It’s been 25 years since the world was first introduced to Gilmore Girls and its fast-talking, coffee-stalking mother and daughter — but you wouldn’t know it given the passion of old fans and the slew of eager new ones.
Within an hour of my September arrival at the A Weekend in the Life convention in New Milford, Connecticut — one of the towns that supposedly inspired the ’00s (and beyond) phenomenon Gilmore Girls, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel — I’m approached by no less than five kind strangers ready to chat.
A Taylor Doose type representing the local historical society points to the nearby gazebo (“It’s a bandstand!” I can almost hear him correcting me) as he recalls an Ohio man popping the question to his Gilmore-obsessed girlfriend (now fiancée).
A Mrs. Kim stand-in — though much nicer, as advertised on a sign outside her shop — is quick to share that fans have come from Alaska, New Zealand and France to visit her thrift store, The Hunt, in the center of town.
A local woman resembling Miss Patty in demeanor more than aesthetic interrupts my notetaking to ask if I’m painting and if so, have I checked out the area artisans?
And finally, mother-daughter duo Kim and Lorelai (yes, she’s named after Graham’s character) talk to me about their pilgrimage to this quaint town all the way from Minnesota after years of watching their own familial dynamic reflected in the words and actions of the Gilmore duo.
That’s the draw for many of the 1,200 or so superfans who’ve made the trip for this particular Gilmore event — one of hundreds that take place each year in the form of conventions, trivia battles and even themed cruises.
“There’s a lot of heavy stuff in our world. Sometimes you just want to escape to that wonderful place that makes you feel good and brings you back home,” Kim told Us Weekly.
Lorelai Stranski and Kim Peterson Janelle Poitras of JPoitrasPhotos
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the comedy drama came into our lives October 5, 2000, introducing 30-something Lorelai Gilmore and her precocious teenage daughter, Rory. The verbal and coffee-committed duo were foiled by the equally quick Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), aloof, society-minded mother to Lorelai and doting grandmother to Rory.
Outside of the intergenerational trio at the story’s heart, the residents of fictional Stars Hollow, Connecticut — said to be loosely based on zip codes like New Milford — add a quirky edge.
A quick roundup: Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann) is the golf-loving patriarch. In addition to self-appointed town leader Taylor (Michael Winters), there’s diner owner Luke (Scott Patterson), an on-again, off-again love interest for Lorelai; Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda), stern mom to Rory’s best friend, Lane (Keiko Agena); and Miss Patty (Liz Torres), dancer-turned-teacher and town gossip.
More than 20 years after Gilmore Girls debuted on October 5, 2000 — and was rebooted in 2016 for a four-part update — viewers are still yearning for more from Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms […]
Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy) is the clumsy yet talented cook who is Lorelai’s business partner/BFF. Michel Gerard (Yanic Truesdale) is the prickly French concierge at the inn where Lorelai and Sookie work. Add in more colorful denizens of Stars Hollow (Sean Gunn, Sally Struthers and Jackson Douglas, to name a few), as well as Rory’s classmates (such as Liza Weil) and her oft-discussed love interests Dean (Jared Padalecki), Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) and Logan (Matt Czuchry).
Cast of ‘Gilmore Girls’ Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Living Gilmore
While the show was a moderate success during its seven seasons on the WB and the CW, a whole new generation became initiated into the cozy cult of Gilmore Girls when Netflix added it in 2014. (The four-episode revival A Year in the Life streamed in 2016.) Even a quick glance at TV listings shows a whopping 38 hours of Gilmore airing in one week.
“I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched it anymore. I’ve lost count,” fan Liza Seipold told Us at the Decade Days–operated gathering. (Not surprisingly for this group, her admission was covered by a fellow fan after finding out Seipold’s daughter was sick and she couldn’t afford the ticket price.) “I watch it every day, practically. I’m obsessed. I mean, it’s one of my favorite shows ever. It’s my happy place.”
