Inside Look @ Gilmore Girls

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

Gilmore Girls is the surprise hit TV drama about the experiences of and relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter. It airs weekly on the WB network.

INSIDE SCOOP:

Although the WB channel is best known for delivering offbeat television shows about vampires (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel), witches (Charmed; Sabrina) and sex-obsessed teenagers (Dawson’s Creek), this network is currently drawing in millions of viewers with a decidedly tamer show: the family drama, Gilmore Girls.

Created by left-of-center producer, Amy Sherman-Palladino (who previously scripted episodes for the controversial comedy, Roseanne), Gilmore Girls is pulling in praise from conservatives and liberals alike. The Family Friendly Programming Forum originally funded it, and then watched as it quietly became the most-watched TV show in its time slot among 12- to 34-year-old females. Subsequently, it earned a Viewers for Quality Television Award, was named Outstanding New Series by the Television Critics Association, and even garnered a Golden Globe nomination for star, Lauren Graham.

Graham portrays Lorelai Gilmore, a thirtysomething single mom who ran away from home after getting pregnant at age 16. Now, seventeen years later, she’s working to balance the joys and hardships that come with parenting her own teenager, Rory, (portrayed by Alexis Bledel) while pursuing her adult interests as well.

Fans of the show applaud the way it depicts a genuine, warm relationship between mother and daughter in a realistic way. They also appreciate that Rory Gilmore seems to have learned from her mother’s past, choosing sexual abstinence as part of her lifestyle. And many admire the small-town wholesomeness of the show’s setting in “Stars Hollow, Connecticut,” and the fact that teen Rory shows an interest in intelligent endeavors (such as classic literature) rather than being simply a mess of hormonal outbursts.

However, Gilmore Girls is not without its detractors. While acknowledging the positive relationship between the two lead characters, critics also point out that Lorelai is more a “fantasy big sister” to Rory than a real-life mom. For instance, mother and daughter have double-dated on the show and buddied their way to a bachelorette party inside a drag bar. Additionally, Mom Lorelai rarely cooks food for her daughter, and has been known to allow her boyfriends to sleep overnight at the Gilmore household. The fact that series creator, Palladino, has no children of her own also adds fuel to the fire of complaints about the show’s lack of authenticity.

So, while Gilmore Girls is definitely a ratings winner, only you can decide whether or not this one is truly “family friendly entertainment” for the folks who inhabit your home.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT Gilmore Girls:

“This show has outshined all the cheesy sitcoms that have monopolized television…My teenage daughter and I watch it weekly like a ritual.”

—A Mom in North Carolina

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“Gilmore Girls [is] the WB hit that’s taking the Gee! Out of G-rated TV…Surprisingly racy standard for family-friendly entertainment.”

—Allison Hope Weiner, Entertainment Weekly

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 “The strong and loving mother-daughter relationship portrayed in Gilmore Girls reflects the growing reality of this new type of American family.”

—The WB network

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“[Many scenes in Gilmore Girls] aren’t what a lot of Americans would describe as family friendly. The show can also get racy at times, and sometimes the mother acts more like a friend than a parent.”

—Mark Honig, Parents TV Council

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“Lots of people told me a real mom would never do the things Lorelai does. I tell them there are lots of ways to be a good mom…This is our truth. It’s TV. We make things up here.”

—Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator/executive producer of Gilmore Girls

LOOKING INSIDE…:      

Use these questions to spark family discussion about Gilmore Girls:

---How would you define the term “Family-friendly television”? Why would you define it that way?

---Do you think a show like Gilmore Girls serves as a role model for mother-daughter relationships or single-parenting techniques? Explain your answer.

---If you were a television critic/columnist, what would you write about the Gilmore Girls?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like Gilmore Girls, then you may want to check out:

---Christian Single magazine (LifeWay Christian Resources).

The premiere lifestyle magazines for Christians who are also single, this monthly publication from LifeWay (parent company of HomeLife), bills itself as “the magazine for successful single living.” Each issue includes a balanced perspective on topics such as single parenting, sex, career, relationships, entertainment, current events, and spiritual growth. Highly recommended for parents and teenagers alike.

---Promised Land (PAX TV)

This family drama, created by producer Martha Williamson as a spin-off from the wildly popular Touched by an Angel series, stars Gerald McRaney and Wendy Philips. It follows the life and experiences of the Greene family as they travel about the country in search of the “American Dream.” Inspired by an encounter with an angel, they work to change lives for the better wherever they go. Heartwarming entertainment for the whole family.

Bonus: If your family enjoys classic television, you might also want to check out Bonanza on PAX TV from time to time. Set in the 1800s, this time-honored western follows a single dad (played by Lorne Greene) and his three sons as they learn about honor, family, friendship and more in the wild, wild west.

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[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com