Season 6 of "Gilmore Girls" aired in the perennial Tuesday 8pm time slot, running from September 13, 2005 to May 9, 2006. There was a ~20% decline in viewers from S5, and the show tied in the ratings with the WB's other top performers, "Smallville" and "Beauty and the Geek," at #110. As a top network performer for many years, you'd think the Palladinos would have some sway, but they spent the start of every year begging for information about whether "Gilmore" was returning in the fall. The network had steadily refused to renew the show for more than one year at a time, so it was always a mad dash to plan the upcoming season after the green light was finally given (which typically happened in the spring before the currently airing season wrapped).
If you ever wondered why everyone in Stars Hollow sounds like they're on cocaine, I assume it's because, at the very least, the writers were all on cocaine. I don't understand how else they managed to crank out 22 episodes of television over the span of nine months. Each episode took around ten days to shoot (with cast and crew working 14-22 hour days), then it would air 1-2 weeks later. With S6, the renewal was publicly announced on March 22, 2006. On April 20, Amy and Dan announced they were no longer returning, giving a lengthy interview to Michael Ausiello at TV Guide, detailing some of their grievances. They also named David S. Rosenthal as the new showrunner, which I'll discuss more in the S7 overview.
The main takeaway from their discussion with Ausiello is that they were getting burnt out and worried about not being able to end the show in a satisfying way, so they tried getting the network to agree to a two-year deal, along with additional personnel (a dedicated second unit, more writers, a staff director) that would allow them to reduce the insane work hours. The network, which was in the process of merging with UPN (CBS) to create The CW, was not open to negotiating and told them to either take the deal for one year or gtfo, so they left. They got some heat from fans for not taking the deal and finishing the show as they originally envisioned with S7, but the heart can only take so many stimulants.
Also, I don't blame them for using the network merger, which was announced in January 2006, as a good opportunity to push for what they really needed. If the WB suits had refused them for six years, maybe some new executive from the UPN side would see reason. Unfortunately, all business people want to do is make money and I'm sure they didn't understand why the show, which had run on x budget for so many years, suddenly needed an increase. "You mean these people are eventually going to die from one too many coffee enemas? [Shrug] Until that happens, let's protect our margins."
By the time Amy and Dan's departure had been announced, I wasn't particularly sad about it because S6 had taken such a nosedive with the introduction of April "worse than the clown pillow" Nardini (Vanessa Marano), Luke's (Scott Patterson) surprise 12-year-old daughter with an ex-girlfriend named Anna AKA a recast Sherilyn Fenn in her most obnoxious role to date. At the beginning of the season, Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) are estranged c/o the Yale dropout and grand theft boating, so those episodes are lacking some of the comforting magic of the earlier seasons. Then, when they finally reconcile, everyone's least favorite demon child shows up, Luke turns into a different person, and a beloved relationship we barely got to enjoy dies a quiet death on Christopher's (David Sutcliffe) depressing bachelor pad mattress. All that being said, there are still some standout episodes not even just for the season, but the series as a whole.
š°š»āāļø Top 5 Episodes From "Gilmore Girls" Season 6
- "We've Got Magic to Do" - If I was running "RuPaul's Drag Race," there would definitely be a spoken word lip-sync of Emily's (Kelly Bishop) Shira Huntzberger (Leann Hunley) takedown speech. That scene, along with Miss Patty's (Liz Torres) annual recital, throws this episode into annual viewing territory.
- "Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number" - Rory's milestone birthday makes the rift between her and Lorelai even sadder. It's one of those S6 episodes that actually feels like the right blend of comedy and drama without tipping into manufactured conflict just for the sake of moving the plot along.
- "Friday Night's Alright for Fighting" - Lauren Graham's line reading of, "Oooh. That's my mother's version of the "c" word," will live rent free in my head forever. The entire Friday night dinner scene is one of my favorite things this show has ever done.
- "I Get a Sidekick Out of You" - Am I happy to see Lane (Keiko Agena) marry someone who probably pees into old Gatorade bottles when he's too lazy to walk to the toilet? No; however, there's just something about a wedding, any wedding, that will always reel me in. I'm just angry we don't get to see Lorelai limbo with Zack's (Todd Lowe) great-uncle's cane.
- "Driving Miss Gilmore" - I will always be a sucker for episodes where Emily and Lorelai spend extended time together that results in them walking away with a deeper understanding of each other. Also, "If Iām willing to pay full price, then I deserve to have my drug bottle say Valium on it."
Your S6 charcuterie board should include at least one bottle of Zima (weirdly available near me on Instacart), a pack of cigs for community service bartering, and the best prune pastries on Martha's Vineyard. Don't say I didn't warn you about the beginning of the end for our gal Lane Kim...
