From Deseret News archives:
'Gilmore Girls' is doing nicely
For six years, this has been one of my favorite shows. The characters seem like real people, real friends.
So the departure of executive producer/creator Amy Sherman-Palladino at the end of last season (when she was unable to work out a deal with Warner Bros.) was a major cause for concern.
It's always a little scary when someone who has been running a show leaves, but it was especially frightening in this case because "Gilmore Girls" has such a distinctive voice. And that voice was Sherman-Palladino's. Anyone who has ever interviewed her could hear her voice coming out of the mouths of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel).
And, to be perfectly honest, fans of the show had no real reason to trust that new show-runner David Rosenthal was up to the task. His biggest pre-"Gilmore Girls" credits were for writing "Hope & Faith," "Good Morning, Miami" and "Arsenio," which didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.
But it's time to give credit where credit is due. Rosenthal has done a great job. His first two episodes were great; his third was good.
The show feels like the "Gilmore Girls" we fell in love with, and at the same time it feels rejuvenated. There certainly appears to be more than enough to keep the show going into an eighth season (if Graham and Bledel sign on to return).
Of course, this opinion is not held by all "Gilmore Girls" fans. There's a vocal contingent out there complaining mightily that the show has suffered creative collapse this season. Their biggest complaint is that Lorelai and Luke (Scott Patterson) have broken up and Lorelai is seemingly headed back into the arms of Rory's father, Christopher (David Sutcliffe).
There's no answering the first complaint, because there's a contingent of fans that was determined to be unhappy no matter what happened this season. If these same people didn't know that Sherman-Palladino had left the show, they wouldn't be complaining today. (But that's what happens in the age of the Internet and its message boards.)
As for the second complaint, let's review TV 101 once again. If characters live happily ever after, there is no show. Continuing story lines require conflict, and if Lorelai and Luke settled down into unending bliss, "Gilmore Girls" would quickly become a bore. Or at least those two characters would.
It's easy to write a show in which the female lead is torn between a good guy and a bad guy. That doesn't require much talent.
But to write a show in which the female lead is torn between two good guys sets up the kind of conflict that should keep "Gilmore Girls" going this season.
And, hopefully, beyond this season.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com
