Gilmore Girls is such a timeless show which is why is probably why it seems to find new audiences year after year, as well as a lot of people rewatching (guilty🙋♀️), and is as popular as ever 2 decades after its initial airing. There are ups and downs over the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls with some seasons better than others but of course with great episodes in every season.
This ranking of the Gilmore Girls seasons is based on the seasons as a whole and is based solely on the watchability/entertainment value of each season – because of course, the quality of writing on Gilmore Girls never falls off.
7. Season 4
At number 7, Season 4 is ranked as the worst season of Gilmore Girls. This was a transition season for Gilmore Girls with the show really finding its footing for how to replace Rory’s Chilton (high school) storylines for her Yale (college) storylines in a satisfying way.
The show felt ‘off’ for a while as Rory’s first season at Yale seems to lack any fun and is missing the allure which Rory’s private school (Chilton) had in the earlier seasons. The addition of the character Jason this season also falls flat as his character doesn’t seem to be a great match for Lorelai – in fact, he actually just matches Lorelai’s personality.
Although Season 4 was the worst season of Gilmore Girls, it still delivered strong episodes such as ‘Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out’ which is the episode with the Yale football match where we (and Emily😭) find out that Richard has been meeting an ex-girlfriend of his once a year for years.
6. Season 7
Season 7 is not written by Amy Sherman-Palladino – the creator of Gilmore Girls – which is why there is a notable shift in the style of writing. This is particularly apparent in the first few episodes of the season but the later half of the season definitely picks up and delivers some of the most memorable moments of the entire series – such as Lorelai’s karaoke night and Rory’s send-off in the final episode.
5. Season 5
This is a season which really does have its ups and downs which is part of the reason it is really loved by some and not so much by others. This season sees the introduction of Logan who will be Rory’s main love interest for the rest of the show’s run and his relationship with Rory is something that many fans loved seeing unfold across this season.
The first half of this season is almost depressing to watch as the temporary split of Richard and Emily is a real dampener on the Friday night dinners. However, the 100th episode special of Richard and Emily renewing their vows might just make up for that somewhat bleak arc.
4. Season 1
Season 1 is often the best season of most shows and is something that shows then struggle to capture the magic of in the rest of the show. Fortunately, this is not the case with Gilmore Girls as the show did go on to have better seasons. Season 1 is the most nostalgic of all the seasons (obviously) and is where we first meet the majority of the characters we come to love.
This is really the only season which has a few plot holes (looking at you Mick… I mean Kirk) but after the first few episodes the show finds its footing – which is pretty standard for a network TV show of its time.
3. Season 6
This is a somewhat controversial placement for season 6 as the more drama packed season than usual took the show from its unique cosy feel to more of a dramatic soap opera but ultimately you have to respect the risks that this season took and the entertainment it provided as a result.
Season 6 sees the introduction of Luke’s long lost daughter – a soap favourite plot – April, which is one of the reasons some fans are not fond of this season as they felt her introduction was strictly thrown in to break up Luke & Lorelai. This seasons also is the season where Rory temporarily drops out of Yale and as a result becomes estranged from Lorelai, which is heartbreaking for fans to watch but also made for an interesting dynamic for the show which helped give the show a bit of needed/refreshing change.
This season has so many iconic moments from Rory dropping out of Yale, Logan gifting Rory a birkin bag (which she knows nothing about🫠) and the DAR event hosted by Rory where Emily does her iconic takedown of Logan’s mother.
2. Season 2
Season 2 is the beginning of prime Gilmore Girls and sees the introduction of Rory’s second main love interest – Jess – who of course is one of the most loved and hated characters of Gilmore Girls based on which ‘team’ you are in terms of who you think Rory should be with.
This season sees Luke take care of Jess, Rory torn between Jess and Dean as well as many other fan favourite plots with lots of Chilton episodes and Lorelai’s parents bonding with her more than ever.
Some highlights of this season include Lorelai’s graduation, the arrival of Sherry (Christopher’s girlfriend at the time) and the trip to Harvard.
1. Season 3
Season 3 of Gilmore Girls is without the doubt the peak season of Gilmore Girls. The season shows Rory’s senior year and Lorelai’s/Sookie’s take steps forward in their plans to open up a new Inn. This is also the season where the majority of Jess and Rory’s relationship unfolds.
From the get-go this season utilises the time Rory has left at Chilton with many of the most iconic school storyline being within this season. The season shows Rory navigating the application process to university which fans have long awaited by season 3 given the Gilmore Girls’ fixation on Harvard and throws a curveball with Rory choosing to go to Yale instead – a convenient choice for the next few seasons which allows Rory to be within driving distance of her Stars Hollow home which means she can return as often as she likes.
We also see Lorelai navigating Christopher and Sherry having a kid with two of the most iconic episodes of the show, ‘Take the Deviled Eggs’ (Sherry’s baby shower) and of course ‘Dear Emily and Richard’ (the flashback episode which also flashes forward throughout the episode to the present day where Sherry is giving birth).
The last few episodes of this season are some of the most iconic (if not the most iconic) of the whole show with Jess leaving and Rory’s graduation day where she delivers one of the most memorable lines of dialogue of the show with a heartfelt speech dedicated to Lorelai.
That wraps up this ranking of the Gilmore Girls seasons. Do you agree/disagree with our ranking? Feel free to comment below and thank you for reading! 🙂
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