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TL;DR:

  • Gilmore Girls almost had an alternate title to make it more inclusive.
  • Lauren Graham said the other title sounded “like a method of natural childbirth.”
  • Amy Sherman-Palladino didn’t want Gilmore Girls to be another teen show.
'Gilmore Girls' star Lauren Graham, who commented on an alternate title for the show. She's standing in front of a blue wall with the Netflix logo. Her shirt is black, and her hair is curled.
Lauren Graham | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Gilmore Girls has become a prominent piece of pop culture since its premiere in 2000, but its creator once worried about the audience it would attract. Hoping to draw a wide range of viewers, Amy Sherman-Palladino put a lot of thought into the type of series Gilmore Girls would be and what it would be called. An alternate title was briefly considered, though Gilmore Girls won out. Lauren Graham was glad for that, as she wasn’t that into the other potential name.

‘Gilmore Girls’ almost used an alternate title to attract a wider audience

That’s right, Gilmore Girls nearly had an alternate title — and it stemmed from the desire to reach a wider crowd.

During a 2000 interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and the cast admitted they’d considered calling the show The Gilmore Way. Their hope was that it would attract male viewers, something they feared Gilmore Girls wouldn’t achieve.

Rather than allude only to the show’s female leads, The Gilmore Way would include Richard (Edward Herrmann) in it. Of course, that wouldn’t change the nature of the series. And Sherman-Palladino eventually decided it could appeal to men without using a different title.

“It’s not just a chick show,” Sherman-Palladino told EW. ”There are funny, interesting characters … and I’m adding a couple more guys.”

Lorelai Gilmore actor Lauren Graham was grateful Gilmore Girls one out, as she didn’t like The Gilmore Way all that much.

Lauren Graham once said the alternate title sounded ‘like a method of natural childbirth’

In hindsight, Gilmore Girls fans are likely glad that Amy Sherman-Palladino didn’t go with the alternate title. As it turns out, so is Lauren Graham. Speaking with EW, she recalled hearing about the possibility of using The Gilmore Way. She wasn’t into the idea, especially since it reminded her of “natural childbirth.”

“One title that has been flown is The Gilmore Way, which sounds like a method of natural childbirth,” Graham told EW. “I’m not behind that.”

Fortunately for her, she never had to get behind it, as Gilmore Girls won out. But according to Amy Sherman-Palladino, the audience concerns didn’t end there. The creator and network also wanted the show to appeal to multiple generations — something they had to work at so they could stand out.

The ‘Gilmore Girls’ creators didn’t want it to be just another teen show

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In addition to making sure Gilmore Girls appealed to men — alternate title or not — Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted the series to stand out from all the teen shows on air at the time. Specifically, she told EW that they wanted a story that could hook mothers and daughters alike.

”They really saturated the teen market,” Sherman-Palladino explained. ”Last year some good shows went down because people were like, ‘Ugh, another show about teens — who cares?”’ 

Fortunately, that wasn’t the response to Gilmore Girls, which maintains a huge fanbase even today. Many are still waiting for another season of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life to happen — even if it’s looking less and less likely it will.

Gilmore Girls is currently streaming on Netflix.

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