Gilmore Girls

 

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore 

Do you have a comfort show that you always find yourself watching over and over again? There are a handful of shows that people rewatch and never get tired of, even after getting through every episode. Many fans of Gilmore Girls, a comedy-drama television series, can say that it has been a classic comfort show for them ever since it premiered over two decades ago. This show focuses on the close-knit relationship between a single mother in her thirties named Lorelai Gilmore, and her daughter who was named after her but is known as Rory Gilmore in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. This mother-daughter dramedy has a chokehold on many fans all over the globe. 

Demi Adejuyigbe and Kevin Porter (3)

    

On October 1st, 2014, all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls began streaming on Netflix. That same day the fervor of the series led Kevin T. Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe started their podcast "Gilmore Guys" to dissect and discuss episodes weekly. The audience got two points of view as Adejuyigbe was watching it for the first time and Porter had been a longtime fan of Gilmore Girls. Although it began as a small show, over time they accumulated a large following and members of the cast of Gilmore Girls joined the podcast for an interview. Some of the cast featured on the show includes Lauren Graham (plays Lorelai), Kelly Bishop (plays Emily Gilmore, the mother of Lorelai), Milo Ventimiglia (plays Jess), and more. The Gilmore Guys podcast was on the list of "The 50 Best Podcasts Right Now" by Time magazine in 2017 and has performed live shows, taking the podcast on several tours in the U.S (6).

Gilmore Girls cast reunited at ATX Television Festival (1)

The "Gilmore Guys" podcast has been bonding experiences for daughters, mothers, couples, and friends that have met through the podcast's community. “People felt this sense of joy when they watched the show each week and being transported back to that time and place brought that feeling back tenfold,” said Gipson of the cast panel her festival hosted in June 2015. Porter's goal was for the podcast to foster feelings of community portrayed in the residents and community of Stars Hollow (1).

There is an annual convention held every year in Guilford Connecticut for the fans of Gilmore Girls called The Firelight Event. This festival has been ongoing since 2016 and includes over 40 events, activities, meet and greets, giveaways, costume contests, tastings, panels, and more! It offers fans the opportunity to experiences parallels to the show based on the fictional town of Stars Hollow in Connecticut and unifies friends, newcomers, cast and crew members. The festival is produces by fans Jennie and Marcus Whitaker and it has brought together people from all over the United States and 23 countries. “The Fan Fest Society does not produce a typical ‘con’ in a convention center. Our events are smaller, more immersive and infiltrate a welcoming town alongside a willing cast and crew. It’s something that every great show deserves, people behind it, willing to keep it alive,” Marcus Whitaker, co-creator of The Fan Fest Society, said. In the following video, you will find examples of fans cosplaying and paying tribute to the show at the festival (1).

Twitter post of Jess, Rory, and Dean (2)

There are themes of romance in the show that fans are captivated by. Throughout the show, there is controversy concerning who was a better partner for Rory Gilmore. Due to her growing love interest for Jess, many fans began to form the opinion that Jess is a better lover for Rory Gilmore. They had more in common intellectually as they would relate to each other when it came to the lifestyle they wanted to live, books they would read, he challenged her by bringing her out of her comfort zone, he wasn’t jealous or insecure, and they could always banter. On the other hand, some fans disagree and would prefer Rory and Dean together. Dean was a simpler guy, but he would hang out more with Rory and her family, always made sure she was happy, had a good upbringing, did more romantic things, and didn’t bail when things got tough (5).

A meme of Lorelai and Rory (4)

Fans not only go crazy over Gilmore Girls on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram with over a million views on each platform, but they also create their own or use existing websites as a way of expressing appreciation towards the show (4). They have their own fan forum, fandom site that has polls for users to vote on, memes on Thunder Dungeon, Gilmore Girls Wiki with information and videos on cast members, and Etsy which includes fan art, digital products, clothing, and so much more! Fans that are a part of the Gilmore Girls fandom have so much to participate in and many different ways to continue to admire the show they love in ways they have never done before!

References

(1) Clements, E. (2020, October 5). Where it leads, they will follow: Why “gilmore girls” fandom is stronger than ever. TODAY.com. https://www.today.com/popculture/where-it-leads-they-will-follow-gilmore-girls-fandom-lives-t172884

(2) Girls, G. (2022, November 4). Team jess or Team Dean? #GilmoreGirls pic.twitter.com/gCWfQGZY61. Twitter. https://twitter.com/GilmoreGirls/status/1588614559987810311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588614559987810311%7Ctwgr%5E81dde9ca6a4049dfc92cccd717e93d8323efaab2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FGilmoreGirls%2Fstatus%2F1588614559987810311

(3) Headgum. (n.d.). Gilmore Guys. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/39WhWkIPhl0rLhgDr21TOy

(4) Morell, E. (2023, October 19). Why “Gilmore Girls,” the show that talked about feminism in the 2000s, makes us feel good in 2023. EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-10-19/why-gilmore-girls-the-show-that-talked-about-feminism-in-the-2000s-makes-us-feel-good-in-2023.html

(5) Tsintziras, A. (2020, November 15). Gilmore Girls: Who was better for Rory, Jess or Dean?. ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/gilmore-girls-who-better-relationship-rory-jess-dean-comparison/

(6) Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, April 24). Gilmore Guys. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_Guys