‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’: The Revival’s Biggest Missed Opportunity

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life premiered on Netflix in 2016. While fans of the original series clamored for a reboot for years before it was announced, not everyone loved the final product. The reasons for fans’ lackluster feelings about the reboot are varied. Some hate what had become of Rory Gilmore; others argue that the four-part special felt disjointed. Not everyone agrees on exactly what went wrong. They mostly agree that the Netflix reboot missed one golden opportunity, though. The revival didn’t utilize Melissa McCarthy, the actor who spent seven seasons playing Sookie St. James.  

Sookie St. James only appeared for a brief moment in ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ 

Melissa McCarthy played a massive role in Gilmore Girls. McCarthy portrayed Sookie St. James, Lorelai Gilmore’s best friend, co-worker, and, later, business partner. The character appeared in 153 out of 154 episodes of the show and provided plenty of levity and intensity. For some Gilmore Girls fans, McCarthy’s character was their absolute favorite. 

When Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was announced, fans largely assumed Sookie would be where they last left her, hanging out in Stars Hollow, cooking in the kitchen of The Dragonfly Inn. That didn’t happen; she was missing from almost the entirety of the four-part revival. Sookie’s absence was explained as a sabbatical from the inn and her career as a chef. McCarthy did end up reprising the role, but only for a single, largely insignificant scene. 

Melissa McCarthy explained why Amy Sherman-Palladino didn’t include her character 

McCarthy only appeared in one scene in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but it wasn’t because she didn’t want to be a part of the revival. McCarthy sat down with E! News in 2016 to discuss her work and the reboot. She said she wasn’t asked to join the cast, but she was certain the production team assumed she was too busy to be involved. McCarthy didn’t harbor any ill will, though. She said she was proud of her work on the show and excited to watch the revival.

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, reiterated that there wasn’t a lack of love for McCarthy or the famed chef she played. Sherman-Palladino told Entertainment Weekly that when she pitched the revival, there was no story arc for Sookie because she was sure McCarthy wouldn’t be available for two months of shooting. McCarthy’s camp confirmed that, according to Sherman-Palladino. 

Whatever happened back in 2016 seems to have been addressed. McCarthy and Lauren Graham, the actor who played Lorelai Gilmore, snapped a selfie together in 2020. McCarthy also recently appeared in God’s Favorite Idiot, alongside her former co-star, Yanic Truesdale. God’s Favorite Idiot is a Netflix original. 

Would the addition of Sookie have improved the Netflix revival? 

Gilmore Girls fans have conflicting feelings about the revival. Some parts, like the strange musical mixed into the eight-hour special, seemed odd and ill-fitting. Other storylines lacked the depth and nuance that fans expected from the beloved series. Largely, though, it’s difficult to determine exactly what went wrong. 

Thinking back, it seems abundantly clear that the series felt a bit off because it was missing key players in the series. Some absences were unavoidable. Ed Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore, died before the revival was announced. Other absences didn’t need to happen. The fact that Sookie didn’t get a juicy storyline feels like an entirely missed opportunity. After all, her season 7 storyline, including a surprise pregnancy because Jackson Belleville lied about getting a vasectomy, feels like it needed further clarification. Maybe in a second revival season, if it ever happens.