As the leaves are changing and the weather is cooling down, it’s officially “‘Gilmore Girls’ season” — a tradition that finally reached its 25th year. The heartfelt comedy drama first aired back in October 2000 and the cast has been back in the spotlight even more than usual in light of the anniversary.
The show follows the mother-daughter/best friend duo of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) in the fictional small town Stars Hollow, Connecticut — a place we all wish we could live. After the series finale in 2007, almost the entire main cast returned for the four-part series “Gilmore Girls: A Year in The Life” in 2016.
For myself, “Gilmore Girls” is a year-round watch, but its most iconic time is when autumn rolls around every year — especially with Richard Gilmore’s (Edward Herrman) iconic “I am an Autumn” line.
More than just the fandom have acknowledged the hold the show has on fall.
To celebrate the show’s anniversary, Graham and Bledel reunited on the stage of the 2025 Emmy Awards. They stood on the steps of their Stars Hollow home to present the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award and reminisced on their days as the Gilmore girls.
“Twenty-five years ago, a show called ‘Gilmore Girls’ premiered and, apparently, took the season of fall hostage,” Graham said.
Bledel continued the sentiment, also noting how small the show was before it grew into such a staple.
“In spite of our autumnal dominance, ‘Gilmore’ was actually a very small show,” Bledel said.
Graham was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Oct. 3, joining 2,822 other celebrities. Alongside Graham was “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy-Sherman Palladino and several of her former castmates, who are still friends today.
And now, while fans have hoped for a reboot since being left on a cliffhanger in “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” they are getting to see their favorite characters once again in the upcoming documentary “Searching For Stars Hollow.”
While many of the former cast members have returned to take part, several of the show’s stars are not confirmed as interviewees. That includes “Alexis Bledel, Lauren Graham, Melissa McCarthy, Scott Patterson, Milo Ventimgilia, Yanic Truesdale, Matt Czuchry, Liza Weil, Sean Gunn, and Amy Sherman-Palladino,” according to tvinsider.
So far, fans have gotten sneak peeks into the interviews with cast members, discussing the impact of “Gilmore Girls” and reminiscing on their days in Star Hollow. And while the documentary is still underway, fans anticipate the release and hope their favorite characters will make a return.
It’s been over two decades since it aired, yet the love and devotion from the fandom never ceases.
So what makes it so iconic?
As the show encompasses fall, it’s inspired its own aesthetic — especially with things like fashion choices. Every year fans shop for Rory’s iconic white sweater from the pilot episode or try to emulate Lorelai’s chic work outfits.
Aside from style choices, the show inspires fans during their everyday life — like in high school when I was dressed in a fall outfit while studying and my friend said, “so Rory Gilmore of you.”
I could be biased in telling you how good the show is, but it’s no secret how popular it still is. I first watched the show in 2020 and quite literally haven’t stopped since. If Netflix created its own version of Spotify Wrapped, “Gilmore Girls” would take over mine in every category.
Speaking of music, one of the most stand out parts of the show is its soundtrack. The show plays iconic hits of its time — like when the pilot episode opens with “There She Goes” by The La’s and, of course, the theme song “Where You Lead” by Carol King, who even joins the permanent cast.
Even Spotify themselves shared some of the many “Gilmore Girls” inspired playlists in a post on Instagram, calling it “The Gilmore Girls Effect.”
“Each year searches for ‘Gilmore Girls’ on Spotify increase 140% on average,” according to Spotify.
But what really sticks out is the characters and their relationships with each other. Of course we all know and love the dynamic duo of Lorelai and Rory, who are “best friends first, mother and daughter second.” The show also has a large group of characters we get to follow throughout the whole series, each with something unique about them.
There’s a character for everyone. Any viewer can find someone in the show they relate to or something about a character they admire. Whether it be Rory’s academic focus, Paris’s (Liza Weil) drive, Lorelai’s wit, Michel Gerard’s (Yanic Truesdale) sarcasm or Luke Dane’s (Scott Patterson) passion — with such a large cast I truly could go on and on.
We see countless different dynamics within the cast that are hard to not love, like Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard, but also the ones we wish we had more of, like Paris and Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia).
The show follows the characters through the ups and downs of school, romance, friendships and family — making it relatable and comforting.
And though the show ended almost 20 years ago, everlasting debates still keep conversations buzzing. For instance, the debate of who Rory’s best boyfriend was will forever live on, or all the ‘what ifs’ like what would have happened if Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) and Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody) didn’t have to split.
We all have our go-to rewatch, but arguably “Gilmore Girls” takes the comfort show to another level. So us “Gilmore Girls” enthusiasts can only hope for there to one day be a revival of the show, but for now we put on our fall sweaters, sip our hot coffee and go back to Stars Hollow yet again.
