Premise: The series follows a mother-daughter duo, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore(Alexis Bledel), and their life in the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
Watch It If You Like: Veronica Mars, Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy
Seasons: 7
View It on: ABC Family (between 11am-1pm) and as of today, October 1, Netflix!
Wait…Isn’t That: There are so many familiar faces in the main cast, and most of which got their start on Gilmore Girls. We have Lorelai and Rory, otherwise known as Parenthood’s Lauren Graham and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ Alexis Bledel. There’s Melissa McCarthy, who started out as Sookie, Lorelai’s lovable best friend, but is now known for her roles on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and the CBS sitcom Mike and Molly. There’s Mr. Sean Gunn, who you may have seen in this year’s Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy (This one was a big surprise for me until I found out his brother directed the film. Then it kind of made sense). And finally, we can’t forget Jared Padalecki, who was formerly Rory’s first boyfriend, but is now a Supernatural superstar.
Plus, there’s plenty of cameos and small guest spots from the likes of: Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Sebastian Bach (singer, Skid Row), Alex Borstein (the voice of Lois Griffin) Adam Brody (The O.C.), Sherilyn Finn (Twin Peaks), Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23), Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel & Oates), Marion Ross (Happy Days), Danny Pudi (Community), Michael York (Austin Powers), Billy Burke (Twilight), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Nick Offerman (Parks & Rec) and Seth MacFarlane.
Favorite Character: This is the part where some people would debate the “Best Gilmore Girl,” but I don’t know if I would be able to choose between Lorelai and Rory. Not only that, but I wouldn’t necessarily call either of them the standout character. I think if I had to choose (it’s a hard decision), I would pick Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia). I feel like all Gilmore Girls fans out there can agree with me that Rory’s love life and in some cases, the show as a whole, were not the same once Jess entered Stars Hollow in Season 2. He became the end-all-be-all romantic choice for Rory amongst fans, and that say’s something considering he was the bad-boy-type. It seems to me that this was because he was the sexiest of Rory’s main prospects. I can’t deny that this wasn’t a factor in my ongoing love for Jess.
A Close Second: I think I’m picking an obvious choice here, but if Jess never existed, Kirk (Sean Gunn) would take the lead. The town everything (seriously he had 43 jobs at least) ALWAYS brought the laughs, especially when he was doing something awkward, having a conversation with Taylor Doose(Michael Winters), or both. I think most if not all of my favorite Gilmore Girls episodes had Kirk doing something completely and utterly ridiculous. His awkward magic made the show for me and without him, I probably wouldn’t have loved the show as much as I did.
Favorite One-Liner: There are so many to choose from, but I think the one I will always remember is “Oy with the poodles already!” This was the phrase Lorelai and Rory came up with to shut up a person who is talking non-stop and simply because the words are funny. Aside from the fact that it was one of the most famous one-liners from the show, this phrase was so memorable for me because I actually had two poodles when the show was on air. So basically, “Oy with the poodles already” was the story of my life. Technically it still is if you replace the word “poodle” with “doodle.”
The Best Episodes (Spoiler Alert!! We’ll try not to give too much away!):
This was really hard. I don’t think there was ever one bad episode of this show. But if I had to choose my top 4:
The Big One (Season 3)
This episode always tops my list because I enjoy a good meltdown, and Paris(Liza Weil)’ “I’m not a virgin so I didn’t get into Harvard” meltdown on C-SPAN was my all time favorite. I also think this was the first moment where I felt sorry for Paris. Not long after this episode, I even grew to accept her wackiness.
Sidenote: Liza Weil is now on How To Get Away With Murder and I’m secretly hoping she has a C-SPAN-esque meltdown on that show too. This might be wishful thinking, but I guess we’ll see. Regardless, I’m glad to see her back on my TV again.
They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They? (Season 3)
Oh man, this was definitely the funniest AND most-heartbreaking episode of the show. It was funny because of the competition with Kirk and Lorelai in the dance competition. Sad, because it ended the Dean-Rory-Jess love triangle. I guess what they say is true “All good things must come to an end.”
Also, I would argue that this episode had the best costume design, hair, and makeup of the entire series. To this day, I’m so impressed on how great Rory looked while she was crying. And I absolutely cannot forget about Lorelai and Rory’s dresses. It’s been years since this episode aired, and I am still searching for copycats!
The Lorelais’ First Day at Yale (Season 4)
This episode before I went to college, so when it aired, it actually pumped me up for my first move-in day. I actually secretly hoped that there’d be a mattress debacle or at least a scenario equally as funny. I don’t remember much from my move-in day but my roommate always reminds me how my dad disappeared to get food while we were left doing all of the heavy lifting. Not as memorable as a mattress, but I guess the back-and-forth banter at that moment was quite comical.
I Get a Sidekick Out of You (Season 6)
Lane and Zach are the perfect match and it was just the absolute best to see them get married. Also, we can’t forget Mrs. Kim’s two-wedding surprise. To say this was the best of Mrs. Kim’s hijinks is a complete understatement. Also, who can forget Lorelai’s drunken June 3rd ramble? It was classic.
Is it Worth the Marathon?: I highly encourage everyone who hasn’t seen this show to marathon it, as it is practically a legend amongst the dramedy genre. If you have seen the show, I highly encourage you to go hog wild, as this Netflix debut is the best thing since sliced bread. I probably won’t binge watch it unless it’s a lazy weekend day, but I most definitely will watch at least one-three episodes during the 5-8pm timeframe on weekdays. This used to be a tradition for me when the show was on SOAP, and since the channel disappeared, I’ve seriously felt lost without it. I hope my fiance is prepared for the amount of Gilmore Girls he’s about to watch over the course of the next month.
