Gilmore Girls

Plot

The close bond between a single mother and her teenage daughter is often tested in this dramatic television series. Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) became pregnant at 16, and, against the wishes of her mother and father (Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop), chose to keep the child and raise it on her own. Sixteen years later, Lorelai enjoys a warm relationship with her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), but as Rory suffers the growing pains of being a teenager, Lorelai finds it's hard to be both mother and best friend. Lorelai also has to contend with her own parents, who still believe they know what's best for both Lorelai and Rory. Created as part of an initiative to bring more family-friendly drama to American television, Gilmore Girls debuted on the WB network on October 5, 2000; singer/songwriter Sam Phillips contributed music to the series. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

Lauren Graham; Alexis Bledel

Credit

Julie Mossberg - Casting, Barbara Miller - Casting, Jill Anthony - Casting, Amy Sherman-Palladino - Conception, Lesli Linka Glatter - Director, Gavin Polone - Executive Producer, Hiro Narita - Cinematographer, Mel Efros - Producer, Steve Turner - Producer, Richard Schexnayder - Sound/Sound Designer, John J. Thomson - Sound/Sound Designer

Episodes

Gilmore Girls: Season 01 (2000)
It took a great deal of intestinal fortitude for the WB network to schedule the first of its "prestige" drama series, Gilmore Girls, opposite the NBC powerhouse Friends on Thursday night. But the gamble paid off: a critical success virtually from the outset, Gilmore Girls gradually built up a loyal following which assured WB some of its best ratings of the year. The series was set in the town of Stars Hollow, CT, home of 32-year-old single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Martin) and her 15-year-old daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). Having never married Rory's irresponsible father, Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), and long estranged from her wealthy parents, Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop), Lorelai had been forced to go it alone in life, ultimately landing a good job as manager of Independence Inn, a Star Hollow landmark since 1779. She had also done a good job raising her straight-A student daughter, Rory -- though because of the close proximity of their ages, the relationship was more sister-sister than mother-daughter. As the first season opened, Rory was poised to enter the prestigious Chilton Prep School in nearby Hartford. The tuition cost obliged Lorelai to swallow her pride and seek out funding from her parents, who agreed to foot the bill on one condition: that Lorelai mend her relationship with them and once again become part of their lives. This condition was primarily set up by Lorelai's mother, who had plans to mold young Rory into the "perfect" granddaughter that her own child had never been.

In the tradition of Northern Exposure, Gilmore Girls was populated with a large and colorful supporting cast, ranging from lovable eccentrics to not-so-lovable drama queens. The staff at Independence Inn included pompous French concierge Michel Gerard (Yanic Truesdale) and klutzy but talented chef Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy). Not far from the inn was the diner run by curmudgeonly Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), who, as the season wore on, revealed that he'd had a long-standing crush on Lorelai. The self-appointed "leader" of Stars Hollows' merchant class was Taylor Doose (Michael Winters), owner of the town's main grocery store and employer of Rory's off-and-on boyfriend Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki). Others in town included Rory's best friend, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), whose efforts to assert her blossoming womanhood were constantly being thwarted by her super-strict Korean parents; busybody dance instructor Miss Patty (Liz Torres); supercilious Babette Dell (Sally Struthers) and her husband, Morey (Ted Rooney); and funky handyman Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn), a classic example of "still waters run deep." At Chilton, Rory ran smack-dab into a maelstrom of snooty snobbery and calculated cattiness personified by Paris Geller (Liza Weil), editor of the school paper. Halfway through season one, Lorelai began dating Rory's English teacher, Max Medina (Scott Cohen) -- a relationship that nearly cost Max his job. Complicating matters was the return of Rory's prodigal father, Christopher, who was still unwilling to make a permanent commitment to Lorelai -- or was it the other way around? Likewise on the romantic front, Rory found herself caught in the middle of the tempestuous relationship between the jealous, spiteful Paris and the trouble-prone Tristan DuGrey (Chad Michael Murray). The first season of Gilmore Girls ended on a cliffhanger as Lorelai pondered whether or not to accept Max Medina's marriage proposal. There was, however, no doubt that critics and fans alike had thoroughly taken Gilmore Girls to their hearts. ~ Rovi

