Gilmore Girls - Gilmore Girls Wiki

Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. Sherman-Palladino, her husband Daniel Palladino, David S. Rosenthal, and Gavin Polone served as the executive producers. The series debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and remained a tent-pole to the network until its move to The CW on September 26, 2006. The series originally ran for seven seasons and ended its run on May 15, 2007.

The show follows single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Graham) and her daughter, also named Lorelai but who prefers to be called Rory (Bledel), living in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. The town is filled with colorful characters and is located approximately 30 minutes from Hartford, Connecticut (as stated in the show's pilot). The series explores issues of family, friendship and romance, as well as generational divides and social class. Ambition, education, work, love, family, and questions of class constitute some of the series' central concerns. The show's social commentary manifests most clearly in Lorelai's difficult relationship with her wealthy, appearance-obsessed parents, Emily and Richard Gilmore, and in Rory's interactions with the students at the Chilton Academy, and later, Yale University.

Gilmore Girls was released to critical acclaim. It featured fast-paced dialogue filled with pop-culture references. It won one Emmy Award for makeup in 2004. The show placed No. 32 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list, and was listed as one of Time magazine's "All-TIME 100 TV Shows" in 2007.

On November 25, 2016, a four-part miniseries revival titled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, aired on Netflix. Each episode covers a season of the year, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Development

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show's creator, drew inspiration for the show's setting of "Stars Hollow, Connecticut" after making a trip to Washington Depot, Connecticut, where she stayed at the Mayflower Inn, which she found beautiful. She was amazed at how the people of the town knew each other very well and by the next morning of her stay she had written the pilot's dialogue. She explained: "If I can make people feel this much of what I felt walking around this fairy town, I thought that would be wonderful. […] At the time I was there, it was beautiful, it was magical, and it was feeling of warmth and small-town camaraderie. ... There was a longing for that in my own life, and I thoughtâ€"that's something that I would really love to put out there." The show's pace is inspired by Katharine Hepburnâ€"Spencer Tracy films.

The pilot episode of Gilmore Girls received financial support from the script development fund of the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which includes some of the nation's leading advertisers, making it one of the first network shows to reach the air with such funding.

In 2003, the WB planned a spin-off called Windward Circle, featuring character Jess Mariano, in which Jess gets to know his estranged father, Jimmy (Rob Estes), and is befriended by California skateboarders. However, the network canceled the show before it aired, citing high production costs to shoot on location in Venice Beach. The Gilmore Girls season 3 episode "Here Comes the Son" was effectively a backdoor pilot for the unaired spin-off.

Writing and filming

As signalled by its tagline "Life's short. Talk fast", Gilmore Girls is known for its fast-paced dialogue filled with pop culture references. Usually a Gilmore Girls script was 77â€"78 pages long, and one page equaled less than a minute, which allowed the series to include more dialogue and scenes. Much of the dialogue is peppered with references to film, television shows, music, literature and celebrity culture. The relative obscurity of some of these allusions resulted in the production of "Gilmore-isms" booklets included by WB in the DVD sets of the first four seasons. Subtitled "The 411 on many of the show's witty and memorable wordplays and pop culture references", the booklets also contain comments from the show's creators.

Gilmore Girls also relied on a master shot filming style, in which a scene is filmed to frame characters and their dialogue together within a long and uninterrupted, single take; often illustrated through another method regularly employed on the show, the walk and talk. It took up to eight working days to shoot an episode.

The pilot episode was shot in Unionville, Ontario, near Toronto. The rest of the series was filmed at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. The exterior shots of Rory's preparatory school, Chilton, were filmed at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, California. A special stage was made of plaster and polyisocyanurate board for the scenes during which Rory is at Yale University, which were based on Calhoun College. While Rory's visit to Harvard was filmed at UCLA, her visit at Yale to decide which university she should choose was filmed at Pomona College.

Music

Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino served as the music supervisor of the series. Known for its distinctive musical score consisting of melodic "la-la's", Gilmore Girls' non-diegetic score was composed by singer-songwriter Sam Phillips throughout its entire run. For the score's instrumental arrangement, Phillips primarily used her own voice, an acoustic guitar, and on occasion included violin, drums, piano and electric guitar as well. In crafting the sound of the show, Sherman-Palladino requested the music to sound very connected to the girls themselves, almost like "an extension of their thoughts. And if they had music going in their head during a certain emotional thing in their life, if they were real people, this would be the music that was going on." Sherman-Palladino also stresses how "[she] thinks that is what elevated the show. Because [music] wasn't a wasted element in the show. Everything was trying to say a little something, add a little something t o it."

