Season 3 of "Gilmore Girls" remained in the same Tuesday 8pm time slot, running from September 24, 2002 to May 18, 2004. In the fall of 2004, the WB replayed S1-2 on Sunday evenings at 5pm as part of a "Gilmore Girls: Beginnings" block that included an opening monologue from Lorelai (Lauren Graham) over a revamped, hazy credits sequence. S3 had a slightly worse Nielsen rating than S2 at #122, but viewership was comparably high and many people, including me, view this season as the show's peak.
Drama with Gavin Polone
One interesting tidbit I found in A.S. Berman's "The Gilmore Girls Companion" (2010) is this quote from executive producer Gavin Polone on the first episode of the season, "Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days" under the headline, "Gavin Polone Leaves":
I remember leaving the table read and going out to my car and calling my lawyer. I said, 'I'm willing to give up money but I've got to get away from here. I can't be around these people anymore.['] From that point on, I never watched another episode of the show.
From what I can gather, Polone left the show during the start of S3 over creative differences/annoyances with Amy Sherman-Palladino, but retained an executive producer credit throughout all 7 original seasons because he helped her develop the show back when he was her manager in the 90s. Based on how he tells the story to Berman, he's actually the one who pitched the concept for "Gilmore Girls" to ASP. At the time, they had been working on TV ideas together for NBC and the WB, the only two networks she hadn't irreparably pissed off. Polone, who had recently produced "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (Jann, 1999) was interested in "the relationship between Ellen Barkin and Kirsten Dunst," which spun into a mother and daughter who were close in age and more like best friends. Polone says,
I came up with the teaser of the actual [Gilmore] pilot that was made where you see a woman at a restaurant and a guy hits on her, and she goes to the bathroom and the guy hits on her daughter, and then he realizes they're mother and daughter, which is surprising because they seem so close in age.
My most generous and balanced read on the situation is that Polone had a good (yet vague) idea that ASP ultimately ran with and turned into something classic that people are still watching in droves today. They didn't get along because they're both very blunt, think they're always right, and don't give a fuck about making enemies. The Hollywood Reporter describes Polone as, "an ascetic and a bit of a weirdo" with "a zest for his own notoriety." If he thinks he's been wronged, he will confront, complain, and if necessary, litigate. I'm sure he's not fun to work with, but he's the type of person you'd absolutely want in your corner because he knows how to get shit done. According to Berman,
It's very easy to understand why [Polone] and Amy parted ways just two years into Gilmore. Yet it's just as easy to see that it was probably Polone's ability to tackle executives head on that bought the series time enough, and Amy & Dan control enough, to establish healthy viewer numbers for the series, thus ensuring its longevity.
Polone certainly deserves credit for his role in the show's creation, which the WB tried to financially screw him out of, resulting in several lawsuits over the years. Until recently, I had no idea that he stepped away from the show so early and I wonder how ASP feels about him today, especially after his 2018 lawsuit, which settled out of court, over financial compensation for "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life."
Despite Polone's absence, the season in an absolute banger, featuring the start and end of Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Jess's (Milo Ventimiglia) relationship; Yale-related fights with Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann); the Dragonfly Inn rising from the ashes of the Independence; and an awkward DOA backdoor pilot episode where Sherilyn Fenn, AKA April Nardini's mother, plays Jimmy Mariano's (Rob Estes) girlfriend. It ends with Rory's high school graduation and a nice sendoff to Chilton, a once scary place that ultimately led to personal growth for both mother and daughter. If forced to choose favorites, here are the five episodes I would watch at the first signs of autumn.
💃🏻 Top 5 Episodes From "Gilmore Girls" Season 3
- "Eight O'Clock At the Oasis" - This is an underrated episode, featuring that little board game freak, Dwight (Jason Kravits), and Jon fucking Hamm who, yes, once set someone on fire and should be vilified for it but dammit, if the man can't act.
- "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" - I have to imagine this is most fans' favorite episode. From the costumes to the choreography to the end of Rory and Dean (Jared Padalecki), everything comes together in the most satisfying way.
- "A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving" - There is nothing more romantic than Lane (Keiko Agena) paging Rory, "Bible kiss Bible" after a David Bowie makeout with Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody). Also, drunk Sookie (Melissa McCarthy)!
- "A Tale of Poes and Fire" - The inn catches fire, Rory commits to Yale, and Stars Hollow hosts my favorite event, a battle of the Poes reading. Do we think Babette (Sally Struthers) adopted Papaya the cat?
- "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio" - This episode is a little hokey, but I've cried while watching it on my period before, so I must include it. The best part is when backpack-laden Rory and Lorelai interrupt the town troubadour's rendition of "Peace Train" by violently body slamming him.
The snacks I recommend for this season are birthday Mallomars and a heaping plate of Johnny "this vile concoction" Machete. Or, if you're a sick fuck like Tobin (Bruce McCulloch), a plain, unsliced bagel. Try not to break your brain calculating how many pairs of Jimmy Choos you can buy with $75,000 in 2026.