• Pilot
• Forgiveness and Stuff
• The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton
• Kill Me Now
• The Deer Hunters
• Cinnamon's Wake
• Rory's Birthday Parties
• Kiss and Tell
• Love and War and Snow
• Rory's Dance
• Paris Is Burning
• Double Date
• Concert Interruptus
• That Damn Donna Reed
• Christopher Returns
• Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers
• The Breakup, Part 2
• The Third Lorelai
• Emily in Wonderland
• P.S. I Lo...
• Love, Daisies and Troubadours

Gilmore Girls: Season 02 (2001)
Moving from its Thursday-night slot to a more ratings-friendly Tuesday berth, the WB drama series Gilmore Girls began its second season with Lorelai Gilmore, single mother and manager of Independence Inn in the Connecticut town of Stars Hollow, accepting a proposal of marriage from Max Medina (Scott Cohen) -- who happened to be one of the teachers at Chilton Prep School, where Lorelai's 16-year-old daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), was currently enrolled. Within a few episodes, however, Lorelai had gotten cold feet and called off the wedding. Though her wealthy mother, Emily (Kelly Bishop), accused Lorelai (who'd had Rory out of wedlock) of being unable to make a lasting commitment to any man, the fact was that Lorelai was currently weighing the options between Rory's father, Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), a former restless spirit who was now showing signs of developing a sense of responsibility and permanence, and Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), the diamond-in-the-rough owner of the local diner. Of the large supporting cast, two recurring characters were elevated to "regular" status: Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki), erstwhile boyfriend of Rory Gilmore, and Paris Geller (Liza Weil), snooty editor of the Chilton student newspaper and Rory's principal campus nemesis (at least until they became friends during a crucial school election). Also added to the regular cast was Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano, the troublesome 17-year-old nephew of Luke Danes. By the end of season two, it appeared as though Rory was emulating the romantic travails of her mom, Lorelai, torn between the affections of Dean and Jess.

In another amorous development, Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy), Indepence Inn's ditzy chef, became engaged to local produce vendor Jackon Melville (Jackson Douglas), a relationship culminating in a wedding at season's end. Additionally, Rory's friend Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) began aggressively pursuing not only boys but also a career as a rock musician, much to the dismay of her staunchly traditional Korean parents. This was also the season in which Lorelai's father, Richard (Edward Herrmann), forced out of his high-paying job, established his own insurance consulting firm in Stars Hollow. In a similar vein, Lorelai began feeling professionally confined as the manager of an inn and began laying plans to purchase her own business, with (hopefully) Sookie as her partner. And finally, Christopher Hayden apparently took himself out of the running as Lorelai's beau when he took upon himself a young fiancée named Sherrie Tinsdale (Mädchen Amick). Even so, season two drew to a close with Sherrie dumping Christopher, who in turn ended up in bed with Lorelai -- but the future of this relationship was endangered by a startling phone call from Sherrie. As for Rory, she found herself in a passionate embrace with the redoubtable Jess not long after the two of them had been involved in a controversial car accident -- setting up a cliffhanger situation that would have to wait until the beginning of season three for resolution. While Gilmore Girls had still not cracked the Top 30 as far as ratings were concerned, the numbers the series posted were quite respectable by WB network standards. ~ Rovi

• Sadie, Sadie
• The Bracebridge Dinner
• Hammers and Veils
• Red Light on the Wedding Night
• The Road Trip to Harvard
• Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy
• Presenting Lorelai Gilmore
• Like Mother, Like Daughter
• The Ins and Outs of Inns
• Run Away, Little Boy
• Secrets and Loans
• Richard in Stars Hollow
• A-Tisket, A-Tasket
• It Should've Been Lorelai
• Lost and Found
• There's the Rub
• Dead Uncles and Vegetables
• Back in the Saddle Again
• Teach Me Tonight
• Help Wanted
• Lorelai's Graduation Day
• I Can't Get Started

