There are few series that can boast their culture-defining status and continued relevance more than twenty years after their release. ButGilmore Girlsis undoubtedly among them. With its peachy color-grading and small-town charm,Gilmore Girlsis the ultimate comfort show with plenty of episodes to watch, rewatch, and watch again.
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But its seven-season run, and subsequent revival, haven’t all been as equally adored by fans. Criticisms around character development, writing quality, and production style have plagued some of the seasons in the show’s long history. However, despite all this, the quaint and rose-tinted charm of Stars Hollow and its inhabitants still draws fans both old and new back into its world.
8Season 7
As the only season to execute without its original showrunners of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, season seven ofGilmore Girlsis almost unanimously known asthe worst of the bunch. It has all the fan-favorite characters without any of their original charm or hard-earned development.
Though fans of Rory’s father, Christopher, will be happy to watch his relationship with Lorelai develop, the plotline in this season allows little time for fans to relish the pairing before bad decisions and bitterness tear them apart. Similarly, Rory and her boyfriend Logan have plenty of interpersonal complications to battle as he moves to London to prove himself in the business world.
Season seven concerns itself more with rehashing the same old problems for the titular Gilmore women rather than allowing them to progress and flourish as they deserve. Add to that the change in cinematography and color-grading to a higher budget yet colder style and this season feels like a pale imitation of its former glory.
7Season 6
Though it was the last original season the Palladinos were involved with, season six suffers from the same issue that season seven does – including problems for problems’ sake. Miscommunications and meltdowns are rife and, though some are justified plotlines, many feel out of place.
However, this season has a few inclusions that win it some extra points over its successor. Firstly, Luke and Lorelai get engaged and have many cozy couple moments.They adopt a dognamed Paul Anka, who is an odd but perfect addition to their household and participates in many Stars Hollow events.
The introduction of April and the fallout from Rory dropping out of college are interesting developments, but both have flaws associated with them that can be painful to watch. The season has a mix of classicGilmore Girlswhimsicality with all the drawbacks of being in the tail end of the original show.
6A Year In The Life
Themuch-anticipated revivalseries premiered on Netflix in 2016, over a decade after the original show aired. Ask any two dedicatedGilmore Girlsfans for their opinions, and it becomes incredibly clear how divisive these series-ending episodes can be.
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Part of the revival’s inspiration was for the original showrunners to right the wrongs of season seven and to end things in the way they had originally intended. The revival series achieves this brief quite well. The whimsicality and camp-ness of Stars Hollow are dialed up to a higher extreme and many beloved and despised characters alike make a return.
But, yet again, the same old problems of miscommunication, immaturity, and a doubling down on bad decision-making plague the main characters and their relationships. As such, the revival series makes many audience members wonder why neither Gilmore girl has outgrown their more toxic habits yet.
5Season 4
The fourth season of the seriesdevelops the relationshipsof the main characters in much more natural ways and does a good job of balancing plotlines and complications. But just because this season’s problems are more deserved doesn’t mean they’re all fun to witness.
Several key narratives feel almost like a train wreck – impossible to tear one’s eyes away from. From Dean marrying his high-school sweetheart Lindsay, Lane getting kicked out of the house and crashing with Rory, to Lorelai’s new beau suing her father, season four has plenty of wild and enthralling moments.
But one key aspect that pulls this season a few rungs down from the others is how it treats Rory’s burgeoning sex life. Instead of exploring things in college, Rory has an affair with Dean even though he’s married. Many fans feel this plotline lacks authenticity to the typically considerate younger protagonist.
4Season 2
As thefollow-up to the successful firstseason of the show, season two does many things right. From Luke’s brooding nephew coming to town to Christopher finally getting his life together enough to be a better father, there are lots of interesting moments and character progressions that feel authentic.
There are also some sweet moments with side characters too, such as Sookie and Jackson getting engaged and eventually married. Lorelai’s father Richard branches out into his own insurance business with the help of Lorelai and fans get to see some long-overdue father-daughter bonding.
As Jess and Rory strike up a cautious friendship, however, Dean morphs into a jealous and overly clingy boyfriend. While this tendency can be seen as quite in-character for Rory’s small-town love interest, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch.
3Season 3
One of the best seasons of the show must be the third for a myriad of deserved reasons. Many of the actors, particularly Alexis Bledel, seem to ease into acting and showcase a lot more personality in their characters. This season also contains a handful of fan-favorite episodes that more than makeup for any tiresome plotlines.
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The seventh episode is perhaps one of the most iconic as it packs in everything that makesGilmore Girlsgreat. As the town holds its annual 24-hour dance marathon, Rory and Lorelai enter with the singular goal of beating Kirk. The episode is full of Stars Hollow eccentricity, romantic tension, and captivating character confrontations.
This season is also the only one to feature flashback sequences, which gives viewers a closer look at Lorelai’s troubled teenage years. Many fans agree that the thirteenth episode isperhaps the best ever, as the cinematography, soundtrack, and scene transitions all intertwine to tell the poignant story.
2Season 5
The fifth season ofGilmore Girlsis perhaps the one with the most storyline payoff. In it, fans finally get to see the culmination of four seasons of romantic tension between Luke and Lorelai. The classic will-they-won’t-they couple feature heavily as the whole town tries to get involved in their relationship.
Fans are also introduced more closely to Luke’s slightly neurotic sister Liz. Her partner, T.J. is an annoying yet lovable goof who seems to have more confidence than brains. But the two provide asweet comic reliefand a great juxtaposition to the more serious Luke.
Mercifully for many fans, Rory and Dean split up and she later falls in with Logan, the rich and charming son of a journalism magnate. All doesn’t entirely go well, however, as she faces criticism during an internship at one of Logan’s father’s businesses. Despite the discomfort of this plotline and Rory’s meltdown afterward, many fans agree this criticism was well overdue for the perfect prodigal daughter.
1Season 1
Nothing beats the true originality and the cozy, rosy feelings thatGilmore Girlsseason one elicits. One of the main reasons fans return to the story over and over again is the successful and charming way that the showrunners introduced audiences to the world of Stars Hollow.
From the iconic turn of the century fashion to the warm and grainy film style, season one has so much comfort and fun to offer. Lorelai’s sharp wit and kind kookiness are truly at their peak in this season, as is Rory’s shy and bookish nature.
This season of the still-iconic show has all thenostalgia for an erathat’s rapidly coming back into fashion. Its early 00s clothing, music, and pop culture references galore seem almost contemporary again.Gilmore Girlsseason one takes viewers back in time to this almost magical small Connecticut town, where the very worst thing that can happen is a compulsory Friday night dinner.
