10 Gilmore Girls Moments That Made Viewers Quit The Show

May 12, 2024, 3:20 p.m.

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10 Gilmore Girls Moments That Made Viewers Quit The Show

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Summary The characters in "Gilmore Girls" have troubled relationships, character flaws, and disappointing moments for fans.

Lorelai & Rory lack communication skills, causing trouble in their romantic relationships.

Many storylines don't do justice to character's personalities, like Lane & Paris, betraying their initial character arcs.

Part of the fun of watching Gilmore Girls is the drama, but sometimes the TV show included unbelievable moments that made fans stop watching. Most often this came from the two main characters, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), who were pros at self-sabotage and getting in their own way. However, they're hardly the only characters prone to making bad choices, as the creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, wanted the show's greatest conflicts to be grounded and relatable. Romantic entanglements and lack of communication were often the root of the show’s issues.

The reason certain storylines are met with vitriol is that fans are so dedicated to the show and invested in the characters.

The reason certain storylines are met with vitriol is that fans are so dedicated to the show and invested in the characters. When watching Gilmore Girls it's easy to feel as though the viewer is part of Stars Hollow and going through these major life events at the same time as the characters. Lorelai's biggest flaws make her a realistic mom in Gilmore Girls, and the same goes for the other characters in the show. If everyone was perfect and never got into trouble watching the series wouldn't be as interesting.

Related 8 Things That Happen In Every Gilmore Girls Episode With every journey back to Stars Hollow, it was guaranteed that these eight tropes would appear in each episode of the hit TV show Gilmore Girls.

10 Lane Getting Married & Pregnant

It's undeniable that Lane's character deserved much better throughout the show

Lane (Keiko Agena) was a smart and hilarious character on the show, illustrated in Lane's funniest quotes in Gilmore Girls. However, if there's one person who suffered the worst fate and whose character was betrayed from the beginning of the series, it's Lane. Instead of leaving home, spreading her wings, and becoming a rock star like audiences knew she was capable of, Lane settled for Zack (Todd Lowe) and ended up getting pregnant after the first time she had sex. While marriage and children are a wonderful part of life, it was never something Lane wanted.

This was one of the biggest letdowns of the show, proving how little thought the writers put into Lane's character and her eventual happiness.

Additionally, Lane confides that her physical relationship with Zack is unrewarding and uncomfortable even though it immediately results in pregnancy. This was one of the biggest letdowns of the show, proving how little thought the writers put into Lane's character and her eventual happiness. In a perfect world, Lane would have carved her own path and left Stars Hollow behind, becoming the person she dreamed of being in childhood. Not to mention that Rory is an absent and unsupportive friend to Lane after she leaves for Yale.

9 Paris Not Getting Into Harvard

The only thing she wanted and worked for throughout the first three seasons

Paris (Liza Weil) might have started as Rory's enemy when she started at Chilton in season 1, but soon audiences came to love and respect Paris' intense attitude and drive to succeed. It could be overwhelming at times, but when Paris had a goal she stuck to it, and would give up her personal life and time to achieve it. When it came to getting into Harvard, Rory might have been the one who got in, but Paris was the one who deserved it. Her breakdown after being rejected was comical, but also incredibly disheartening.

It was necessary for Paris to go to Yale so she could stay on the show, but this didn't make it any easier to accept that Paris wouldn't get into Harvard. She would go on to get into Harvard for graduate school and do everything she set out to do in life, but this early blow outlined how much was handed to Rory and how Paris had to keep working for what she got. In the end, the fact that Paris never expected to get anything without working tirelessly is what led to her success as an adult.

Related Why Gilmore Girls' Paris Is Rory's TRUE Best Friend (Not Lane) Lane Kim is set up as Rory Gilmore’s childhood best friend in Gilmore Girls, but it is actually Paris Geller eho ends up fulfilling that role.

8 Jackson Lying About His Vasectomy

Sookie and Jackson were one of the show's best couples until this plot point

However, after Sookie gave birth to their second child, she decided she didn't want to have any more kids, and asked Jackson to get a vasectomy.