Music also plays a large part in the show as a frequent topic of conversation between characters and in its appearance in scenes themselves. In fact, the first conversation between Lorelai and Rory in the premiere episode, at Luke's Diner, involves the whereabouts of Macy Gray's debut album On How Life Is. The musical tastes of most of the main and recurring characters are revealed at some point, and the two leads have notoriously eclectic but discriminating tastes: Both mother and daughter dislike the "nondescript jazz" played at a baby shower, sculpt a snowman in Björk's image, and proclaim Metallica a "great band". Lorelai famously likes '80s music including the Bangles, XTC, and the Go-Go's, and her old bedroom at her parents' home has Duran Duran posters on the walls. Rory is often shown listening to alternative bands, like Pixies, Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand, and expresses her liking for P J Harvey and distaste for Smashing Pu mpkins. Rory also swaps CDs with her mother, and credits her with introducing her to new books and music throughout her life in her address as Chilton's valedictorian.

Rory's best friend Lane is a music enthusiast, and her list of musical influences runs to five pages when she writes her "drummer-seeks-rock-band" want ad, which included the Ramones and Jackson Browne. Lane eventually forms her own band, Hep Alien, an anagram of the Gilmore Girls producer, Helen Pai's, name. The band plays rock with various influences, and Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, appears as Gil, Hep Alien's talented guitarist. The band's "reunion" occurred on October 4, 2014. Lorelai named her dog after the singer Paul Anka, who later appears in her dream sequence in the season 6 episode "The Real Paul Anka".

Other musical acts who made guest appearances include the Bangles, Sonic Youth, Sparks, the Shins, and Carole King, who re-recorded her 1971 song "Where You Lead" (lyrics by Toni Stern) as a duet with her daughter Louise Goffin for the Gilmore Girls theme song. Grant-Lee Phillips appears in at least one episode per season as the town's troubadour, singing his own songs and covers, while Sam Phillips, the score composer made her first and only appearance in the episode "Partings" (6.22). In 2002, a soundtrack to Gilmore Girls was released by Rhino Records, entitled Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls. The CD booklet features anecdotes from show producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino about the large part music has played in their lives. On the Summer episode of Gilmore Girls:A Year in the Life, Carole King performs a brief portion of her song "I Feel the Earth Move."

Change of network and cancellation

In April 2006, it was announced that Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel could not come to an agreement with The CW, the new network that resulted from a merger between UPN and the WB. They said in an official statement: "Despite our best efforts to return and ensure the future of Gilmore Girls for years to come, we were unable to reach an agreement with the studio and are therefore leaving when our contracts expire at the end of this season. Our heartfelt thanks go out to our amazing cast, hard-working crew and loyal fans. We know that the story lines from this season will continue into the next, and that the integrity of the show will remain long after we leave Stars Hollow." David S. Rosenthal who had already worked on the show as a writer and producer, replaced them.

On May 3, 2007, The CW announced that the series would not be renewed. According to Variety, "Money was a key factor in the decision, with the parties involved not able to reach a deal on salaries for the main cast members. Other issues, such as number of episodes and production dates, may have also played a role". Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino expressed an interest in pursuing a Gilmore Girls film. Lauren Graham has noted that a lot of fans "were disappointed with how it [the series] ended" and commented on the possibility of a follow-up movie.

Revival

On September 15, 2010, Lauren Graham told Vanity Fair that a Gilmore Girls movie is a definite possibility: "people with power, people who could actually make it happen, are talking about it." She stated the same thing in March 2013 through her Twitter account in the wake of companion show Veronica Mars earning Kickstarter funding for their film, saying it would be Sherman-Palladino's call for a film.

On June 11, 2012, while being interviewed for her new show Bunheads, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino reflected on the contract dispute and her own departure in an interview with Vulture, saying: "It was a botched negotiation. It really was about the fact that I was working too much. I was going to be the crazy person who was locked in my house and never came out. I heard a lot of 'Amy doesn't need a writing staff because she and [her husband] Dan Palladino write everything!' I thought, That's a great mentality on your part, but if you want to keep the show going for two more years, let me hire more writers. By the way, all this shit we asked for? They had to do [it] anyway when we left. They hired this big writing staff and a producer-director onstage. That's what bugged me the most. They wound up having to do what we'd asked for anyway, and I wasn't there."

