, we knew that we needed really strong, go-to people in town to do stories, we had to find them. Anytime somebody came on in a guest part and scored as Sean Gunn did (Kirk, who first appeared as a DSL installer), we immediately felt we had to bring him back. We have to own him, he can’t go anywhere else, ever, we’ll die.
“The same thing happened with Liza Weil (Paris), who was in my brain from auditioning for Rory. And I’m like that girl is not right for Rory, but she’s unbelievably brilliant – she’s like a master comedienne, so I just wrote her in. We had a lot of flexibility like that. Any time somebody was great, we were lucky enough to be able to just sort of snap them up, and nobody questioned us. That’s how I got to cast Milo Ventimiglia (Jess) and Matt Czuchry (Logan) without really having a part for them yet. Once you have those go-to people, you’re always in good shape – there’s always somebody to bail your ass out.”
Though the magic happened back in the early 2000s, the turning point came in 2014, when Netflix acquired the rights to stream the series, making all seven seasons available for binge-watching. What had once been a niche show with a loyal but limited fanbase instantly became a global phenomenon. A new generation of viewers — many of them too young to have watched the show during its original run — rediscovered the bond between Lorelai and Rory, the tension with Richard and Emily who funded Rory’s education, and the slow-burning question of whether Lorelai and Luke would ever get together.
“We have definitely reached more people than we were reaching on WB,” Graham said in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year. “Now it trickled down to younger people, older people, men whose wives or kids probably forced them to watch.” In fact, Graham nearly missed out on the role of Lorelai due to a prior commitment — one that was canceled just in time, much to everyone’s relief.
The show’s Netflix success quickly paved the way for A Year in the Life, a four-part revival released in 2016 that brought the characters back to the screen. The reboot sparked fierce debate: some fans felt it recaptured the magic, while others argued the series should have ended with season seven — or even season six, for purists unimpressed by the final original season. Either way, its success is undeniable. And the final twist — Rory’s unexpected pregnancy reveal — remains a hot topic. The identity of the father continues to fuel speculation, with cast members still fielding questions about it at every panel and interview.
'I am an autumn'
Two recent announcements delighted Gilmore Girls fans, proving the show’s enduring popularity. First, a celebratory documentary series marking its 25th anniversary is in the works, featuring interviews with cast members — though notably without Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. Second, Graham was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month.
“I’m so moved when you come up to me — usually at the airport bathroom — and tell me how much the show has meant to you and that you’ve shared it with a family member and maybe passed it on to another generation,” Graham joked during the ceremony, which was attended by creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, as well as cast members Kelly Bishop (Emily), Scott Patterson (Luke), Matt Czuchry (Logan) and Yanic Truesdale (Michel).
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Lauren Graham at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony; to her right: Daniel Palladino, to her left: Amy Sherman-Palladino and Kelly Bishop
(Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Graham, reflecting earlier this year, said, “People stop me a lot — it still surprises me, and I don’t really know why.” But in an interview with Entertainment Weekly a decade ago, she admitted someone saw the show’s future before anyone else: “I feel extremely proud. We were opposite Friends for years. Kelly Bishop once said, ‘I think this is going to be one of those shows that people bring back and watch over and over.’ I had no perspective on it at the time. It was when I did a musical on Broadway years later that suddenly these young girls were coming to see the show because of Gilmore Girls, and I thought, ‘Oh, right. Reruns.’ It wasn’t when it was really on, it was years later.”
Truesdale echoed that in his own interview with People, saying fans still stop him to talk about Michel. “Every day. All the time. 40 times a day. People were waiting in front of my hotel today, and I was like, 'How do they know I am here?' It's great because you don't get so many parts that have such an impact on people 25 years later,” he said. “I'm not going to fight it. I'm Michel, and it's okay.”
Even Melissa McCarthy — the breakout star of Gilmore Girls and now one of Hollywood’s most beloved comedic actresses — still gets asked about her role as Sookie, the clumsy chef and Lorelai’s best friend. That she remains so closely associated with the show despite a career full of blockbusters, Oscar nominations and Emmy wins, is a testament to Gilmore Girls’ enduring power.
McCarthy even reprised her role in the 2016 revival A Year in the Life — a move that wasn’t necessarily expected for an actor of her stature. “It's had legs on it that I didn't expect,” she told Entertainment Tonight during a 2023 interview that was actually focused on her role in the live-action Little Mermaid. “It was a really comforting little world that Amy created. It was really fun to do. It was working with such nice people, and just to have a regular job. No one was more shocked than me, or maybe my parents.”
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'It was a really comforting little world that Amy created'. From Gilmore Girls
(Photo: Courtesy of Netflix)
But in 2025, the true barometer of Gilmore Girls’ lasting power is TikTok. On the wildly popular app, the show has found new life through viral soundbites. The familiar La-La-La musical transitions by Sam Phillips soundtrack tens of thousands of videos. The phrase “I am an autumn” has become a seasonal mantra, fueling countless clips of sweaters and hot drinks. Even Kirk’s quirky quotes are being rediscovered and reimagined by a new generation of fans.