Melissa McCarthy is a standout as Sookie in Gilmore Girls, and her romance with Jackson (Jackson Douglas) was always a highlight of the show. While Lorelai and Rory had seemingly endless relationship drama, Sookie and Jackson were a solid pair who loved and respected each other. However, after Sookie gave birth to their second child, she decided she didn't want to have any more kids, and asked Jackson to get a vasectomy. Of course, Jackson can do whatever he wants with his body, but instead of telling her no, he lied and said he had it done.

This results in Sookie getting pregnant again, a huge breach of trust in their relationship, and a violation of Sookie's body and rights. By lying to her, Jackson assaulted Sookie when they were together, something that would not be so easily forgiven if this storyline aired on TV today. This angle felt completely out of place. It was unlike anything audiences would expect of Jackson. It made his character unlikable and unforgivable during the last section of the show and felt like an ill-conceived attempt to create drama in season 7.

7 Paris Dating A Much Older Man

Her romance with Asher was unfair to Paris' character

Paris is one of the best characters on the show. Seeing her bounce back from being rejected from Harvard and grow during her time at Yale is more rewarding than watching Rory develop at times. However, in season 4, as both young women adjust to the newfound freedom of adulthood, Paris embarks on an age-gap relationship that is uncomfortable at best and borderline unsettling at worst. When Richard (Edward Herrmann) visits Rory at Yale, he introduces her and Paris to Professor Asher Flemming (Michael York), a man in his sixties.

Paris is barely nineteen when they start dating, and their relationship begins before she breaks things off with the boy she was dating in high school. Paris wishes to be taken seriously and wants a romantic partner she can debate high-minded subjects with, but Asher isn’t the right man for this. Their romance ultimately ends with Asher's death, something Paris is far too young to handle. Her later relationship with Doyle (Danny Strong), is a much better fit, and age-appropriate.

6 Luke Lying To Lorelai About April

Putting the events of their break up in motion

Though it's Lorelai's actions that put the final nail in the coffin of their engagement, Luke treats Lorelai terribly throughout season 6. Anyone would feel unwanted and rejected when their financée finds out they have a twelve-year-old daughter, and then keeps it a secret for months. Luke doesn't even come clean himself, letting Lorelai find out when she runs into April (Vanessa Marano) at the diner. He apologizes, but the damage is done, creating a rift in their trust that takes a long time to heal.

Instead of being honest about how they're feeling, and coming to a mutable decision, they stew with their secrets, pushing each other further away instead of reconciling.

Lorelai and Luke lack solid communication skills, which contributes to both their break-ups. This happens again after April's existence is out in the open, as Luke wants to postpone the wedding, and Lorelai goes along with it even though it's not what she wants. Instead of being honest about how they're feeling, and coming to a mutable decision, they stew with their secrets, pushing each other further away instead of reconciling. Waiting for Luke and Lorelai to get together is a series-long struggle for fans of the show.

5 Rory Cheating With Dean

One of Rory's most selfish moments

Dean (Jared Padalecki) and Rory are terrible for each other, and when they make the mutual mistake of cheating together even though Dean is married to someone else, it ends in disaster. Rory and Dean's relationship timeline on Gilmore Girls is convoluted, and much of this is because Rory can't decide what she wants from him. They date in high school, but eventually, she chooses Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) over him. Regretting this decision and feeling like a failure at Yale, Rory turns to Dean for comfort at the worst possible time.

To make matters worse, this is when Rory loses her virginity, and Lorelai immediately catches them. This leads to Rory and Lorelai's first big fight, and results in Rory running away to Europe with Emily (Kelly Bishop) for the summer. It's a moment of pure regression and selfishness on Rory's part, and while Dean is equally to blame, it's hard not to feel disappointed, as the audience expects more from Rory. Though Dean does end up leaving his wife, the brief rekindling of their high school relationship is an obvious attempt for Rory to relive her glory days.

4 Lorelai Sleeping With Christopher

Which effectively ended her relationship with Luke

Luke makes a lot of mistakes in season 6, but when Lorelai sleeps with Christopher (David Sutcliffe) after their blowout fight, it's not something Luke can forgive.

