(April 2006) A sad day for 'Gilmore Girls' fans
Maureen Ryan
The news that "Gilmore Girls" executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be leaving the show at the end of the season is very bad news for "G.G." fans.
It's worse news for those who had hoped for great, or at least good, things from executives at the new CW network. They’ve already demonstrated questionable management instincts by letting this happen.
One has to wonder, Why bring “Gilmore Girls” over to the new network, which most TV observers expect to happen, without its crucial creative team at the helm? Whatever benefit the CW would have gotten from renewing this much-loved show will be destroyed by the fact that the distinctive vision of its creators will be gone.
The thing is, “Gilmore Girls” is not “CSI: Stars Hollow.” It’s not a procedural, nor is it like any other drama on TV. It doesn’t have predictable characters who speak predictable lines; it’s not a straightforward show with familiar moving parts and story lines.
More than just about any other show on TV, “Gilmore Girls” is the product of the unique creative voice of Sherman-Palladino. Sure, every fan can tell stories about the “Gilmore Girls” episode (or episodes) that made us want to tear our hair out, but when it’s on a roll, “Gilmore Girls” is great, and that greatness usually sprung from the pen of Sherman-Palladino and her husband.
So you can’t just pluck some guy from the writing staff, as the CW executives clearly plan to do, and end up with the same show. It’s just not going to work. I’d love to be wrong about this, but with “Gilmore Girls,” I know I’m not.
Believe it or not, I actually can see the CW’s side of this whole debacle. According to TVGuide.com’s Michael Ausiello, who’s been all over this story like white on rice, the Palladinos wanted a two-year deal in order to continue with “G.G.” CW executives balked, understandably, since stars Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham only have one year left on their contracts.
But smart TV executives would have made the next season happen, somehow, with the Palladino team at the helm. But then, if these executives were such geniuses, they would have known that the show without Amy Sherman-Palladino at the helm would not be the same show, and not worth continuing.
Sigh. It makes me wonder if next season on the CW, we’re going to see a lot of shows in the vein of “South Beach” and “Pepper Dennis.” I was hoping we’d get the best of both the WB and UPN with the new CW network, but maybe we’ll just get more of the same -- a few good shows and a lot of dumb decisions.
The truth is, I’d rather see the show end than see it linger on without the Palladinos. And though the Palladinos, in a recent Tribune interview, professed to be resigned to the fact that the show might continue on without them, I don't quite believe that.
Despite its rough patches, which I’ve complained about like any other longtime fan, “Gilmore Girls” is, week to week, a swell show with an unmistakable, unique voice.
It’s not fair to keep it going on a respirator. We all deserve better than that.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/04/a_sad_day_for_g.html
The news that "Gilmore Girls" executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be leaving the show at the end of the season is very bad news for "G.G." fans.
It's worse news for those who had hoped for great, or at least good, things from executives at the new CW network. They’ve already demonstrated questionable management instincts by letting this happen.
One has to wonder, Why bring “Gilmore Girls” over to the new network, which most TV observers expect to happen, without its crucial creative team at the helm? Whatever benefit the CW would have gotten from renewing this much-loved show will be destroyed by the fact that the distinctive vision of its creators will be gone.
The thing is, “Gilmore Girls” is not “CSI: Stars Hollow.” It’s not a procedural, nor is it like any other drama on TV. It doesn’t have predictable characters who speak predictable lines; it’s not a straightforward show with familiar moving parts and story lines.
More than just about any other show on TV, “Gilmore Girls” is the product of the unique creative voice of Sherman-Palladino. Sure, every fan can tell stories about the “Gilmore Girls” episode (or episodes) that made us want to tear our hair out, but when it’s on a roll, “Gilmore Girls” is great, and that greatness usually sprung from the pen of Sherman-Palladino and her husband.
So you can’t just pluck some guy from the writing staff, as the CW executives clearly plan to do, and end up with the same show. It’s just not going to work. I’d love to be wrong about this, but with “Gilmore Girls,” I know I’m not.
Believe it or not, I actually can see the CW’s side of this whole debacle. According to TVGuide.com’s Michael Ausiello, who’s been all over this story like white on rice, the Palladinos wanted a two-year deal in order to continue with “G.G.” CW executives balked, understandably, since stars Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham only have one year left on their contracts.
But smart TV executives would have made the next season happen, somehow, with the Palladino team at the helm. But then, if these executives were such geniuses, they would have known that the show without Amy Sherman-Palladino at the helm would not be the same show, and not worth continuing.
Sigh. It makes me wonder if next season on the CW, we’re going to see a lot of shows in the vein of “South Beach” and “Pepper Dennis.” I was hoping we’d get the best of both the WB and UPN with the new CW network, but maybe we’ll just get more of the same -- a few good shows and a lot of dumb decisions.
The truth is, I’d rather see the show end than see it linger on without the Palladinos. And though the Palladinos, in a recent Tribune interview, professed to be resigned to the fact that the show might continue on without them, I don't quite believe that.
Despite its rough patches, which I’ve complained about like any other longtime fan, “Gilmore Girls” is, week to week, a swell show with an unmistakable, unique voice.
It’s not fair to keep it going on a respirator. We all deserve better than that.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/04/a_sad_day_for_g.html
posted by MissCoffee @ 11:15 p.m.
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