In May 2015, in an interview on the Gilmore Guys podcast, Scott Patterson said: "There are talks going on at the moment. I can't really go into any detail, but there is some activity. So I'm hopeful, and you know, I'm in. [...] I think there's a lot of territory left unexplored that we could explore in a limited series or a TV movie or feature film, whatever that may be. I think it really just comes down to the script. I think everybody would jump on board." At the June 2015, ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, the cast reunited with creator Amy Sherman-Palladino where she told the audience, "I'm sorry, there's nothing in the works at the moment."

In October 2015, it was reported on TVLine that Netflix struck a deal with Warner Bros. to revive the series in a limited run, consisting of four 90-minute episodes. It was reported that Sherman-Palladino would be in charge of the new episodes.

On October 25, 2015, during a Wizard World Tulsa pop culture convention Q&A, Milo Ventimiglia stated, "I've always been pretty vocal about 'Gilmore' and I know everybody's been waiting, and I was like, 'That will never happen,' and it's totally happening. While I was actually here, I got an email from the producers. Again, I'm always vocal (about producers) Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino; they're two of my favorite people and two of my favorite writers ever of all time. Just to be able to speak their words again, of course I would do it. So I told them, yeah, of course I'll do it."

On January 29, 2016, Netflix and Warner Bros. officially confirmed the revival, tentatively titled Gilmore Girls: Seasons, stating that Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Sean Gunn and Keiko Agena are set to return. Yanic Truesdale confirmed his return on Twitter later that day, as did David Sutcliffe.

On February 1, 2016, Tanc Sade, who played Logan's friend, Finn, confirmed through his Twitter account that he would be joining the cast to reprise his role. On that same day, Aris Alvarado, who played Caesar, confirmed that he would be returning. Also on February 1, 2016, Mike Gandolfi confirmed that he was returning as Andrew in the series revival. In an interview with TVLine, Kelly Bishop confirmed that Rose Abdoo and Liza Weil would be returning for the revival. Matt Czuchry, Milo Ventimiglia, and Jared Padalecki are also returning. Filming of the new episodes had started in Los Angeles as of February 2, 2016, and was scheduled to last until June 30, 2016, with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino returning as writers and directors. On February 10, 2016, Sally Struthers, Michael Winters, and Liz Torres, reprising the roles of Babette Dell, Taylor Doose, and Miss Patty LaCosta respectively, were announced as returning characters through detective work by a fan website. Ca role King was also confirmed as returning to reprise her sometimes role of Sophie Bloom. Sutton Foster, from Palladino's Bunheads, was also cast. That same day, musician Grant Lee Phillips, who portrayed as a town troubadour, announced that he was reprising his role. On February 11, 2016, it was confirmed that Emily Kuroda would reprise her role as Mrs. Kim, Lane's mother, by TVLine. On the same day, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that David Sutcliffe, who played Christopher Hayden, would return for the revival as well. Danny Strong confirmed on February 11 that he, too, would be reprising his role as Doyle. Also on February 11, it was confirmed by Variety that Vanessa Marano, who played Luke's daughter, would be returning to the revival. On February 16, 2016, Sparky, the dog that played Lorelai's dog, Paul Anka, was confirmed as returning in the Netflix revival. Babette's husband, Morey, played by Ted Rooney, was confirmed as returning on February 17. On Februa ry 19, 2016, Jackson Douglas, who played Sookie's husband, Jackson, confirmed that he would be returning to the cast to reprise his role, despite rumors that Melissa McCarthy would not be reprising her role. On February 21, 2016, Gregg Henry, who played Mitchum Huntzberger, confirmed in an interview that he would reprise his role in the series. On February 23, 2016, Alan Loayza, who played Colin McCrae, Logan's friend, confirmed that he would reprising his role via his Twitter. Nick Holmes, who played the smaller role of Logan's friend Robert with the fake last name Grimaldi made up by Rory, confirmed through his Twitter account that he was returning to the series on February 29, 2016.

