Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson Explain Why a Spinoff Show Wouldn’t Work
Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson shared insight into why a spinoff TV show of the beloved WB series wouldn’t work and whether they’d return for another revival like A Year in the Life.
Oy with the spinoffs already.
While some of the most iconic shows on television—looking at you, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Simpsons—once began as spinoffs, it’s not often that the magic of the original show is able to be replicated. And that’s why Gilmore Girls stars Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson aren’t convinced that a spinoff about Stars Hollow’s iconic residents would work.
Though for Scott, it took a conversation with the then-president of the show’s network, Warner Bros., to realize why a Gilmore Girls spinoff—including one set at his character Luke Danes’ diner—would always feel like it was missing something.
“I brought this up to Peter Roth once advocating for my own spinoff,” the Sullivan’s Crossing star told E! News in an exclusive joint interview with Lauren, “and he told me something steeped in TV history wisdom. He said, ‘Scott, people would miss the other characters so much, because the show is so chock full of rich, wonderful characters.’”
“And boy was that a smart thing to say,” Scott, 66, continued, “because he nailed it.”
For her part, Lauren pointed to how a popular way of revisiting beloved shows has been through prequel series, noting, “You could do the high school Lorelai.”
Or, of course, a jump ahead in time.
“We’re talking about this as if it’s like The Hobbit or something, which I’m not sure it is,” she continued, “but I think the way other universes have dealt with that question is just going back or forward.”
And while many Gilmore Girls fans would be thrilled by the prospect of seeing young Lorelai making her way to Stars Hollow, Lauren pointed out that there would still be plenty of obstacles to overcome, adding, “Then you have the problem of you got to cast young Babette and younger Miss Patty, so I don’t know.”
Certainly, the spinoff conundrum means that, for now, we’ll just rewatch and appreciate all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls—which ran 2000 to 2007—and its 2016 four-part revival A Year in the Life, not to mention Lauren and Scott’s new ad for Walmart, which gives a glimpse into Lorelai and Luke’s life now.
Indeed, the sweet clip—which is full of Easter eggs ranging from the iconic gazebo to deliveryman Kirk (Sean Gunn)—sees the beloved Gilmore Girls couple stronger than ever as they head into the holiday season, firmly proving Lauren’s assurance to E! that “they’re definitely still together.”
“I don’t know what sort of grandchildren situation there might be,” she continued, “but I think we’re living happily in town.”
Since A Year in the Life debuted on Netflix, fans have been clamoring for another official check-in with Lorelai and Luke—not to mention see how motherhood is treating Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and learn once and for all who the father of her baby is. (After all, it’s a question that much like the debate of Rory’s best boyfriend has taken on a life of its own.)
And while Lauren said she’ll “play this character given any opportunity,” the 57-year-old also admitted what it would take for the cast—and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino—to reunite for more revival episodes.
“I think at this point it’s the same what it would take that got us back together last time,” the Parenthood alum explained, “which that it is a creative step forward, and that it would be giving fans what they want while honoring what we did already.”
