On a cold winter night in December, I closed my laptop with feelings of anger, disappointment, and loss mingling together in my mind. I finished "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," and I did not know what to do with myself.
The cliffhanger ending left me feeling betrayed by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and the lack of more episodes left me lost. I browsed Netflix for hours, wondering what show could possibly fill the void "Gilmore Girls" left me with. I didn't find the answer on Netflix. Instead, I found it on the Freeform website.
"Bunheads" is a show written and produced by Sherman-Palladino shortly after her original "Gilmore Girls" run ended. After a series of crazy and unfortunate events, Las Vegas showgirl Michelle finds herself teaching high school ballet in a small California suburb.
The show got cancelled after only one season, but all the episodes stream for free on the Freeform website. While I can definitely see why the show was cancelled, from it’s sometimes confusing fast forwards in time to the jumbled mix of plots (Is it about Michelle? Is it about dance? Is it about high school boy drama? I don’t really know), "Bunheads" felt like I was back in the world of Stars Hollow, west coast edition, and helped fill the hole "Gilmore Girls" left in my heart and watchlist.
First of all, most of the show’s actors appeared in Gilmore Girls. Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore) and Liza Weil (Paris Geller), two of the biggest characters in GG, are also huge characters in "Bunheads." You’ll also see Kurt, Gypsy, and Digger all reappear as new characters in "Bunheads." Plus, many of the "Bunheads" actors reappear in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life." Sutton Foster stars as Michelle in "Bunheads," then is the actress in the super weird, way too long musical scene in the Netflix show.
All of the artistic elements in "Bunheads" scream "Gilmore Girls." The writing, of course, reflects Amy Sherman Palladino’s wit and love of critiquing pop culture. The acting is done in the same fast, sarcastic, whip smart tone. The “la-la” singing in the background music sounds identical to the music made famous in "Gilmore Girls." The characters of Paradise are all as quirky and small-town obsessed as Stars Hollow, and Michelle’s love life is a as turbulent as Lorelai’s, especially her on-and-off relationship with the local restaurant worker. Michelle and Godot are the next Lorelai and Luke, I swear.
I still haven’t finished the full season of "Bunheads," but I’m sure as always, Sherman-Palladino will leave me on a cliffhanger. While I’m nervous for the day I finish the show and the hole in my heart is reopened, I’m glad I fed my Gilmore nostalgia with "Bunheads."