Retailers Danielle Restivo and Angelique Holm feel similarly: “I want to live in Stars Hollow. That’s the dream,” the latter told Us, adding that “money is no object” when it comes to how much she’d spend on Gilmore Girls–related merch or activities. (Other attendees reveal $1,000+ running tabs of what they spent to get there, plus branded sweatshirts, candles, blankets and selfies with cast members at around $70 a pop.)
Retailers Angelique Holm and Danielle Restivo Janelle Poitras of JPoitrasPhotos
Caitlin Broome and Skyler Laskowski, who bonded over their love of the show while in college in North Carolina, made the trek north to attend and defend their “Team Logan” status.
Avid Gilmore viewers Meghna Balakumar and Kevin Konrad Hanna even took it upon themselves to create Drink Coffee, Talk Fast, a documentary featuring interviews with Agena, Bishop, Padalecki, Chad Michael Murray and more, supported by other fans via a Kickstarter campaign, launched Tuesday, September 30.
Many fans feel about Gilmore Girls the way Lorelai and Rory described The Donna Reed Show to Dean in season 1: “It’s a lifestyle.” “It’s a religion.” Those phrases could be seen on several of Restivo and Holm’s sweatshirts for sale.
In addition to the 15-year-old Lorelai quoted earlier, cast members tell me they’ve met countless fans named after Rory, Luke and even more peripheral characters like Finn. The stars are approached by fans on nudist beaches, in remote areas of the world and even in bathrooms. “That’s probably the wildest,” Scott Cohen, who played Max, Rory’s teacher and Lorelai’s love interest early on, told Us.
If you’re out on the road feeling lonely and oh-so-cold, Gilmore Girls is the perfect comfort watch to warm you right up. The series, which premiered in 2000 and was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, follows single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) as she raises her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), while trying to reconnect with her […]
Cohen recalls a time when a Gilmore Girls contingent came to a play he was doing in New York, throwing daisies on stage in homage to the 1,000 yellow daisies his character used to propose to Lorelai. “Both slightly embarrassing but at the same time fantastic,” he observed.
Throughout the weekend, I encountered 16 fans with tattoos celebrating the show, everything from dragonflies to “Where You Lead, I Will Follow,” the hook to Carole King’s song that serves as the main theme. I meet fans from Canada, Australia, Bahrain and all over the U.S. I even overhear someone in the bathroom say, “I don’t want to wash the hand that just shook Logan’s hand.” (Actor Czuchry was on site for meet-and-greets.) And this is just a snippet of the global Gilmore community.
“A lot of these people have gotten to be friends over the years,” says Jennie Whitaker, creator and organizer of the Fan Fest Society, which has put on Gilmore-themed festivals, cruises and gatherings since 2016. (Next: the Firelight Event in Guilford, Connecticut, running October 17–19.) “We’ve had this incredible community that I’ve never seen in [anything] I’ve ever done in my life — people who fly across the country for weddings, funerals, birthdays, adoptions [and] reunions throughout the year.”
Whitaker has personally seen “thousands” of Gilmore tattoos, and she watches fans exchange tokens, or tchotchkes, every year. (“It was like the original Eras Tour,” she says of this tradition that started well before Taylor Swift fans swapped bracelets.) Whitaker has hosted Gilmore obsessives from all 50 states and 23 countries and even facilitated a wedding at one festival, with hundreds of attendees dressing up to be bridesmaids. She has also heard powerful testimonies from local business owners on the impact these fans have on local communities.
“[One woman] came up to us to say, ‘I sell more baked goods this weekend [than] I do the entire culmination of the year,’” she recalls of the tiny Connecticut towns that host the events. “Business owners are usually really grateful, because it’s a huge influx of people coming in to spend money and support tourism and just be part of their town.” Millions are drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid — or rather, coffee — and the cult is only growing.
Fans at A Weekend in the Life convention in New Milford Janelle Poitras of JPoitrasPhotos
Lasting Impact
“It feels like the legacy grew over time in a significant way,” Kevin T. Porter, onetime cohost of the “Gilmore Guys” podcast (2014–2017), told Us. “It really seems to be growing in size and in number every single year. It has not died out in the way one might imagine for a show that hasn’t been on regularly in almost 20 years.”