'I was treated like an object – it was the most disturbing day I had on set'
More than halfway through this retrospective, one key character has barely been mentioned — Luke. So what about actor Scott Patterson? A few years ago, Patterson made headlines among Gilmore Girls fans when he opened up about a painful experience from his time on set. On his podcast, I Am All In with Scott Patterson, he revealed that he felt objectified during a season three scene in which Sookie (played by Melissa McCarthy) accidentally touches his backside, prompting a conversation between her and Lorelai about his rear end.
“It really made me uncomfortable. It angered me that I was treated like an object,” Patterson said. “It was disturbing, and I had to endure it through the whole scene and several takes. It was all about the butt, the butt, the butt. Even when we weren’t filming, they were still talking about the butt. It was the most disturbing day I had on that set. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.”
“Put yourself in my shoes,” he continued. “You’re standing there in front of all those people filming, and this is how the creator sees the character — as someone you can humiliate and strip of dignity for a whole scene. But it wasn’t okay with me. I hated that scene. It’s just as disgusting when women objectify men as when men objectify women — and it’s just as harmful. It was the most degrading day I had on that set.”
Patterson said he didn’t speak up at the time because he feared for his job, and such issues weren’t taken seriously in 2003. “Just because it was 2003 doesn’t mean it was acceptable. It’s never okay. I didn’t feel comfortable doing it, and that really bothered me. I never said anything, and that made me mad at myself — but I had a job and didn’t want to make a fuss.”
Like many shows from that era, Gilmore Girls contains elements that, in hindsight, don’t quite hold up. Aside from Michel, nearly all characters were white, and the show lacked LGBTQ+ representation until Michel came out in the 2016 revival. Lorelai’s life story — pregnant at 16, leaving home and eventually building an idyllic life — is presented in a romantic light that glosses over the hardships. And the ongoing jokes about Lorelai and Rory’s absurd food consumption — once part of their charm — might now be seen as problematic. They “binge” constantly, yet always look effortlessly perfect, reinforcing an unrealistic body image.
Whether one supports “woke” culture or not, it’s hard to ignore that shows like Friends, That ’70s Show and Gilmore Girls continue to thrive despite recurring criticism. Perhaps some of their charm lies in their looser, less politically correct nature — a kind of unintentional freedom that makes viewers feel like they’re stepping back into a different era. Even if certain moments now seem troubling, that very gap adds a layer of nostalgia and prompts renewed conversations around the series.
In Gilmore Girls’ case, it’s also important to highlight that despite some distance from today’s P.C. norms, the show centered on two smart, strong, independent women who often went against the grain — a powerful and still relatively rare choice at the time. That said, perhaps it's also time the characters stopped holding their cellphones and talking while driving.
New season on the horizon?
Despite Scott Patterson’s critical comments on his podcast, there’s no denying he still has a deep connection to Gilmore Girls. In fact, the scene he discussed appeared on his podcast I Am All In with Scott Patterson — a project entirely dedicated to the show. “Twenty years ago, you met Luke Danes...backward cap, plaid flannel, pouring the coffee,” reads the podcast’s description, packed with iconic references. “For the very first time, Scott Patterson (aka Luke) is watching Gilmore Girls. 154 episodes and 4 movies. We'll visit Stars Hollow, Doosey's Market, Miss Patty's, Mrs. Kim's antique shop and more pop culture references than you can count. Join us whether you're Team Dean, Team Logan or Team Jess. And, we'll see if we can figure out 'who's the daddy.' We'll talk fast, and if you can smell snow, if Paris isn't just a city in France, and Friday night dinner is a requirement... you don't want to miss this. Finally, cell phones are allowed.”
Fans following Patterson on social media know he frequently appears at fan tours and events held on the original set. He’s not the only one — actors like Vanessa Marano (April), Emily Kuroda (Mrs. Kim), and Rose Abdoo (Gypsy) also continue to ride the wave of a show that’s still going strong 25 years later.
Lauren Graham has written books filled with stories from her time on the show, and Kelly Bishop — forever Emily Gilmore — titled her memoir The Third Gilmore Girl, despite a celebrated Broadway career, a Tony Award and her iconic role as Baby’s mother in Dirty Dancing.
It’s not just the cast who understands the franchise’s power. In recent years, viewers in the U.S. have seen Gilmore Girls characters reuniting in nostalgic cameos — often in commercials. In 2024, Luke and Lorelai appeared together in a snow-filled Walmart holiday ad. This month, bakery giant Panera released a commercial featuring Rory’s two love interests — Dean (Jared Padalecki) and Logan (Matt Czuchry) — jokingly debating who was better for her, before revealing they’re actually arguing about food.
With nostalgia being served up so frequently, the question naturally arises: could another real reunion be in the works? Fans can rest easy — at least if it’s up to Graham. On the red carpet at this year’s Emmy Awards, she told The Hollywood Reporter she could easily imagine a Gilmore Girls Christmas movie. For fans, that’s more than enough — 90 minutes might just be all they need to finally find out who Rory’s baby’s father is (and to get upset if it’s not Logan).