On March 9, 2016, Biff Yeager, who played the character Tom, confirmed through his Twitter account that he would return for the Netflix revival. On March 15, 2016, Dakin Matthews, who played Chilton's headmaster, Hanlin Charleston, was confirmed as returning for his role. On March 25, 2016, John Cabrera, who played Brian Fuller in Lane's band, Hep Alien, confirmed that not only he but all four members of the band would be returning to the series, including other members Zack Van Gerbig, who was played by Todd Lowe, and Gil, who was played by rock musician Sebastian Bach. On March 29, 2016, Chris Eigeman, who played the character of Jason Stiles in season 4, announced on Twitter that he was returning in the revival. On April 7, 2016, Melissa McCarthy officially announced to Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she would be returning for the revival. On May 19, 2016, it was announced that the revival would be titled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. The fo ur-part revival premiered on Netflix on November 25, 2016.

Cast and characters

Main

Notes:

Recurring

Notes:

Episodes

Premise

The pilot of Gilmore Girls sets up the premise of the show and a number of its recurrent themes as we learn that Lorelai became pregnant with Rory at age sixteen but chose not to marry Rory's father, Christopher Hayden. Instead, she leaves her disappointed parents in Hartford, Connecticut, for Stars Hollow. Later episodes reveal that Lorelai and infant Rory were taken in by Mia, owner of the Independence Inn, where Lorelai eventually progressed from maid to executive manager. In the pilot, Rory, who is about to turn sixteen, has been accepted to Chilton Preparatory School in order to pursue her dream of studying at Harvard University. Lorelai finds herself unable to afford Chilton's tuition. Desperation and determination lead Lorelai to approach her parents, Emily and Richard, where she strikes a bargain. Her parents provide her with a loan to cover the tuition in exchange for an agreement that every Friday night she and Rory will join them for dinner at the senior Gilmores '.

The interaction with Lorelai and her parents foreshadows many conflicts within the series. The motherâ€"daughter relationships of Emilyâ€"Lorelai and Lorelaiâ€"Rory become a defining theme of the show.

Lorelai's romantic life

Lorelai's various romantic entanglements also play a role in the show from the start. Her first relationship involves Max Medina (Scott Cohen), Rory's English teacher, who becomes briefly engaged to Lorelai. She also has short relationships with a divorced man named Alex (Billy Burke) and her childhood friend Jason Stiles (Chris Eigeman), who is also her father's business partner, and with whom she breaks up after Jason and her father have a falling out in their business. She also has an on-again-off-again relationship with Rory's father, Christopher (David Sutcliffe), which becomes even more complicated after Chris and his girlfriend Sherry have a daughter, Georgia (Gigi).

However, Lorelai's relationship with local diner owner Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) is a constant throughout: It is a playful, close friendship until the end of Season 4, when the two finally become romantically involved. Lorelai's disapproving parents encourage Christopher to win Lorelai back, which results in a brief breakup between Lorelai and Luke. Despite this, at the end of Season 5, Luke and Lorelai become engaged. In Season 6, they put their wedding plans on hold after Luke discovers that he has a 12-year-old daughter, April (Vanessa Marano). Luke works on forging a father-daughter relationship with April outside of his relationship with Lorelai. Feeling increasingly alienated from Luke's life, Lorelai issues him an ultimatum to elope. When Luke turns her down, she spends the night with Christopher. In Season 7, no longer with Luke, Lorelai begins dating Christopher. They impulsively get married on a trip to France they'd taken in order to give Gigi a chance to see Sherry (who moved to Paris and abandoned her previously). Rory is not happy when she finds out because her mother/ best friend did not tell her she was getting married. But after Christopher realizes that Luke and Lorelai still have feelings for one another, Christopher ends their marriage. In the final episode of the show, Luke and Lorelai reconcile after Luke organizes a town farewell party for the graduating Rory. The final scene of the series mirrors the final scene of the first episode, with Lorelai and Rory eating in the diner and Luke behind the counter. In the revival series set 10 years later they are settled into a committed relationship and in the episode "Fall" they finally marry in the gazebo.

Rory's romantic life

As with Lorelai's, Rory's romantic attractions also run throughout the show.

Rory meets Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) in the first episode of the series. The two maintain a relationship for nearly two-and-a-half years, with Rory rejecting advances from Chilton classmate Tristan Dugray (Chad Michael Murray) all the while. Rory and Dean break up briefly on their three-month anniversary date because Rory can't reciprocate Dean's feelings after he professes his love for her. Dean and Rory get back together in the end of Season 1. Rory and Dean break up again after Rory falls for the troubled Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), Luke Danes' nephew. Although Jess is reviled by the rest of the town, Rory's deep-seated connection with him is undeniable, and she finds that the two share interests in music and literature and maintain a special understanding of each other throughout the series. There is some anger and unresolved feelings between them a year after their break up, but they come to friendly terms years later, when Jess attributes Rory's confidence in him for getting his life on track, and he, in turn, does the same for her.