Why has this family-forward, community-oriented dramedy from the pre–social media era had such a lasting appeal — even to generations born after its run? (Hello, Reader, allow me to introduce myself: I was born the day the season 1 finale aired in 2001.) Fans and cast members have some theories.
“There’s something about the show and the fictional town of Stars Hollow, by way of Connecticut, by way of the Burbank backlot in L.A., that just makes people want to go back there and be in it as escapism, as a form of safety, as an expression of romance and optimism and idealism,” said Porter. “Something keeps them wanting to come back, and it’s been quite something to watch that grow.”
Most fans tell me they embark on their annual rewatch at the beginning of fall, aligning the cozy, warm feelings the show elicits with the change of the seasons. (“I am an Autumn,” Richard Gilmore famously declared in an audio clip that annually takes over TikTok.)
Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel Warner Bros./Everett Collection
“This sort of medicinal, therapeutic side to the show is undeniable,” cast member Patterson told Us. “I hear it all the time. I hear, ‘This show saved me,’ ‘This show got me through cancer,’ ‘This show got me through Iraq.’”
Patterson recalled one 2015 occasion when he was approached by a man in military fatigues at the Austin airport. “We watched that show when we were out in the middle of nowhere,” the vet told him, tearing up. “If we survived our deployment, we’d get back to the camp, and we’d watch your show. We lost guys, and we’d come back and watch your show. Because to us, that felt like America. It gave us hope.”
Gilmore Girls captured small-town America at a time before technology and political polarization and global pandemics tore communities apart. Moreover, it’s centered on a single mom whose life aspirations are raising her daughter and starting a business — not finding a man to take care of her.
A new documentary will look back on the impact of Gilmore Girls to honor the show’s 25th anniversary this fall. From Ink On Paper Studios, Searching For Stars Hollow: A Gilmore Girls Documentary will offer fans of the beloved series a fresh perspective on “the story you thought you knew of how Gilmore Girls came […]
“At the time, it was revolutionary,” Tanc Sade, a.k.a. Finn, Life and Death Brigade member and friend to Rory and Logan in the later seasons, told Us. “I think it was the first show that championed intelligent women who weren’t dependent on men, who weren’t secondary characters. They weren’t there because of what they looked like. They were smart, they were articulate, and they were funny, and I think it spoke to a generation of women who needed that.”
Female viewers who saw themselves in Rory when the show was airing began to resonate more with Lorelai when they started having children of their own. “Now that I’m a mother with teenagers, I’m starting to agree with things Emily says a lot more than I used to,” fan Jillian Gardner told Us of her evolution.
And fans and cast members alike can’t say enough about the power of Sherman-Palladino’s writing. Along with husband Dan Palladino, a creative force on the series, she challenged actors with dialogue chock-full of witty banter. Scripts were often twice the length of a typical show’s.
Scott Patterson with fans Janelle Poitras of JPoitrasPhotos
“It doesn’t insult the intelligence of the audience,” Patterson told Us. “The audience has to come up to its level. It’s smart. It’s very, very funny… It operates best as a light comedy, and then at the end of an episode, you get a right hook to the head. It’s wonderfully unpredictable. It’s 50 to 60 great jokes per episode. Nobody’s doing it like that. Lorelai’s basically going through life as a stand-up comic and a really good one.”
Ultimately, it seems what continues to draw fans back is the vibe of Stars Hollow — that autumnal je ne sais quoi that serves as a warm blanket for viewers.
“When it comes to entertainment, people are hungry for back-to-basics human drama and storytelling,” Porter told Us. “I think there’s a very explicit coziness to the show that makes people feel safe and feel good about returning to it so much.”
Fans don’t flinch when I ask if they think this is a cult — albeit a cozy one. They revel in the label. Gilmore Girls gives them community, gets them through hard times and brings their families together. At the end of the day, it’s home.
