Fans of The Gilmore Girls can sit back and relax as they await their return to Stars Hollow. Ghostbusters star Melissa McCarthy will be joining Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel after all. Disappointment was in the air and on social media after Gilmore Girls creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino said McCarthy was too busy to return as chef Sookie St. James and best friend to Lorelai Gilmore. But after some back and forth in the press, McCarthy announced to Ellen DeGeneres on the Ellen show that Sherman-Palladino is squeezing her in.
Now both Graham and McCarthy are talking about the upcoming encore when The Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life airs on Netflix. Graham spoke Thursday after announcing the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations with black-ish nominee Anthony Anderson. She said the return to the fan favorite series after almost 10 years is ruining her for life. There is no more perfect fit for her than that show and that writing, Graham said.
“Just the wit – there’s a theatrical quality to the show and to Amy’s writing,” she said. “I’m a verbal actor and person. Those long scenes and long speeches, that kind of banter. I was born in the wrong era. I would have liked to have been in His Girl Friday and stuff. So this is as close as I’m going to get, and it’s just so gratifying. Especially after what an enriching experience Parenthood was, but so different – more behavior and emotion and less language-based.” The actress followed up her signature role on Gilmore Girls with six seasons on the popular Parenthood.
“If I could retire, I would just leave it here,” Graham said of reprising her Gilmore Girls role. “It was so gratifying and so fun… all those dynamics are the same, but even better.”
Graham said that McCarthy’s return was one of the biggest pieces that she wanted to see fall into place in the revival. “And the scenes she did are so fantastic. The fact that that came through was the icing on the cake!
“To have her back on set… It was beautiful,” Graham said.
McCarthy sees the new show as a chance for Sherman-Palladino to finish Gilmore Girls the way the creator/writer always envisioned it. “When else do you get a chance to do that? I mean, the odds are so ridiculous. You don’t get to redo your ending like that. I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s the right time to do it and I think people are going to be really happy with it,” she has said.
Fan excitement is building for the return of Lorelai and daughter Rory. Graham said she felt the enthusiasm as the cast was shooting.
Other cast members who are returning to Stars Hollow are Kelly Bishop, Scott Patterson, Liza Weil, Matt Czuchry, Milo Ventimiglia, Jared Padalecki and more famous veterans.
The Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will premiere as four 90-minute episodes later this year.