Gilmore Girls: Season 03 (2002)
As season three of Gilmore Girls gets under way, it seems apparent that single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) must abandon all hope of marrying Christopher Haden (David Sutcliffe), the father of Lorelai's teenaged daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). The pain of this realization is mitigated somewhat as Lorelai's attraction to café owner Luke (Scott Patterson) grows stronger -- even though she is less aware of this than the people around her. In other developments in the rural Connecticut community of Stars Hollow, Rory applies to Harvard, convincing her boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki), that their relationship is doomed and driving him into the arms of another woman. Rory then gravitates to town reprobate Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), much to Lorelei's dismay. Equally dismayed is Rory's snooty classmate Paris (Liza Weil), who has a mini-breakdown when her own application to Harvard is rejected. As it turns out, Harvard is not on Rory's plate either; she decides to enter her dad's alma mater, Yale, even as Jess (who has flunked out of high school) and Dean (who has proposed to his current sweetie) drift out of her life...maybe. In the season-three finale, Lorelai and her business partner, Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), decide to open up a new bed-and-breakfast after the Independence Inn closes down, and Rory delivers an unforgettable commencement address at the Chilton Prep graduation ceremonies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

• Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days
• Haunted Leg
• Application Anxiety
• One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes
• Eight O'Clock at the Oasis
• Take the Deviled Eggs...
• They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?
• Let the Games Begin
• A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving
• That'll Do, Pig
• I Solemnly Swear
• Lorelai Out of Water
• Dear Emily and Richard
• Swan Song
• Face-Off
• The Big One
• A Tale of Poes and Fire
• Happy Birthday, Baby
• Keg! Max!
• Say Goodnight, Gracie
• Here Comes the Son
• Those Are Strings, Pinocchio
• Leaving Home

Gilmore Girls: Season 04 (2003)
Returning home to Stars Hollow after a whirlwind European trip at the outset of Gilmore Girls' fourth season, single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) is informed that her business partner, Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy), is pregnant, while Lorelai's daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), prepares for her freshman year at Yale University. Arriving on campus, Rory meets her new roommates: 15-year-old prodigy Tanna (Olivia Hack), sports jock Janet (Katie Walder), and -- surprise, surprise -- Rory's former prep-school nemesis Paris Geller (Liza Weil). Perhaps inevitably, Rory will become so involved in her roomies' trials and tribulations that she will begin neglecting her schoolwork. Back at home, Lorelai and Sookie encounter a number of formidable roadblocks, legal and otherwise, in their efforts to open their new bed-and-breakfast, the Dragonfly Inn; and Rory's friend Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) has severed all ties with her uncompromisingly traditionalist Korean mother by launching a career as a rock singer. In other season-four developments, Lorelai's close friendship with café owner Luke (Scott Patterson) is threatened by events that had occurred during his summer vacation; Sookie and her husband, Jackson (Jackson Douglas), nervously prepare for a "home birth"; Rory and Paris vie for the attentions of their professor, Asher Fleming (Michael York); Rory's troublesome grandma, Trix Gilmore (Marion Ross), suddenly dies; and as for Rory's high-school beaux, Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) tries to rekindle their romance, while Dean (Jared Padalecki) gets married to Lindsay Lister (Arielle Kebbel) on the rebound. The season ends with the grand opening of the Dragonfly Inn, yet another breakup between Rory and Jess, a disturbing turn of events concerning Rory and Dean, a hint of divorce in the offing for Lorelei's parents -- and a distinct deepening of the relationship between Lorelai and the newly divorced Luke. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

• Ballrooms & Biscotti
• The Lorelais' First Day at Yale
• The Hobbit, The Sofa and Digger Chiles
• Chicken or Beef
• The Fundamental Things Apply
• An Affair to Remember
• The Festival of Living Art
• Die, Jerk
• Ted Koppel's Night Out
• The Nanny and the Professor
• The Clamor and the Clangor
• A Family Matter
• Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found...
• The Incredible Shrinking Lorelais
• Scene in a Mall
• The Reigning Lorelai
• Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist
• Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!
• Afterboom
• Luke Can See Her Face
• Last Week Fights, This Week Tights
• Raincoats and Recipes

