‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’: Everything You Need to Know

Where the Gilmore Girls lead, we will follow! It’s been nine long years since super mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore drank all the coffee in Stars Hollow, gorged on junk food and Chinese takeout, fell in and out of love, and dropped every pop culture reference imaginable in their rapid-fire banter. Now the Gilmores are back to drink even more coffee, talk even faster, and charm us more than ever in Netflix’s continuation of the series, which premieres Nov. 25.

Related: Ken Tucker Reviews ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in The Life’

In four 90-minute episodes, titled “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer,” and “Fall,” Lorelai (Lauren Graham), Rory (Alexis Bledel), and grandmother Emily (Kelly Bishop) all face big changes in their lives. To get ready for the revival, we’re highlighting all the things we love about the show with our official Return to Stars Hollow coverage, from the wacky supporting characters to the insanely clever dialogue to the girls’ complicated love lives. Check back here every day until Nov. 25 to obsess with us over all things Gilmore.
– – – – – – – –

Brew up a big batch (or few) of coffee and pull out the doughnuts, candy, pizza, and Chinese food! The Gilmore Girls are back!

The beloved dramedy returns nine years after its broadcast series finale for a six-hour revival on Netflix. And that means more rapid-fire banter, more winking pop cultural references, more zany small-town antics, more romance, more laughter, more tears, and of course … lots more coffee.

Here’s everything you need to know about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life:

When, Where, and How Do I Watch?

All four 90-minute episodes (or as creator Amy Sherman-Palladino prefers to call them, minimovies) will be available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, Nov. 25, aka the day after Thanksgiving.

The four episodes are titled “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer,” and “Fall” (a nod to the show’s theme song “Where You Lead” by Carole King).

Who’s Back for the Revival?

Original series stars Lauren Graham (Lorelai), Alexis Bledel (Rory), Kelly Bishop (Emily), Scott Patterson (Luke), Keiko Agena (Lane), Liza Weil (Paris), David Sutcliffe (Christopher), and Melissa McCarthy (Sookie) all reprise their roles.

All three of Rory’s boyfriends are also back: Jared Padalecki as Dean, Milo Ventimiglia as Jess, and Matt Czuchry as Logan.

And Stars Hollow will be bursting with the usual lovable townspeople, including: Sean Gunn (Kirk), Yanic Truesdale (Michel), Todd Lowe (Zach), Jackson Douglas (Jackson), Sally Struthers (Babette), Liz Torres (Miss Patty), Michael Winters (Taylor), Emily Kuroda (Mrs. Kim), Sebastian Bach (Gil), Rose Abdoo (Gypsy), Mike Gandolfi (Andrew), Rini Bell (Lulu), Grant-Lee Phillips (Troubadour), and Carole King (Sophie).

Other familiar faces include Danny Strong (Doyle), Gregg Henry (Mitchum Huntzberger), Tanc Sade (Finn), Alan Loayza (Colin), Vanessa Marano (April), Dakin Matthews (Headmaster Charleston), Chris Eigeman (Jason aka Digger), and Paul Anka the dog.

Who’s NOT Coming Back?

Make of it what you will, but these cast members will not be returning: Scott Cohen (Max Medina), Kathleen Wilhoite (Liz), Wayne Wilcox (Marty), Devon Sorvari (Honor Huntzberger), and Nicolette Collier (Gigi).

And of course, sadly, the great Edward Herrmann passed away in 2014 and will not be reprising his role as Gilmore patriarch Richard. But he will make an impact on the revival.

Related: 26 of the Greatest ‘Gilmore Girls’ Guests

Who’s New?

The revival features small roles or cameos by Sutton Foster (she starred in Sherman-Palladino’s series Bunheads), Mae Whitman (who played Graham’s daughter in Parenthood), Christian Borle (Smash), Stacey Oristano (Friday Night Lights), and Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal).

What’s It All About?

The first episode, “Winter,” picks up four months after Richard’s death, though it will feature a memorial for him. At that point, all three Gilmore girls — Lorelai, Rory, and Emily — will face major life changes.

As seen in the trailer, Rory is a journalist, but struggling with her career and living a bit aimlessly. Lorelai is still running the Dragonfly Inn and in a relationship with Luke but seems to be at a crossroads. And Emily is trying to figure out what her life looks like now that Richard is gone.

What’s Lorelai’s Deal?

As previously mentioned, Lorelai is with Luke, but they aren’t married — yet. Rumors are flying that the revival features a wedding, but even if true, it might not be for L&L.

The trailer hints that Lorelai undergoes a midlife crisis. We might start to see a whole new Lorelai. In the trailer, she’s seen hiking (what?!) and talking to a therapist (whoa!).

“I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, and where I was going, but lately, I don’t know, things seem hazier,” she muses. Uh-oh, does that spell trouble for her relationship with Luke?

But one relationship that might improve is the bond with her mother, Emily. As Graham told TV Line, “The healing that happens between Lorelai and Emily is such a long time coming. And because Richard’s absence is such a big part of our story, it really meant a lot to me to grow their relationship a little bit.”

What’s the Deal With Rory? And Who Does She End Up With?

Rory is reportedly single and dating, but the inclusion of all three of her exes is eyebrow-raising. She is clearly on friendly terms with Jess in the trailer, but her relationships with Dean and Logan are unknown. It is interesting that quite a few characters tied to Logan — the Life & Death Brigade crowd and his father — will make appearances.

But Rory’s journey in A Year in the Life isn’t all about romance. Sherman-Palladino insisted to Time, “It’s a small part of who Rory is. Rory didn’t spend her days thinking, ‘Who am I going to end up with?’ Rory was much more concerned about ‘How do I get that interview at the New York Times?’”

Rory is living a nomadic life as she deals with upheaval in the journalism business. She moves back home from New York for a while, joking in a clip shown at EW’s Popfest, “Lena Dunham’s just going to have to get along without me.”

What’s Emily’s Deal?

Richard’s death is a huge turning point for Emily, as she puts together the pieces of her life without him.

“She has different adventures, some of them are funny, some of them are sad,” Bishop told People. “She’s just kind of plodding along trying to find herself, how she does it now, what it means.”

Apparently, as seen in the trailer, it means commissioning an oversized portrait of Richard, cleaning house, and wearing jeans — jeans!

What’s Happening in Stars Hollow?

The town is putting on “Stars Hollow: The Musical,” and guest stars Foster and Borle (both Tony winners) will take part in that.

There are reportedly two town meetings (one of which is glimpsed in the trailer), and an international food fair (a photo shows Lane and Rory manning a Korean food stall).

What Are Those Four Words?

Ah, the infamous last four words. Back in 2006, Sherman-Palladino revealed she had long planned the end of Gilmore Girls and that it involved four words. Then, due to contractual issues, she was ousted as showrunner for the seventh and final season. And fans didn’t get the four words.

Now, the revival will put a bow on that outstanding issue. “Fall” will end with those four words. All anyone knows for sure about them is that they are spoken by Lorelai and Rory. Sherman-Palladino has pleaded with fans not to skip ahead to the ending to hear the words, nor spoil them for anyone else online.

“I do think that it’s going to mean a lot more if you’ve taken the journey, and it’s going to mean a lot less if you just flip to the last page,” Sherman-Palladino told journalists last summer. “That being said, what can I do? I would hope that people would want to take the whole trip. It’s a fun trip. It’s worth it. There’s peanuts.”

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life premieres Nov. 25 on Netflix.