GILMORE GIRLS IS BACK!!

The Return We Deserve

Start TV, you beautiful, beautiful network—you’ve done it. You’ve given us back Gilmore Girls on daily broadcast television, and in doing so, you’ve restored a piece of my heart I didn’t even realize was missing.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of one of the greatest shows in television history, Gilmore Girls is now airing every day again, and this milestone is as momentous as any Emmy win, any revival, any reboot. For fans like me—obsessives, evangelists, lifelong devotees—this isn’t just a return; it’s a resurrection. It's coming home.

A Little Town, a Lot of Heart

Let’s rewind the tape. October 5, 2000. A new show debuts on The WB. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls arrived quietly, nestled between teen dramas and witchy prime-time fare.

But from that first hyper-verbal, coffee-fueled exchange between Lorelai and Rory, you knew this was something else entirely. This was special.

It’s the story of Lorelai Gilmore, fiercely independent and impossibly cool, raising her brilliant, bookish daughter Rory in the fairy tale town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut—a place so lovingly constructed and richly populated that it becomes a character in itself.

A Friday night dinner with WASPy grandparents. A grumpy diner owner with a heart of gold. A best friend chef who sets her kitchen on fire at least once a week. A Korean-American bestie hiding her punk band from her mother. A parade of boyfriends, heartbreaks, and Harvard dreams.

This wasn’t just TV—it was a fully-formed universe, built on the backs of Amy and her husband Daniel Palladinos’ snappy scripts and that unforgettable Carole King theme.

Why Gilmore Girls Hit Me So Hard

I wasn’t the “target demo,” okay? Let’s get that out of the way. But the minute I saw it—hooked during an innocent night of channel surfing between Felicity and Charmed—I was in. Deep. I was a middle-aged guy watching Gilmore Girls with the enthusiasm of a 16-year-old girl. And I mean that with complete sincerity and zero irony.

I lived for the patter. The fast-talking, mile-a-minute, cultural-reference-laced dialogue that made your head spin and your heart soar. Those scripts? Twice the length of a typical TV script. That’s not hyperbole. The cadence was surgical, the pacing pure screwball-era Hollywood—think His Girl Friday on triple espresso. It was smart, charming, hilarious, and deeply emotional.

And the characters? My God, the characters. Lorelai and Rory are arguably the greatest mother-daughter duo to ever grace the small screen. Their bond—equal parts best friendship and true parental love—was layered and nuanced in a way that still floors me.

Kelly Bishop and the late, great Edward Herrmann brought real gravitas as the elder Gilmores. Luke Danes, the reluctant romantic hero. Paris Geller, the bulldozer turned BFF. Kirk, with his infinite jobs and quirks. Lane Kim, the rebel rocker. Miss Patty, Babette, Michel, Jackson, Sookie... the town itself pulsed with life.

The Rise, the Fall, the Redemption

Let’s be honest here—when Amy and Dan left after season six (thank you, CW), the show lost its magic. Season seven? Barely watchable. You could feel the void left by the Palladinos.

But then came 2016, the Netflix revival A Year in the Life. Four beautifully crafted mini-movies, one for each season, and a return to form. Sure, there was controversy (those last four words, anyone?), but it felt right. It was closure. Mostly.

Comfort Food Television

There’s a reason Gilmore Girls has remained beloved. This is comfort food TV. You can dip in at any episode and feel at home. When UPtv ran it daily, I would tune in for hours. It was always there—my safety net, my warm blanket.

And during Thanksgiving week? Forget turkey. UP gave us a week-long, wall-to-wall Gilmore Girls marathon - "GilMORE The Merrier," including the Netflix revival. It became a tradition. A ritual. A holiday unto itself. When UP pulled the plug on that marathon, something broke in me. And I’ve missed it deeply.

But now, thanks to Start TV, Gilmore Girls is back where it belongs—on your cable box, every day. And flipping through that channel guide, seeing Gilmore Girls listed there again? It made me happy in a way few things do anymore.

Team Rory. Period.

Let’s settle the big debate: Rory’s boyfriends. Team Dean? Too much of a doormat. Team Jess? A brooding jerk. Team Logan? Ugh. Spoiled, arrogant, awful. None of them deserve her. I am Team Rory. She deserved better. She was better.

And the other relationships? Lorelai and Luke, perfection. Lane and her band of rock misfits, incredible. The cameos? Unbelievable. Sebastian Bach? Yes. Sonic Youth? Absolutely. Carole King, whose voice opens every episode, even plays a role on the show as Sophie. It’s a show that lives and breathes music, film, literature, pop culture. It’s a love letter to everything I adore.

25 Years of Magic

This show isn’t just charming. It’s significant. It broke boundaries, blended genres, and created a dialogue style that’s been imitated but never duplicated.

It treated its young audience with intelligence. It never talked down. It created a world you wanted to visit every week, maybe even live in. And for six glorious seasons, it was near-perfect television.

So yeah, I’m thrilled. I’m overjoyed. I’m shouting it from the Stars Hollow rooftops: Gilmore Girls is back on cable! Start TV is airing it daily. Flip to it. Rewatch it. Discover it for the first time. Introduce it to your kids. Revisit that world. Fall back in love.

And hey, Start TV? If you're listening, do us all a favor and bring back the Thanksgiving marathon. Because Thanksgiving without Gilmore Girls isn’t really Thanksgiving at all.

Final Thoughts

Gilmore Girls is back. Not just streaming. Not just lurking in your Netflix queue. But on TV. Every. Single. Day. Where it belongs. Where comfort, wit, and love live. In Stars Hollow.

Pop some popcorn. Brew a pot of coffee. And get ready to talk fast.

Welcome home, Gilmore Girls. We’ve missed you.

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