Gilmore Girls: Season 05 (2004)
Season five of Gilmore Girls begins with Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) on the outs with her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), after Rory's brief tryst with her now-married former boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki). Adding to the weight of woe on Lorelai's shoulders is the fact that her parents, Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann), have separated and are planning to divorce. Even the possibility of romance between Lorelai and her longtime close friend Luke (Scott Patterson) is jeopardized when it is clear that neither one of them is certain in which direction their relationship should go. In other developments, Lorelai's business partner, Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), is pregnant again; Sookie's husband, Jackson (Jackson Douglas), challenges the provincial tyranny of local grocer Taylor Doose (Michael Winters) by running for the office of town selectman of Stars Hollow; Rory befriends fellow Yale student Logan Huntzberg (Matt Czuchry), the son of a billionaire newspaper mogul; Rory's dad, Christopher (David Sutcliffe), re-enters Lorelai's life, only to be told by Rory to get out and stay out; and in the series' 100th episode, Christopher and Luke come to blows over Lorelai, picking the worst possible occasion for their battle: the ceremony in which the reconciled Emily and Richard have chosen to renew their vows! Viewers will have to watch the fifth season of Gilmore Girls to figure out how guest star Norman Mailer fits into the proceedings -- or to watch as the relationship between Rory and Logan Huntzberg blossoms into something far more serious after the girl's umpteenth breakup with the ubiquitous Dean. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

• Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller
• But Not as Cute as Pushkin
• A Messenger, No More
• Written in the Stars
• Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too
• We Got Us a Pippi Virgin!
• Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!
• You Jump, I Jump, Jack!
• The Party's Over
• Emily Says Hello
• Women of Questionable Morals
• Come Home
• Wedding Bell Blues
• Say Something
• Jews and Chinese Food
• So... Good Talk
• Pulp Friction
• To Live and Let Diorama
• But I'm a Gilmore!
• But How Many Kropogs to Cape Cod?
• Blame Booze and Melville
• A House Is Not a Home

Gilmore Girls: Season 06 (2005)
Picking up where the previous season left off, season six of Gilmore Girls begins as Stars Hollow innkeeper Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) takes the initiative in her love life by proposing marriage to taciturn diner owner Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Although he accepts, his subsequent hemming and hawing whenever the subject of a wedding date is brought up will dictate much of the action this season, culminating in a jaw-dropping cliffhanger finale involving Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), who as everyone knows, is the father of Lorelai's college-age daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel).

Unfortunately, Lorelei and Rory aren't on speaking terms as the season begins, mainly because Rory has decided to drop out of Yale University -- and, incidentally, has run afoul of the law for the first time in her life, requiring her to perform 300 hours' community service. Happily, Rory finally agrees to return to Yale, taking over the editor's post at the campus newspaper when her roommate Paris (Liza Weil) is ousted in a "coup." Throughout the season, the relationship between Rory and her wealthy student boyfriend Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry) is a shaky one, especially after she learns of his various infidelities while speaking to the bridesmaids at his sister's wedding. Rory and Logan are reunited when she nurses him back to health after he is seriously injured in a stunt performed for the secret campus clique "The Life and Death Brigade." However, the couple's future is placed in jeopardy when Logan's father, powerful publisher Mitchum Huntzberger (Gregg Henry), forces the boy to take a job at his London newspaper. In other season six news, Lorelai's estranged parents Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) have decided to give their marriage a second chance -- and, much to their daughter's dismay, have elected to move to Stars Hollow; Lorelai's business partner Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) again copes with her responsibilities of new motherhood; Luke's ditsy sister Liz (Kathleen Wilhoite) becomes pregnant by her oafish husband T.J. (Michael DeLuise); and Rory's rock-musician friend Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), now reconciled with her conservative mother Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda), weds Zach (Todd Lowe), a member of her band, in the oddest ceremony of the 2005-2006 season. This year represents Gilmore Girls' last stand on the WB network; henceforth, the show would be seen on the brand new CW hookup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

