They're back! Nine years after we waved a fond yet reluctant farewell to the dynamic mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel) are set to return in A Year in the Life. The "event" series, on Netflix from November 25, comprises four telemovies, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, which take their titles from the Carole King song, You've Got a Friend. King's Where You Lead is the show's theme.
Gilmore Girls wrapped in 2007 after seven seasons, leaving fans dismayed by the departure and its circumstances. When the series' architects, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, left before the final season, it felt as though a highly functional family had fractured, and their absence had a noticeable and detrimental impact on screen. Gilmore Girls' arrival on Netflix introduced it to a new generation of fans and reminded existing ones why it was such a cherished production.
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Netflix's follow-up series to Gilmore Girls, centering on the lives of a young woman and her single mom in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
So, in the hope that the new series can recapture the magic, your should (a) stock up on snacks and get ready to revisit the rosy Connecticut hamlet of Stars Hollow. (b) Prepare for a comedy-drama sparkling with wit and vitality. And (c) prepare for enthusiastic coffee consumption and a barrage of pop-culture-literate dialogue delivered at machine-gun speed.Â
Here are five reasons to be excited about the revival, which picks up eight years on.
The return of Lorelai, Rory and Paul Anka
Amy Sherman-Palladino created a series featuring a single mother and daughter who are best friends and converse in a style inspired by the pace and crackle of Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedies. As they happily munch on  doughnuts and Tater Tots while sharing the pleasures of bad telemovie bio-pics, their bond is deeply felt rather than spoken.Â
NB. Paul Anka is Lorelai's dog.
Revisiting Stars Hollow
As its dreamy name suggests, Stars Hollow is a glowing vision of a small town. Like the Cheers bar – "where everybody knows your name" – it's a caring community populated by a healthy share of eccentrics. Some, like petty bureaucrat Taylor Doose (Michael Winters), are tolerated; others, like earnest fad-adopter Kirk (Sean Gunn), are mostly regarded with affection. In town, there's Luke's Diner – with its No Cell Phones policy – and Miss Patty's dance school. At the Dragonfly Inn, chef Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) serves up delectable goodies and sound advice to her BFF Lorelai. They run the boutique hotel with the aid of the magnificently snippy Michel (Yanic Truesdale).
There will be one sad absence from the vibrant community: Edward Herrmann, who played Richard, the Gilmore family patriarch and devoted husband of Emily (Kelly Bishop), died in 2014 and the character's death will feature in the telemovies. Friday night dinners won't be the same.
The return of the Palladinos
The series' best writers, the husband-and-wife team of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, departed following a contract dispute. She was originally commissioned to create a series designed to be wholesome and satisfy a family viewing audience. Instead of coming up with something eat-your-vegetables preachy, she created a sparkler that managed to be warm-hearted without being mushy as it celebrated family and community. They're executive producers on the telemovies. Amy wrote and directed the first and the fourth; Daniel wrote and directed the second and third. She has remarked that on the new production, they've been treated "like doting grandparents".Â
SVOD Comes Through
Gilmore Girls arrived on Netflix in 2014 and the enthusiastic viewer response suggested to the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service and emerging producer that there was potential for revival. Identifying a production that might have exited the stage too soon and reuniting its creative team is what a cashed-up streaming service can do. The billions – and it is literally billions – being invested in content by relatively new forces in production such as Netflix and Amazon offer opportunities beyond giving new talent a break. Some of the proposed reboots can also spark a sceptical reaction of "Really?" (See Fuller House.) But not in this case.
Because We Get to Find Out What Happens Next
When we last saw the Gilmores, Lorelai had reunited with her soul mate and the enabler of her coffee habit, grouchy diner owner Luke (Scott Patterson), following a rocky patch in their relationship. Well, she had briefly married Rory's dad, Christopher (David Sutcliffe). Having graduated from Yale, Rory had turned down a marriage proposal from the boy with the killer smile, blue-blood Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). The finale saw her preparing to join the press pack following the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama in her new job as a reporter for an online paper. Now we'll get to find out how she fared, as well as how her pals, competitive, brainy Paris Geller (Liza Weil) and rock'n'roll drummer and new mother, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), are getting on. Then there's the progress of her exes, Dean (Jared Padalecki) and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia).
Amy Sherman-Palladino has long claimed, tantalisingly, that she knows what Gilmore Girls' final four words of dialogue should be. Maybe now we'll get to hear them.
About the author: Debi Enker firmly believes that Lorelai belongs with her grumpy coffee-enabler and soul mate, Luke.
Gilmore Girls seasons 1-7 are now streaming on Netflix​