Gilmore Girls continues to be one of the most popular and influential shows of all time. It's been 25 years since the comedy-drama series first made its premiere on The WB, and not once has it left our hearts, homes, or Netflix watch lists. There are many reasons that it's managed to become such a permanent part of our lives, and it's not just because it's cozy, relatable, and seriously funny.
The sprawling ensemble cast of Gilmore Girls might be one of the strongest ever assembled on the small screen. No matter how big or small the part, they were all part of the quirky little theatre troupe that made up with dazzling and magical world of Stars Hollow. Beyond Lorelai and Rory, each character brought their own unique light to every scene and episode in which they appeared.
Even though Gilmore Girls returned in 2016 for a four-episode revival miniseries on Netflix, which brought back almost every single character we know and love, the series somehow never spawned a spinoff. But it wasn't for lack of trying. There was very nearly a Jess spinoff about his new life with his father in California following the backdoor pilot at the end of season 3.
However, when Jess' spinoff didn't get an official order from The WB, there were no other Gilmore Girls spinoff series pursued in spite of the fact that almost any character in the cast could have been the star of their own show. Truly, pick any character and you could pitch a great series! But these three oft underserved characters were among those who should have had a spinoff.
Lane
Ask any Gilmore Girls fan, and they will talk your ear off about how Lane deserved a better ending in the original series (and also the revival). For much of the series, we watched a rebellious teen Lane fight to follow her dream to become a musician. She hid rock albums under her floorboards and traded her freedom for a pair of drumsticks. Lane defied her mother's wishes in order to be who she was meant to be, and who she was meant to be was the drummer of Hep Alien.
Rather than continuing to pursue a music career, the series steered Lane in the direction of motherhood. She married Zach and ended up pregnant with twins after their honeymoon. A lot of fans have found fault in Lane's late-series trajectory, but it still would have been an interesting premise for a spinoiff. What if Lane and Zach moved out of Stars Hollow and attempted to balance a music career with being new parents? That's the stuff sitcoms are made of!
Sookie
Melissa McCarthy played Lorelai's ride-or-die best friend and business partner Sookie St. James for all seven seasons and popped up for a cameo appearance in the revival miniseries. While Sookie often had her own storylines in the original series as she met, dated, married, and built a life and family with Jackson, she was mostly used as a sounding board for Lorelai. Especially toward the end of the series, Sookie's full potential wasn't actualized as it should have been.
Sookie was also often a great source of comedy on Gilmore Girls, even if McCarthy wasn't able to unleash her complete comedic capabilities. There's a great case to be made that Sookie and Jackson should have moved away from Stars Hollow sooner so Sookie could embark on her culinary dreams in more focused way. Not that a Sookie spinoff would ever be in the cards these days, but 20-something years ago, some sort of family comedy led by McCarthy would have been amazing.
Michel
This one's kind of obvious, right? I went back and forth wondering whether Kirk should have had a spinoff doing a million odd jobs in another small town, but Kirk should never be removed from Stars Hollow. Michel, though? He's a world traveler trapped in Connecticut and he's by far one of the most enigmatic characters in the entire Gilmore Girls universe that lends to a spinoff. You could put Michel anywhere and have him doing anything and it would be the most watchable show on TV.
Michel has a unique demeanor and sense of humor that could translate to his own story. A Michel spinoff could have been something like Emily in Paris, even if it was a multi-cam sitcom. Maybe it's a buddy spinoff with another character from Gilmore Girls (Paris? They are the came kind of live wire!) or with his glamorous mother? It was a missed opportunity to not explore Michel's backstory further, whether on the actual show or in a spinoff that would have been instantly iconic.