Saeed Adyani/Netflix
Rest easy, “Gilmore” fans. Netflix’s revival of The WB/CW classic should do the same for fans’ love, reviving warm feelings of old — and for good reason. Unlike other nostalgia-mining continuations, “Gilmore Girls” returns with enough novel ideas, authentic developments, and integrity of character to justify its existence, along with being pretty darn fun throughout.
And that’s quite a relief, since Netflix’s revival record is pretty spotty. As far as we can tell, each and every resurrected series — “Arrested Development,” “Longmire,” “Fuller House,” and “Black Mirror” — has proven successful in terms of viewership. (We don’t have actual statistics, but three of the four earned renewals, and production on “Arrested Development” Season 5 is always percolating.) But the quality varies drastically. From the ambitious highs of “Black Mirror,” the confounding middle-ground of “Arrested Development,” and the disastrous lows of “Fuller House,” subscribers simply don’t know what to expect when a new continuation pops up in their “Recently Added” section.
READ MORE: ‘Gilmore Girls’: Alexis Bledel Felt Pressure for the Final 4 Words Scene to Be ‘Awesome’
“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” had a few things working to its advantage in this vein, but that doesn’t mean the nine-years-removed drama had an easy path to success. Fans may have been spooked by the formatting alone, especially anyone turned off by “Arrested Development’s” Season 4 restructuring. And the rest of the anxious fandom knows the world has changed outside of Stars Hollow since they last saw it, and making that “snow globe” community fit into our current social climate poses a unique challenge. “Gilmore Girls” represents an ideal in many ways, but we still need to believe in a plausible ending — or continued existence — for Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel).
Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino manage to create a story that feels both fittingly current and just like the good ol’ days. Part of the former may come from an onslaught of pop culture references that feel completist in covering the years between seasons, but that’s an established element of the series, making each quick jab at Marvel movies and nod to David Cronenberg a nostalgic rush as much as a means to ground these new stories in the present. The transition is also aided by the fact the original seasons were captured in today’s preferred shooting style (single camera), and the characters had plenty of life left to live when Season 7 came to a close.
READ MORE: ‘Gilmore Girls’: 50 Questions We Had While Watching the New Netflix Trailer
Now seems like a good time to reiterate this is a spoiler-free review. That will change and we will update this post when “Gilmore Girls” is available for all to see, but there’s no point in spoiling any of the new season — Season 8? movie adaptations? #AYITL? What do we call this thing? — before the fans it’s been made for have a chance to see it. Yes, we’ve seen all four movies already, but the following consists of important notes meant to reassure anyone who’s worried, without spoiling the fast chatter surrounding them. Later, we’ll revisit each point in more detail, but for now:
- Love her or hate her, every side of Rory that makes Rory Rory is back for the new Netflix entries.
- Don’t expect Carole King’s “Where You Lead” to accompany each movie. The theme song is left out entirely.
- The format of four 90-minute movies as opposed to what would have been eight, 45-minute episodes actually works to the revival’s advantage. Not only does it feel like you’re getting more “Gilmore Girls” due to a lack of interruptions, but breaking up the overall story by season proves helpful in controlling the chaos. (Yes, I’m one of those viewers who gets overwhelmed by the series’ insanely fast flow of information.)
- That being said, there are issues with the timeline. Once “A Year in the Life” airs, someone needs to explain to me how weather works in Stars Hollow, as winter’s transition to spring (as well as spring’s transition to summer) seems to take place within the span of a day.
- For the most part, the many characters of the small Connecticut town are well-represented. Fans will certainly have disputes over who got too much time and who got too little, but everyone should at least be happy with the general recognition given (and credit to the Palladinos for fitting them in without straining too hard).
- The final four words? You better prepare yourself.
Perhaps what’s most important to realize about the new material is that it’s clearly made with love. There’s very little eye-winking involved, and for a series as sincere as “Gilmore Girls” has always been, that’s the perfect attitude to take. In era of revivals driven and manipulated by the almighty dollar, “A Year in the Life” is refreshing in its genuine creation.
Grade: B+
“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” premieres Friday, November 25 exclusively on Netflix.
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