Gilmore Girls season 6 is especially hard on Lorelai, who can't seem to catch a break in any aspect of her personal life. After finally opening the Dragonfly Inn and gaining professional success and recognition, she's estranged from Rory for the first half of the season. Then, for the second half, she’s unhappy with how things are with Luke until the end. Luke makes a lot of mistakes in season 6, but when Lorelai sleeps with Christopher (David Sutcliffe) after their blowout fight, it's not something Luke can forgive.

Christopher is a constant source of tension between Lorelai and Luke after he tries to get between them at Emily and Richard's vow renewal in season 5. Cheating on Luke with Christopher is the ultimate betrayal, and Lorelai knows this, so she informs Luke that after the fight their relationship is over, and there's no going back. Every time Christopher enters Lorelai's life it's a signal that she's going to do something terrible that goes against her ultimate happiness.

3 Lorelai & Christopher Getting Married

The overarching relationship that needed to be put to rest

Making a mistake with Christopher after her fight with Luke was one thing, but committing to the relationship and deciding to marry him on a whim was one of Lorelai's worst decisions. Gilmore Girls Season 7 is universally considered the weakest of the show, as Sherman-Palladino wasn't involved, making the writing markedly worse. Christopher had always been a recurring part of Lorelai's life, and as Rory's father, it makes sense that Lorelai harbored the dream that they would all be together one day as a family.

However, Christopher was not the man she wanted or needed. As Lorelai says to him when she ends their ill-timed marriage, he's the man she wants to want. This is a crushing blow to Christopher, who was ready to fully commit to their relationship, even if it was too little too late. After pushing Luke to invest in their relationship and finally marry her, Lorelai felt she had to accept Christopher's proposal even if it was the wrong decision. Everyone watching their nuptials knew that it was the wrong wedding, and would end in disaster.

2 Rory Cheating With Logan In A Year In The Life

The recent reboot introduced many storylines that fans despised

Catching up with Gilmore Girls' beloved characters in the Netflix limited series revival, A Year In The Life, which premiered in 2016, wasn't everything fans thought it would be. In many ways, the characters hadn't grown or changed much since the series finale. Rory's character was especially disappointing to fans after the promise she showed during the original show. She was stalled out in her career, wasn't sure of her next steps, and was having an affair with Logan (Matt Czuchry), even though he was engaged to someone else.

Rory isn't a perfect character, which is why she's so relatable, but her constant cheating and infidelity are a hard part of her personality to accept.

When Rory rejected Logan's marriage proposal in Gilmore Girls season 7, it was the right decision, as she was still young and had so much to explore and accomplish. However, returning to this relationship was a crutch for her in AYITL, and showed that she ended up as stunted as Lorelai. Rory isn't a perfect character, which is why she's so relatable, but her constant cheating and infidelity are a hard part of her personality to accept. Seeing this be part of her many years later was disappointing for audiences who anxiously awaited the reboot.

Related 5 Harsh Realities About Logan's Character In Gilmore Girls Matt Czuchry's Logan Huntzberger was a huge part of Rory's life in Gilmore Girls, but upon reflection, the character had plenty of flaws and issues.

1 Lorelai & Rory’s Fight/Rory Dropping Out Of Yale

The turning point for each of their characters

Arguably the most controversial storyline on the show, Gilmore Girls' biggest Rory complaint is realistic as her sheltered upbringing and immense privilege led her to be unprepared for the real world. The seeds of this were sewn in the early seasons as Rory continuously expected things to be handed to her and considered herself to be special. However, when she got to Yale she had a rude awakening and discovered that she had no resiliency to criticism. This led to her dropping out of school and becoming estranged from Lorelai for months.

On one hand, this was shocking as it deviated from Rory's personality, and flew in the face of the tight-knit relationship she and Lorelai had throughout the show. Unfortunately, this turned off many fans who had difficulty adjusting to Gilmore Girls' new format since Rory left for college. Ultimately, it makes sense that Rory would go through her rebellious phase at this point since both she and Lorelai are victims of arrested development. Neither of them knew how to handle the conflict, and it was emotionally trying to watch them be in so much pain without each other.