Why 'Gilmore Girls' Storylines Still Fascinate Fans After All These Years

Gilmore Girls remains a beloved cult classic rewatched by fans year after year during the cozy autumnal season, but that doesn’t mean all story lines were created equal. Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007, following mother-daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. (The cast later reunited for a limited series revival, titled A Year in the Life, of Netflix in 2016.) As Lorelai and Rory both grew up — they were 32 and 16, respectively, in the canon of the pilot — loyal viewers got a glimpse of their various adventures in education, career and dating. That’s not to say that the Gilmores’ antics always made sense to the fans and cast alike. Keep scrolling to revisit the Gilmore Girls stars’s candid thoughts about the WB show’s wildest onscreen story arcs:

Lorelai and Rory’s Estrangement At the end of season 5, the close mother-daughter pair were at odds when Rory dropped out of Yale University after her internship boss (boyfriend Logan Huntzberger’s father, Mitchum) didn’t think she had the skills to make it as a professional journalist. Abruptly dropping out of school, Rory moved into her grandparents’ house (played by Kelly Bishop and the now-late Edward Hermann) and seldom spoke to her mom. Their rift lasted until the end of season 6 when Rory decided to re-enroll at Yale. “It was hard to play. I remember asking [series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino], I was like, ‘I don’t think people like this and … it’s hard to justify,’” Graham said on the “Hey Dude … The ‘90s Called” podcast in October 2026, noting the estrangement felt “out of character” for both Lorelai and Rory.

Lane Becomes a Mom In season 7, Lane’s life as an aspiring drummer hit the back burner when she discovered that she was expecting twins. “It was so sudden. Everything that happened in Lane’s life — especially at the very end — was really quick,” actress Keiko Agena exclusively told Us of her role in 2018. “She’s fighting with Zack and then all of a sudden she’s engaged to Zack and in an instant she gets pregnant after having sex for the first time during their honeymoon.” In the early seasons, Lane hid her music passions from her mother (literally under floorboards) and dated bandmate Dave (Adam Brody). When Dave went off to college in California, Lane continued playing music with their bandmates Zach (Todd Lowe) and Brian (John Cabrera). Lane realized in season 5 that she had romantic feelings for Zach, who was often seen as a lothario. “I think, story-wise, it’s hard for Lane,” Agena added to Us. “I wish she was able to do more with music.”