It was time to say goodbye, 'Girls'

All the shoes dropped on CW's "Gilmore Girls" last week, when the show's studio and network announced it will end its run this season. And most fans would tell you, it's probably about time.

I say that as a fan, too, and as someone who's seen the show's quality bounce back in recent weeks — almost at the exact time Lorelai dumped Christopher. But seven years is a long time, and these people need to move on.

Warner Bros. Television and the CW network made the joint announcement that the last episode will air May 15, and in it, they also praised pretty much everyone who's touched the show, including stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, her husband and co-executive producer for six years, Dan Palladino, and current exec producer Dave Rosenthal.

And they should. That is a talented, creative group. But what the press release didn't say was that the show was pretty much doomed when Sherman-Palladino left at the end of last season.

It was her charming and eccentric sensibilities, and her light-speed writing that set the tone for the series. Her style mixed perfectly with the extraordinary Graham, who delivered that writing with polish and appeal, and with heart. When that pair broke up, it was just a matter of time for the show.

For much of this season, and particularly in the stories involving Christopher (David Sutcliffe), the "Gilmore Girls" had veered into the soapy world of bad Lifetime movies, though more and more lately, it's shown flashes of the ironic and adorably peculiar world Sherman-Palladino created.

But ratings have dropped to under 4 million viewers — partly because the new CW network has not been strong, partly because "Gilmore Girls" has faced tough competition, including "American Idol," and partly because there just hasn't been the magic.

Both Graham and Bledel, the mom-and-daughter centerpiece of the series, have talked about how grateful they've been for the fan support and for what the show's done for their lives, but both had been making noises for a while that they weren't sure they wanted to come back.

In an interview that will air on "Ellen" Tuesday (check local syndicated listings), Graham called ending the series "a mutual decision," and said, "It's the best thing I think for the show."

Insiders at the studio and the network say everyone negotiated about a shortened eighth season with good faith, and that Graham — the key to it all — had genuine mixed feelings about ending the show. But given all that uncertainty, and given the possibility the producers aren't done throwing in lame storylines, it's probably for the best that Lorelei and Rory get to go live the rest of their lives in private. Wait, what? They aren't real?

In the final two Tuesday episodes (at 8 p.m. EDT), Rory is going to graduate and get proposed to, Lorelei's going to make progress in her own love life, and Rory's hero, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, will make an appearance.