• New and Improved Lorelai
• He's Slippin' 'em Bread... Dig?
• Fight Face
• The UnGraduate
• Always a Godmother, Never a God
• We've Got Magic to Do
• Welcome to the Dollhouse
• Twenty-One Is the Lonliest Number
• Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out
• The Prodigal Daughter Returns
• The Perfect Dress
• Just Like Gwen and Gavin
• Friday Night's Alright for Fighting
• You've Been Gilmored
• Bridesmaid Revisited
• A Vineyard Valentine
• I'm OK, You're OK
• The Real Paul Anka
• I Get a Sidekick Out of You
• Super Cool Party People
• Driving Miss Gilmore
• Partings

Gilmore Girls: Season 07 (2006)
Gilmore Girls begins its seventh season with a new executive producer David S. Rosenthal and a new network (CW, which of course was the successor to the series' former stamping grounds, WB. Alas, Season Seven will turn out to be Season Last: unable to come to financial terms with series stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, respectively) the network will bring the series to an end with its 153 rd episode on May 15, 2007. It is said by some observers that this move has been implemented so that CW can clear its decks of its "aging" properties to develop its own new series; others opine that the show never really recovered from the 6th- season defection of Gilmore Girls creators Dan Palladino and Amy Sherman-Palladino, and that its ever-declining (though still respectable) ratings are the true reason for the cancellation. Whatever the case, plans to extend the series past its seventh season with thirteen additional episodes will be quietly scuttled--though the "official" finale is open-ended enough to warrant a sequel or a reunion special somewhere down the line. It cannot be denied that, no matter what the future may hold for Gilmore Girls, the series is still both willing and able to deliver plenty of "bang for the buck." The seventh season begins right where the sixth season ended, as Lorelai agonizes over her one-night stand with her former lover (and father of daughter Rory) Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe) following her breakup with her foot-dragging fiance Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Though Lorelai will marry Christopher during a romantic Parisian getaway, it is clear that her heart still belongs to Luke--and he knows it. Meanwhile, Rory prepares to graduate with a journalism degree from Yale while carrying on a frustrating long-distance romance with Logan (Matt Czuchry), the son of millionaire publisher Mitchum Huntzberger (Gregg Henry). Rory also aquires a brace of new--and typically eccentric--friends in the form of Lucy (Krysten Ritter) and Olivia (Michelle Ongkingco). In other key developments, Lorelai's father Richard (Edward Herrmann) suffers a heart attack, which results in her mother Emily (Kelly Bishop) becoming even more insufferable than usual; Rory's friend Lane (Keiko Agena) returns from her disastrous honeymoon with musician Zach (Todd Lane) with the proverbial "bun in the oven"; Rory interviews for a prestigious reporting job with "The New York Times", but ultimate opts for what she considers a higher purpose in life; and, emboldened by the example of new parents T.J. (Michael DeLuise) and Liz (Kathleen Wilhoite), Luke demands that his former girlfriend Anna (Sherlyn Fenn) to be granted equal parental rights vis-a-vis their daughter April (Vanessa Marano). As all climaxes gather for the Grand Finale, Lorelei divests herself of her new husband Christopher just in time for a reconciliation with Luke, an event fueled by a drunken night on the town and a soulful karaoke rendition of a Dolly Parton tune. And just as all of Stars Hollow is celebrating Rory's graduation, who should appear from the blue but Logan Hertzburn, with a Very Important Question on his lips. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

• The Long Morrow
• Merry Fisticuffs
• This Is What You Get, Folks, for Makin' Whoopee
• Lorelai's First Cotillion
• 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous
• The Great Stink
• French Twist
• Go, Bulldogs!
• Introducing Lorelai Planetarium
• Knit, People, Knit!
• Santa's Secret Stuff
• To Whom it May Concern
• I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia
• Farewell, My Pet
• I'm a Kayak, Hear Me Roar
• Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore?
• Gilmore Girls Only
• Hay Bale Maze
• It's Just Like Riding a Bike?
• Lorelai? Lorelai?
• Unto the Breach
• Bon Voyage