Picture: Netflix
If you can believe it, it’s been six years since Netflix released the standalone sequel to Gilmore Girls entitled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and fans are still clamoring for another season (or two) but will it ever happen? Here’s the lowdown on what’s been said.
Debuting nearly 10 years after the mothership series aired on The WB, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was the beloved follow-up Netflix miniseries that saw the majority of the cast return for a four-episode event.
Since the release of that miniseries, the show has gone into hiatus once again, and it’s now over 6 years since the miniseries hit Netflix.
Over the years, we’ve had to debunk rumors and speculation from fake news sites stating that Netflix would be getting a season 2. They typically came each November, with the most viral coming in 2021, coinciding with the limited series’ first season being added to Netflix in 2016.
What have the cast and showrunner said about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life season 2?
In 2017, that’s when renewal talk for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life season 2 was most rife however hopes were dashed when Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel stated there were no immediate plans to return to the characters.
Amy Sherman-Palladino spoke to Vanity Fair in 2018 about any continuation saying:
“It’s still a possibility. Everyone has been very busy. Alexis [Bledel] clearly is very busy! It would have to be the right story, and the right moment. A lot went into getting it together the first time.”
In 2021, hopes were dashed once again with Kelly Bishop (who plays Emily Gilmore) stating that it’s “very unlikely” for the show to return saying she would like to return to the role but added:
” But we’ve already kind of done that, with those four extra episodes. And I honestly think it’s very unlikely that kind of a situation could be pulled together because so many of the important actors in it, they’ve all gone their separate ways and have other projects and other things to do. It would have to be like a continuation of those four extra episodes, but I just don’t see it happening. And I don’t see Amy being interested in it, because Mrs. Maisel is such a huge hit and deservedly so. I just don’t see her wanting to go back and revisit it. We all loved it, and there might be some opportunity, but it doesn’t seem too likely. But sure, I’d play her again. I’d love to.”
Picture: Netflix
The closest we’ve come to any talks on a potential revival came from an interview in late 2022 with Lauren Graham in New Beauty. Straight and to the point, the magazine asked if Gilmore Girls will come back again.
Here’s the full answer Graham provided:
“I’m making plans to see Amy [Sherman-Palladino], the creator of the show, in the next few weeks. It’s always a fun prospect to think about and talk about. It used to be more of just talk, but having done it now, we know it’s possible. I think I feel such a responsibility and so much love for the story that I would just want to be sure it was the right time.”
Netflix Doesn’t Own Gilmore Girls License
We should add that Netflix won’t be holding onto Gilmore Girls forever and doesn’t own the underlying rights.
As we’ve discussed, the main Gilmore Girls series is currently licensed to Netflix globally through 2026.
Likewise, we can reveal here that the sequel Netflix Original series is also scheduled to stay on Netflix through 2026 (10 years following its initial license).
What could happen is that they hold off for a revival when the rights revert back to Warner Brothers Television and produce an exclusive season for HBO Max but that’s just one option.
In conclusion, it’ll be down to Netflix and Warner Bros. Television to deal with any revival at Netflix, but nothing is in stone apart from the occasional tease.
Would you like to see Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life return or would you like another spin-off? Let us know in the comments.