They remain distant for several years until Lorelai asks her parents to help pay for Rory's schooling, to which Emily agrees on the condition that her daughter and granddaughter visit them for dinner every Friday evening.

[20] Sherman-Palladino strongly felt that Gilmore Girls would be successful after watching the pilot for the first time, in which Emily, Lorelai and Rory experience their first of several Friday-night dinners.

[7] However, her relationship with Lorelai remains strained well into the fifth season; the creator explained that she retained this dynamic because "In life, you never solve your family issues ... You take a few steps forward and feel like 'We're communicating better!'

[28] Although much of Emily's storyline is directly related to her relationship with Lorelai, the character has endured complex situations on her own during the show's run, particularly in regards to the fact that she is "a woman of a certain generation who had long tethered her future to little other than her husband.

[32] Prior to receiving the Gilmore Girls script, Bishop had turned down several sitcom pilots, few of which she found promising; the majority of them were Italian roles due to the popularity of The Sopranos at the time.

[33] Upon reading the Gilmore Girls script for the first time, Bishop immediately found its dialogue "deeply funny" and interesting,[33] in addition to appreciating the way in which the show depicts different mother-daughter relationships.

[44] Throughout her entire time working on Gilmore Girls, Bishop refused to probe Sherman-Palladino for information or secrets regarding her character's upcoming storylines, preferring to "open the scripts as if it was a present".

"[60] With a progression that is of equal importance to that of her daughter and granddaughter,[11] Emily takes on a more central role than she ever did in the original series, particularly during the "Winter" and "Fall" segments, "tak[ing] the spotlight as a character in her own right" according to Vanity Fair's Laura Bradley.

"[41] The week before filming began, Bishop attended the first few table reads remotely via Skype in order to continue tending to her husband before joining the rest of the cast on location.

"[72] Using Emily's storyline as a means of channeling her own grief at the loss of her co-star,[50] Bishop found herself waiting for Herrmann to arrive on set during the first day of filming, and claims that the lights once flickered when she mentioned his name.

"[83] Known for being judgmental and sarcastic in nature,[84] BuddyTV described Emily as "snooty and very difficult to please",[85] while Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe called her "imperious and controlling".

[86] The Washington Post's Jenny Rogers described Emily as "A classist meddler with a mean streak";[22] her flawed personality includes her tendency to be controlling and manipulative at times.

[91] Erik Mink of the New York Daily News believes that Emily is just "as smart and assertive as" Lorelai and Rory, "and more clever than either of them";[92] she shares her daughter's sarcastic wit,[7] which has been described as a "deadpan" sense of humor.

[78] Julia Musto of Bustle felt that the character's "meticulously designed and paired outfits and jewelry" represent her "class, wealth, status, beauty, and grace", maintaining her "put together" image even at times when she is not feeling her best.

"[21] Bishop explained that her character truly envies Lorelai's relationship with Rory because she "doesn’t know how to do it", struggling to understand their dynamic due to having been raised to believe that parents are not to be friends with their own children.

[102] Usually depicted as "steely" and stuck up,[103] Emily typically hides her more intimate emotions,[104] preferring to prioritize business over pleasure and "cry when nobody’s looking" in order to maintain her pride.

[22] Although usually quiet and composed, the temporary deterioration of her marriage to Richard reveals "a sassier side" in contrast to being merely a wife, becoming "a woman who had things to say",[7] while becoming increasingly resentful towards his dismissiveness of her.

[92] Despite having been married to the same person for most of her life, Bitch's Diane Shipley observed that there have been times when Emily had to raise Lorelai as though she were a single mother herself due to Richard constantly having to travel for business.

"[67] As a grandmother, Kristen Sturt of Grandparents.com observed that Emily resembles "rich and imperious glam-mas" who are "as likely to bake a pie as they are to shop at Payless", as opposed to traditional " kindly, white-haired and wise ladies.

[110] Lauren Fries of Variety praised Bishop as a "talented" actress who "make[s] Graham’s work easier and lend[s] a good deal of authority and legitimacy to the show.

"[3] CinemaBlend contributor Adrienne Jones wrote that the actress "helped her character display just the right amount of heart and saucy venom to engage in emotional verbal battles".

"[100] David K. Li, writing for the New York Post, dubbed Emily quite possibly "the most unlikable mother on TV" but admitted she is the reason "the show feel[s] real.

[7] Once considered to be one of the show's most underrated, overlooked characters,[56][67][83] Emily has experienced newfound popularity and appreciation as a result of her role in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, since becoming a fan favorite.

"[123] Jenny Rogers, writing for The Washington Post, expected Emily to be "the only reason to watch the ‘Gilmore Girls’ revival", reevaluating her as a "great" character upon re-watching the original series while preferring her "biting" sense of humor over Lorelai and Rory’s.

"[124] In a separate review, Bradley crowned Emily the "Real Star" of the revival and wrote that she "is back and better than ever", praising her development as "the only [character] who shows any semblance of personal growth".

[67] Margaret Lyons of The New York Times agreed that Emily's storyline "had the most emotional weight and credibility", describing herself as "elated to see her claw her way back to a life she wanted.

'"[104] In a slightly less positive review, Lydia Snapper of Cliché Magazine wrote that although she "loved Emily’s transformation through the grieving process", she found her moving to Nantucket to work as a whaling docent implausible.

[128] The jeans and T-shirt combination Emily wears in the revival has garnered significant attention from fans and the media since it was first seen in the trailer,[129] with Mashable's Proma Khosla calling the outfit "legendary".

[107] Bustle published an article recognizing "13 Emily Gilmore Fashion Lessons That We Can All Learn From", calling it "widely underrated" while praising her use of "accessories, shapes, and colors to make each outfit pop.

"[96] According to author Julia Musto, the character also teaches "lessons about how to be an actual Queen, awesome grandmother, expert shopper, and brutally destroy your enemies with their deepest and darkest fears and insecurities.