One Gilmore Girls Star Doesn't Understand Why The Revival's Finale Was So Controversial

Lauren Graham, the woman who brought Lorelai Gilmore to life across seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls" and its four-part revival "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 3, 2025 — and a few of her colleagues from those projects, including Scott Patterson and Matt Czuchry, were on hand to celebrate with the actress. In an interview before receiving her star, though, Graham acknowledged to Variety that she knows "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" drew some ... interesting reactions from fans.

After saying that she connected with the quick-witted, fast-talking young mom Lorelai when she initially read Amy Sherman-Palladino's script — "Without having ever met this writer, it just really spoke to me from the beginning" — Graham talked about the revival, which handed the story's reigns back to Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino after the pair rather famously exited the original run of "Gilmore Girls" before its seventh and final season. As far as Graham is concerned, the revival, which brought back pretty much the entire original cast — including her on-screen daughter Rory, played by Alexis Bledel — she had a great time making "A Year in the Life," but she knows some were bellyaching about it.

"But I don't exactly understand why," Graham told the outlet. "I was having the time of my life. I was on clouds every single day at work, and I felt like the work was really good and the episodes were really beautiful."

So what happened that got fans so worked up? What am I talking about when I say that, unlike "Gilmore Girls," "A Year in the Life" got to end with the four words between Graham and Bledel that Sherman-Palladino always intended? Allow me to explain.

When "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" opens, fans of the original series get the chance to reconnect with their favorite denizens of the fictional hamlet of Stars Hollow after nearly 10 years ("Gilmore Girls" ended in 2007, and "A Year in the Life" ran in 2016). Across four "seasonal" episodes — "Winter," "Spring, "Summer," and "Fall" in that order, echoing the lyrics of Carole King's theme song for the series, "Where You Lead" — we finally get to catch up with Rory, Lorelai, and their friends and see where they've landed.

Lorelai is living happily with coffee shop proprietor and her long-time boyfriend Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and running her successful inn, the Dragonfly, which plays host to a rotating roster of celebrity chefs in the absence of her founding chef, Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy, who makes a great cameo in "Fall"). Rory, however, is floundering; after coasting on the success of one (1) article in the New Yorker, she doesn't have a job or a permanent address and is having an ill-advised international affair with her college boyfriend Logan (Matt Czuchry), who still cheekily calls her "Ace."

The most devastating part of the revival, though, centers around the in-universe loss of Lorelai's dad and Rory's grandfather Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann, who died in 2014). As his widow and Lorelai's cold but secretly loving mother, Emily (Kelly Bishop) tries to pick up the pieces, mending their relationship in the process. As for those four words that Amy Sherman-Palladino always planned for the end of Lorelai and Rory's story, they happen after Lorelai and Luke's spontaneous wedding. "Mom?" Rory says. "Yeah?" Lorelai responds. "I'm pregnant," Rory reveals, and the screen cuts to black.

Did "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" fully recapture the magic of the original series? No! Of course not! Is it really fun in its own right? Yes, and I completely stand behind that declaration. Fans were really hard on this revival because, like most revivals, parts of it feel forced and awkward; there is, I'll admit, an interminable storyline involving an original Stars Hollow musical that really leans into the whole "Hamilton" craze and also features Sutton Foster in a thankless role as "Kinky Boots" (I don't have time to explain that, but if you know, you know). Still, I'll always go to bat for "A Year in the Life," which I always factor into my annual "Gilmore Girls" rewatch (it's a very cozy series to queue up as soon as the weather starts to turn).

Rory's aforementioned floundering is actually weirdly great and wildly realistic — after being coddled by parents and teachers for years, the precocious Rory is forced to realize that she's not all that special — and the connection between Emily and Lorelai is hard-earned after years of them fighting on the original show. Lorelai and Luke staying together without interruption for once is great, and the returns of both Logan and Rory's other great (if short-lived) boyfriend, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), are more than welcome. Plus, those four words! Whatever you have to say about "A Year in the Life," it finally gave us the ending the show's creator wanted all along. "A Year in the Life" is good, actually, and people should give it a fair shot.

Feel however you want to about "A Year in the Life," but I'll be watching it on Netflix; the original series is streaming there and on Hulu.