Why do we still love Gilmore Girls so much?
Autumn is here, meaning it's finally time to get the wooly jumpers out, eat anything flavoured with pumpkin, light a few candles and cosy up in front of the telly. Quickly, though, the scroll through Netflix feels futile, as we know there's only thing we're going to watch: Gilmore Girls.
The series follows mother and daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, and their lives in the sleepy, small town of Stars Hallow. It first aired on the WB in 2000, and more than 20 years on, it's still our go-to show for when the leaves turn orange and weather gets colder.
But, what brings us back to Stars Hollow time and time again, and why do fans love Gilmore Girls so much all these years on? We asked three Gilmore Girls super fans their thoughts.
"It feels like Autumn," says series fan Maria Zitout. "The thing I love the most about Gilmore Girls isn’t the plot, as it’s not a show where an insane amount is always happening - I love that you’re living the small town life with Lorelai and Rory.
"From being locals at Luke’s to having created a family out of their friends and neighbours. Even things like getting loads of takeaway and sitting down with some movies they make feel so cozy and warm and it immediately makes me want to do the same," she continues.
Maria adds that as she's got older, she's aware of the characters' flaws much more, such as both Loralei's and Rory's brattish behaviour and questionable politics, but it doesn’t stop her from unwinding and enjoying the series year-on-year.
For Jane Austin, fan and founder of Persuasion Communications, its Gilmore Girls's representation of single mums that she loves, at a time where there was very little of it in the media. "I became a single parent when the tabloids were raging with moral panic about single mums," she says.
"But, then Gilmore Girls arrived and Lorelai gave me a place. Sure, she doesn’t get everything right as a mum, but just seeing a sole mother reflected authentically on screen at the time gave me comfort, joy and hope.
"Plus, the pop culture-filled dialogue between Lorelai and her brilliant, clever daughter Rory is sharp as a tack," Jane concludes.
For others, it's the cosy, warm aesthetic of the show that we love, like series super fan Hadeel Elshak. "I have exhausted Google with 'towns in England like Stars Hollow' searches," she jokes. "I have a desperate need to belong to a place where I know everyone by name and, for some reason, it always looks like it's Autumn regardless of the season."
Hadeel says that Gilmore Girls serves as some major inspiration for what she wants her future home to look like. "I want to live like any still of my life could be on a postcard. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Sookie's kitchen," she adds. Relatable!
As a self-confessed Gilmore Girls obsessive myself, who admittedly only began watching the series last year, I've come to realise that there really is nothing quite like a Stars Hollow Autumn.
From the witty dialogue, slow burn romances, relatable storylines and more, I've realised that Gilmore Girls is not just a TV show, it's an experience that isn't complete without a dim lights, spiced candles and a hot drink.
There's very few shows that make me feel as calm and quietly entertained as Gilmore Girls, and while the characters can be frustrating (seriously Rory, why did you drop out of Yale?), it's a warming escape from the explosive, fast-paced series that we're so used to in the era of streaming.
Because some days, I don't want to binge-watch a show, I want to take in a series slowly as the leaves fall and there's less and less excuses needed for a quiet, cosy night in front of the telly, just like many spent with Lorelai and Rory.
Gilmore Girls is streaming on Netflix now.
You Might Also Like