After Jess leaves town unannounced, Rory reunites with a now-married Dean, which ultimately ends Dean's marriage and creates a short-lived rift between Rory and her mother. Rory and Dean break up when he decides he can't compete with her life at Yale and her new Yale friends, including Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), whom Rory eventually starts dating. After Rory is kicked out of the apartment she shares with Paris and her boyfriend Doyle, Logan invites her to move in with him. At the wedding of Logan's sister, Rory learns that while the two were on a break months before, Logan had sex with most of his sister's bridesmaids, and she is disgusted at his shocking behavior. Rory leaves Logan, but he convinces her to come back to the apartment that they shared. For Rory's final year at Yale, the couple is in a long-distance relationship due to Logan working for his father's company in London. Eventually Rory graduates from Yale, and Logan proposes to her, asking that she move to Sili con Valley with him. Rory reluctantly refuses his offer because she wants to pursue her journalism career. Logan tells Rory that it is marriage or nothing, and they break up.

Rory's friends

Rory's friendships with long-time best friend Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), a second-generation Korean American from a strict Christian home, and Paris Geller (Liza Weil), a friend and rival at both Chilton and Yale, play strongly in the show. Although she shares a close bond with Lane, she was rarely together with Rory in the show due to their separate lives and paths. At the end of Season 6, Lane marries Hep Alien band-mate Zach van Gerbig (Todd Lowe), a sweet, slightly clumsy rocker. At the beginning of Season 7, Lane discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant and gives birth to twins (Kwan and Steve) later in the season. Also in Season 7, Paris is accepted to Harvard Medical School.

Reception

Critical response

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. In the San Francisco Chronicle review of the first season, John Carman said: "It's cross-generational, warm-the-cockles viewing, and it's a terrific show. Can this really be the WB, niche broadcaster to horny mall rats?" Newsday journalist Diane Werts reviewed the show, writing: "The way in which Gilmore Girls digs lightly but firmly into deep-seated emotion is as magical as the way Lorelai's yellow dream daisies end up scattered all over their town. We weekly wish we were there." Writing for The Cincinnati Post, Rick Bird called Gilmore Girls "one of the most witty and sassy mother-daughter buddy shows seen on TV in some time. This free-spirited dramedy is one of the more endearing, engaging shows of the new se ason."

In the Orlando Sentinel review of the second season premiere, critic Hal Boedeker writes "Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino writes clever dialogue and ingratiating comedy, but she also knows how to do bittersweet drama. That Gilmore Girls is a touching comedy is also a tribute to the actors, led by the luminous Graham. The Gilmore family is one television clan worth knowing, and that can't be said too often these days. The A.V. Club included in November 2002, the episode "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" on its list of the best TV episodes of the decade. 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." However, she highlighted Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop's performances, saying their characters "could have been stereotypical preppies, but thank goodness, they're so much more."

Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly rated the seasons one to six "A" and the last season "C". He wrote that Lorelai and Rory Gilmore combined with "Sherman-Palladino's protean gift for cultural references in some cross between Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Ulysses," made you live each week in "an old world with a fresh coat of words." He described the last season as "a death-blow season [which] was more accurately Gilmore Ghosts, as the exhausted actors bumped into the furniture searching for their departed souls and smart punchlines" but concluded the previous seasons were "six seasons of magnificent mixed emotions, with performances as shaded as a spot under a Stars Hollow elm tree."

Gilmore Girls was listed as one of Time magazine's "All-TIME 100 TV Shows." Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Thank you, fast-talking Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, for suggesting moms and teenage daughters really can get alongâ€"all it takes is love, patience, and copious quantities of coffee."

Alan Sepinwall included the show in his "Best of the 00s in Comedies" list, saying: "It got on the air thanks in part to a coalition of advertisers looking for family-friendly programming, and "Gilmore" offered up an unconventional but enormously appealing family: mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and teen daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), so close in age that they often seemed more like sisters, plus the wealthy parents (Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann) Lorelai split from after getting pregnant at 16. 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. At its best, Gilmore Girls was pure, concentrated happiness."

