Gilmore Girls is, hands down, one of my favourite ever TV series.
It’s not simply the storybook setting of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, the engaging mother-daughter pairing of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), the fast-paced, witty, wordy (in the best possible sense) dialogue stuffed full of insightful, deftly-placed pop culture references, the opening song “Where You Lead” by Carole King, or the delightful supporting cast of characters which included handsome Luke (Scott Patterson) and the irrepressibly upbeat Sookie (Melissa McCarthy).
It’s the way all of these elements come so wonderfully together at the hands of talented creator and writer (with husband Daniel Palladino) Amy-Sherman-Palladino, as a fully-formed, perfectly-realise world that is substantial, intelligent, goofy, funny, touching, witty, soap operatic and yet meaningfully dramatic, and just plain charming.
And now, wordsmiths rejoice, IT’S BACK!
That’s right, my giddily fast-talking friends, Netflix has ridden to the rescue once again and will resurrect Gilmore Girls for four more 90 minute episodes set in the present day that will each occupy one season of the year.
And as Collider points out, there’s one very big reason why this news is an especially good development for fans of the show:
“Palladino returns to write and direct the entire run of revival episodes — a fantastic bit of news for fans who never got to see Palladino’s planned Gilmore Girls resolution when she stepped away from the series prior to the final season after a bout of conflict of contract negotiations with the studio.”
There was always a sense, for me at least, that the final season of the show, while still delightful in many ways, lack the verve and wit that its creator brought to the show – much like season 4 of Community with Dan Harmon – and didn’t quite finish in the fairytale manner everyone expected.
So this is a chance for everyone, Amy Sherman-Palladino most particularly, to wrap things up as they should have always been wrapped up, with pretty much the entire gang – sadly Richard Herrmann, who played patriarch Richard Gilmore passed away late last year – returning for the much-anticipated, and happily-awaited revival of the one show everyone wanted back.