The townspeople of Stars Hollow are also a constant presence—including the gossiping, flirtatious Miss Patty (Liz Torres) and quirky Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn).

Rory has a difficult time settling in at Chilton, struggling to meet the demands of private school and attracting the fury of classmate Paris Geller, her academic rival.

Lorelai also faces the struggle of balancing her independence with her family's growing presence, especially as Emily begins to love subtly influencing Rory's life and future plans.

The season explores themes of family obligation, ambition, and personal growth, as Lorelai and Rory gradually build a bridge between the Gilmore legacy and their own dreams.

As the season ends, Jess abruptly leaves Stars Hollow to track down his estranged father Jimmy Mariano in California, and Rory graduates high school as valedictorian.

"[9] The show's pace, dialogue, and focus on class divisions was heavily inspired by the screwball comedies of the 1930s and Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy films.

Sherman-Palladino cast her that day, on the hope that Graham's other show (M.Y.O.B., which was burned off as a summer replacement series several months before the premiere of Gilmore Girls) would be canceled, which it soon was.

[20][21] Notable writers who worked on the show at some point include Jenji Kohan, Bill Prady, Jane Espenson, Rebecca Rand Kirshner, and Janet Leahy.

[18][22][23] Sherman-Palladino wanted a snappy delivery from the characters because she believes that "comedy dies slow",[14] which required large volumes of dialogue to fill the hour-long time slot.

[28] At the start, she argued with the network about the frequently old-fashioned references; when she refused to remove a comment about Oscar Levant, she felt the executives adopted an attitude of "Let the crazy woman dig her own grave.

[30] Key incidents often take place off-screen and are only revealed through character conversations, which journalist Constance Grady says is because "On Gilmore Girls, the explosion is never what matters: It's the fallout.

Exterior scenes of Stars Hollow, along with those at Luke's Diner and Miss Patty's dance studio, were all filmed on the backlot — with dozens of background actors utilized to make it look like a functioning town.

[41] Lauren Graham said: "We filmed alongside The West Wing, and Aaron 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.

[49] 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.

In April that year, it was announced that Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino could not come to an agreement with The CW and would be leaving the show when their contracts expired that summer.

[51] Journalist Michael Ausiello said of the decision: "The thought of Gilmore 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.

[53] Commenting on this change, an article in Wired says: "the Palladinos had written the majority of the episodes up to that point, and their distinctive rhythms and obsessions were what defined Gilmore Girls.

[13] 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.

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.

[68] Renewed for a second season, the show was relocated on Tuesdays 8pm/7pm, the time slot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which transferred to UPN, and served as a lead-in for Smallville, which became an instant hit and always beat Gilmore Girls in the ratings.

[69] Both series were led by former Gilmore Girls actors, with One Tree Hill starring Chad Michael Murray, and Jared Padalecki as a co-star in Supernatural.

[75][76] 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.

'"[8] Ray Richmond of The Hollywood Reporter declared it "a genuine gem in the making, a family-friendly hour unburdened by trite cliche or precocious pablum,"[79] while Jonathan Storm of The Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed it "a touching, funny, lively show that really does appeal to all ages".

[77] For the second-season premiere, Hal Boedeker of the Orlando 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.

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago 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.

[88] 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.

[92] During season 2, ratings for Gilmore Girls surpassed Buffy[93] and it became The WB's third-highest-rated show,[94] with viewer numbers that grew by double digits in all major demographics.

The unofficial festival takes place in Connecticut over an October weekend, and includes panels with cast and crew, themed activities, and screenings.

[142] 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.

[132] At the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, comedian and host Petra Mede offered a DVD of Season 3 of the Gilmore Girls as a bonus prize to complement the winner's trophy.