Awards and nominations

Gilmore Girls earned several accolades, receiving an American Film Institute Award in 2002 and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Series for the episode "The Festival of Living Art" (2004). The series was honored by the Viewers For Quality Television with a "seal of quality" in 2000 and was also named New Program of the Year by the Television Critics Association in 2001. The show's actors have received many awards for their work on the series. Graham won a Family Television Awards, and she won the Teen Choice Award for Best TV Mom twice. Alexis Bledel won a Young Artist Award, two Teen Choice Awards, and a Family Television Award. The series also won a Family Television Award for New Series and was named Best Family TV Drama Series by the Young Artist Awards.

Ratings

The show was not a ratings success initially, airing in the tough Thursday 8pm/7pm Central time slot dominated by Survivor on CBS and sister Warner Bros. Television sitcom Friends on NBC in its seventh season. When it moved to Tuesday, its ratings surpassed its time slot competitor, popular series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which had moved to the United Paramount Network (UPN) but retained the same time slot. It became The WB's third-highest-rated show. In its fifth season, Gilmore Girls became The WB's second-most-watched prime time show, with viewer numbers that grew by double digits in all major demographics.

The following list details the seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Gilmore Girls in the United States. The show rated first in the 18â€"25 demographic for women and second for men throughout the first four seasons. Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

Broadcast

Gilmore Girls' first season commenced in the Thursday 8pm/7pm Central time slot, as a lead in for Charmed. 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. Later seasons saw it lead into One Tree Hill. In its syndicated release in the United States, the show airs on Freeform (formerly ABC Family until January 12, 2016), and from 2009 to 2013, aired in weekend timeslots on their sister network SOAPnet, which closed at the start of 2014. Reruns were added to UPtv on October 4, 2015, though Freeform continued to air episodes daily in its traditional 11 a.m. ET/PT timeslot until May 2016, when they began to be double-screened from 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET/PT daily. It returned to the 11 a.m. timeslot in double-run form in August 2016.

First season reruns aired on Monday nights from March until May 2001, while Roswell was on hiatus to spread audience awareness. An additional run of the first season aired in 2002 on Sunday nights under the title Gilmore Girls Beginnings (which featured a modified opening sequence voiced with a monologue detailing the premise from Graham), and was one of two shows on The WB to give the Beginnings in its title for reruns (the other being 7th Heaven).

In the United Kingdom, Gilmore Girls was initially screened on Nickelodeon from 2003. Only the first three seasons were shown, with episodes edited for content and some, like "The Big One", dropped entirely. The series was subsequently picked up by the Hallmark Channel, which gave UK premieres to seasons 4 and 5, and E4, which continued to show all seven seasons in rotation, with occasional cuts to render it suitable for its early time slot, though not as drastic as Nickelodeon's cuts. On January 16, 2012, Gilmore Girls aired its final episode on E4. All seven seasons are now being aired, unedited, on 5*.

In Ireland, the series aired its entire run on RTÉ One on Sundays.

In Australia from March 16, 2015, Gilmore Girls began airing again weeknights on digital terrestrial network GEM.

The complete series became available worldwide on Netflix on July 1, 2016.

Home media and online releases

Warner Home Video released all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls on DVD in region 1, 2, 4, mainly in full-screen 4:3 due to Amy Sherman-Palladino's preference at the time of original release. All seasons are available for digital download on the iTunes Store, Amazon.com and other digital sales websites, with all digital sites offering all previous seasons in HD. On October 1, 2014, all seven seasons of the series began streaming on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service in the United States and on July 1, 2016, globally.

Books

• Four books for young adults, which adapted scripts for episodes in the first and second seasons into novel form from Rory's first-person point of view and included bonus "diary" content which included publicity photos from the series, were published by HarperCollins's HarperEntertainment/TV Tie-Ins imprint:
  • Like Mother, Like Daughter by Catherine Clark (2002, ISBN 0-06-051023-4)
  • I Love You, You Idiot by Cathy East Dubowski (2002, ISBN 0-06-050228-2)
  • I Do, Don't I? by Catherine Clark (2002, ISBN 0-06-009757-4)
  • The Other Side Of Summer by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Helen Pai (2002, ISBN 0-06-050916-3)
• Two unofficial guides to the series;
  • Coffee At Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gab Fest (2007, ISBN 1-933771-17-8)
  • The Gilmore Girls Companion by A. S. Berman (2010, ISBN 1-59393-616-8)
• A cookbook inspired by the series;
  • Eat Like A Gilmore by Kristi Carlson (2016)