2. Season 1
Straight out of the gate, Gilmore Girls feels fresh and different, with the eccentric town of Stars Hollow coming off as remarkably dynamic given the low stakes of the season’s plots.
When we’re first introduced to the mother-daughter team of Lorelai and Rory in season 1, their rapid-fire banter easily finds its pace and we’re just along for the ride. Through Amy Sherman-Palladino’s sparkling dialogue, the pair takes us on an exhaustive tour of Stars Hollow and Chilton, and we meet so many kooky characters that our heads are spinning by the final episode. Luke, Miss Patty, Babette, Taylor, Sookie, Lane, Jackson, Paris, Tristan, Emily, Richard, Kirk …they’re all so, so much, but we cannot get enough!
There are also key conflicts in play where the comedy gives way to real drama: Lorelai is not happy about making a deal with her rich, estranged parents to ensure Rory gets the best possible schooling, and Rory is meek and out of place among the rich kids at Chilton.
Season 1 is great at building the world of Gilmore Girls, but it’s still a little rough around the edges. Rory is in her passive era here, more reactive than active – defined as a good kid admired by almost everyone around her. She’s just a little too perfect. But there’s also too much in the way of good stuff to be entirely bothered by it.
The pilot is spectacular, the explorations of class divide in “Kill Me Now” and “Rory’s Birthday Parties” still hit hard, and the evolution of Paris into one of the show’s top-tier characters truly begins in “Paris is Burning.” Some episodes haven’t aged particularly well (the awkward gender politics of “That Damn Donna Reed” stand out), but season 1 remains a terrific watch overall.
1. Season 2
The second season of Gilmore Girls is where the show really hits its stride, and it’s hard not to rank it lower as a result. Where season 1 was still focused on the basics, season 2 is much less interested in them, choosing instead to deepen the characters and introduce flaws in Rory that lay the foundation for her mistakes in later seasons.
