" Gilmore Girls" graced our televisions for seven seasons and gave us a witty and wholesome show that made viewers laugh and cry and laugh so hard that we cried. Despite not always receiving the credit that it deserved, the show became a pop culture phenomenon that even now, nine years after the series finale, is making a comeback not only on Netflix, but in a soon to be "Gilmore Girls" revival.
Here are just some of my reasons why I believe that "Gilmore Girls" was the best show on television:
The opening song in the pilot episode
The pilot episode opened up with the song "There She Goes" by The La's. Not only did we get a chance to see our first Lorelai and Luke moment with this song playing in the background, but this song could arguably be the best song of the early '90s.
The presence of strong independent women
Gilmore Girls is filled with strong women who offer a wide array of role models to women, girls, daughters, and sisters alike can look up to. There was Lorelai, the single mom with dreams of opening her own inn and giving her daughter the chance at a better life. Rory, the hardworking daughter that took nothing for granted, and appreciated everything she worked for. Emily, though not always the nicest character on the show, she was a strong lead that never let anyone walk over her, while simultaneously ruling the DAR in pearls and Chanel No 5.
Then there was Sookie, the fun loving chef who was always there whenever the Gilmore's needed her. Paris, an enemy turned friend that was as hardworking as Rory and knew exactly what she wanted and did whatever it took to get it. Lane, the girl who decided to march to the beat of her own drum (literally) and kept up with a band and a family. And finally Mrs. Kim, another single mother who always put her daughter's needs before her own, even if she did it in an unconventional manner.
Coffee
The Gilmore's coffee habits may not have been the healthiest, but they were very relatable. It's nice to see other people share our love for coffee as much as the Gilmore girls did.
It was the perfect balance of pop culture and classics
The thrill of listening to the Gilmore girls and other characters on the show talk wasn't just because they talked super fast, but they always had something witty to say concerning pop culture or classical references.
Luke's Star Wars rant may have in fact been the greatest rant he ever gave (and we all know he gave a ton).
Kirk
Does this one really need an explanation?
The graduation speech
The speech that Rory gives at her high school graduation may be the best moment in television history. She made us cry and she made us wish that we had been valedictorian of our high school so that we could give that exact same speech. With all the people that helped raised her through the years watching her (Luke, Sookie, Jackson, her grandparents, and Lorelai), Rory gave the best graduation speech ever. It lacked the usual stigma of "follow your dreams" and "you have your whole lives ahead of you" which made it all the better. Her speech focused on what she learned both in and out of the classroom and thanked all the people who helped her get to where she was: a valedictorian on her way towards Yale University.
The fact that Rory picked her career over her love-life
It seems that at the end of every show, the girl always gets the guy. While Lorelai and Luke do have their spectacular comeback kiss in the series finale, their relationship was very much open-ended. But the one thing that we're absolutely certain of is that Rory chose her career over her love-life. Even though Rory loved Logan, she wasn't ready to make a big commitment with so many things undecided in her life. In the end they parted ways and Rory ended up taking a job as a campaign journalist for (at the time) Senator Obama's campaign run.
Honorable mentions include: Rory's three amazing boyfriends, Luke's Diner, the Life and Death Brigade, and the fact the Lorelai named her daughter after herself to stick it to our patriarchal society.
At the end of the day, whether or not you believe that "Gilmore Girls" was the best show on television, you can't deny that it was damn funny.
