The quintessential fall media is typically full of small-town charm, a unique line-up of characters, and seemingly stuck in the fall and winter seasons. Gilmore Girls fits this template perfectly.
For those who don’t know, Gilmore Girls follows single mom Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory in the small fictional town of Stars-Hallow, Connecticut. This show is just overwhelmingly cozy. Even its color palette screams autumn.
Small-town charm is one of my favorite aspects of this show, with its diner, cafes, and beautiful gazebo. The fictional town can’t possibly have a population of more than 300, and it is the epitome of “everyone knows everything about everyone” because it is such a tight-knit and close community.
“There’s a little diner where they get their coffee from and it is a very warming place that just adds to the fall feeling,” Erynn Clanin said.
It feels almost as if Stars-Hallow is stuck in some sort of snow globe that freezes it in the cold end-of-year months to keep that picturesque fall feel.
I feel when I watch most shows around this time of year I’m always left waiting for some sort of seasonal episodes or even an ounce of fall and typically most shows only showcase that every other season due to their airing schedules and whatnot but with Gilmore Girls I’m never left with that longing. Even if there isn’t a specific Thanksgiving, or Christmas episode for example I still feel satisfied.
“When you watch it you get a kinda nostalgic feeling. Most of the storyline takes place when Rory is in school and to me, that just gives me a fall feeling no matter what time period it is in the show,” Clanin said.
Something about the wardrobe and style of the characters in the show also contributes to the overwhelming fall-ness of it. Fall is often deemed “Sweater Weather” and there is no shortage of sweaters in this show specifically worn by Rory. All over social media, you can find girls in usually cream-colored cable-knit sweaters talking about how “Rory Gilmore coded’ their outfits are and to be honest they never miss the mark.
The other characters in the show aren’t excluded from this fall fashion as well. Many characters are often in long coats that many associate with the season as well as the males constantly sporting flannels.
The music featured in this show is also beautifully autumnal and pulls it all together. With songs like “There She Goes” by The La’s and “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star it’s not hard to feel submersed with that implied chill in the air.
There’s also a background “la la la” sung throughout the show in different tones used as a transition between scenes and it’s often used in social media when describing fall. I often see TikToks around this time of year of fall scenes with the caption being something along the lines of “when the air feels like la la la season” using those soundbites and heavily referencing the show and that showcases the community this show has built and the unanimous opinion of it being a fall show by the fans.
“I like the comfort that the season of fall brings and I watch Gilmore Girls every fall to feel that familiar comfort. I just love the overall coziness of it,” Gracie Taylor said.
Whenever that first leaf falls and the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon is in the air I know that it’s time to rewatch Gilmore Girls and feel that familiar comfort that comes along with it.
