‘A Year in the Life’ Catches Up With ‘Gilmore Girls,’ Adding Closure and Reopening

When “Gilmore Girls” abruptly ended its seven-season run, the fans and creators felt unfulfilled. The cancellation of the series came as a complete surprise to everyone involved on the show, therefore never giving way to a proper ending. Now, nearly a decade after the series sudden end, Netflix gave the show the proper conclusion viewers deserved, and even an opening for a “Next Generation” of Gilmore Girls.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” returned to Stars Hollow and followed Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) through a year of change. The revival was split into four movies, one for each season. The series brings back many familiar faces, including Luke (Scott Patterson), Emily (Kelly Bishop), Lane (Keiko Agena), Logan (Matt Czuchry), and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia). Dean (Jared Padalecki) and Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) also make single-scene cameos.  

Even though the revival is set 10 years after the last episode aired, it seems as though no time has passed at all. The show was able to remain the same in terms of tone, acting and writing. That continuity comes thanks to the return of series creator and writer Amy Sherman-Palladino. Palladino brings back the same charm and wit that made the show so beloved. The writing remains sharp and isn’t afraid to hint at its long hiatus. After the first long coffee-induced rant, reminiscent of her rants in the original series, Lorelai takes a breath of relief exclaiming: “Wow, that felt good – I haven’t done that in a while.”  

One flaw: The revival tries too hard to make up for lost time – attempting to squeeze in every pop culture reference the show would have made note of during the missing 10 years. Some of that effort felt forced.

But the four seasons structure lends the series a strong structure. Each main character has a fitting reintroduction, without the exposition hindering narrative progression. A lot happens to Lorelai and Rory during the twelve months depicted in the show – and major life milestones help carry the story even further.  

The new series witnesses a death and the promise of a new life. The final two words spoken by Rory in the finale – “I’m pregnant” – place her in the same position her mother was in at the beginning of the original series. The season ends with a cliffhanger: Who is the father? “I’m pregnant” is both an excellent full-circle closure for the story that started almost 17 years ago, and perhaps a starting point for something new. Whether “Gilmore Girls: Next Generation” is made or not, the show gets the satisfying ending viewers have so long deserved.  

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” debuts Nov. 25 on Netflix.