The pilot of Gilmore Girls has elements that fans love about the series: Rory and Lorelai chatting, Luke and Lorelai flirting, and the main characters drinking coffee (and even more coffee after that). The sad relationship between Lorelai and her parents is also explored, along with Rory's choice to stop attending her small town high school so she can attend the private school Chilton and hopefully be accepted into Harvard.
From a pilot episode that didn't air to the other series that Lauren Graham starred in around the same time, there are many interesting facts about the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls.
There Was Another Pilot That Never Aired
In the first episode of Gilmore Girls, Rory is shown at Stars Hollow High as she meets Dean Forrester, gets excited about her acceptance to Chilton, and spends time with her best friend Lane Kim.
According to Cheat Sheet, there was another pilot that didn't air, and Seventeen.com noted that Nathan Wetherington was cast as the original Dean, not Jared Padalecki. This episode had another storyline where Dean and Rory meet but don't end up going for the romantic and adorable walk that they do in the pilot that everyone has seen.
The Pilot Was Filmed In Unionville
For many fans, it doesn't get cozier than Stars Hollow, so a small town with charm galore was necessary for the first time that people were introduced to the mother/daughter duo Lorelai and Rory.
The first episode of Gilmore Girls was filmed in Unionville, Ontario, and according to Visit Markham, Lorelai walks through the town, and viewers can see a clothing store and church with red brick. Fans can visit the address 156 Main Street to see where Luke's diner was shot, and the windows look similar.
The Pilot's Opening Scene Was Filmed First
The pilot opens with Lorelai begging Luke Danes for more coffee, and when a visitor to Stars Hollow flirts with Rory, Lorelai shows up and he realizes that they're mother and daughter. This is a shock since Lorelai looks so young.
This has become a classic moment in the series, and Lesli Linka Glatter, directed the pilot episode, told Refinery 29 in an interview that this scene was filmed before anything else. The director said it was "an amazing place to begin because that set up the world and the characters, and what the nature of their relationship was and how close they are."
Lauren Graham Loved Working With Melissa McCarthy
Lorelai and Sookie St James's Gilmore Girls friendship is one of the core relationships, and Lauren Graham told Entertainment Weekly that Melissa McCarthy was hilarious and "pretending she was my best friend was very easy."
This is great to hear since the actors seemed to shine when they were onscreen together and their characters had an easy banter, just like Rory and Lorelai.
Lauren Graham Could Have Starred On Another Show
It's always fascinating to hear about the roles that stars could have had or the details of their career history that allow them to be free for the part that changes their life.
According to Cafe Mom, when Lauren Graham wrote her memoir Talking As Fast As I Can, she shared that she was cast in a show called M.Y.O.B. She was under contract to star on that show, but since it didn't work out, she was able to play Lorelai.
Liza Weil Wanted To Portray Rory
Watching Rory and Paris in the Gilmore Girls pilot doesn't hint at what's to come, as the two are strangers who compete and dislike each other, but it's definitely entertaining as both characters are smart and exciting.
According to Buzzfeed, Liza Weil read for the role of Rory during her audition, and Amy Sherman-Palladino let her know that she would write a role for her if the series ended up working out. Weil said, "My fully formed self now sees it as a huge compliment that that's what they came up with from me reading originally for Rory."
Before Luke, There Was A Character Named Daisy
It's impossible to think about what Gilmore Girls would be like without Luke, his diner, and his character arc.
Amy Sherman-Palladino shared with Entertainment Weekly that she had a character on the show named Daisy, and when the network wanted a male character, that's how Luke was created. Sherman-Palladino said, "I literally just took a character and changed the name, didn’t even change any of the dialogue because I’m that lazy.”
Scott Patterson Is Fond Of A Scene From The Pilot
Scott Patterson's Gilmore Girls recap podcast "I'm All In" includes a lot of juicy and cool details about shooting the series. Patterson shared that there was a scene in the first episode that he really enjoyed.
Patterson said that when Luke and Lorelai are fighting over how much coffee Lorelai should drink, he loved it "Because it says everything about the relationship... it was just absolute perfection," according to Cheat Sheet.
Lauren Graham Loved Richard And Emily's House
When Lauren Graham spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the show's first episode, she shared more about filming the scene in the pilot when Lorelai asks Richard and Emily for money.
Graham shared that the house felt cold and imposing and it worked perfectly. The actor said, "literally the house had gates around it. I just thinking it helped me imagine what that part of her life had been."
The Original Actor Playing Dean Didn't Have The Best Experience
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nathan Wetherington shared that he hadn't acted before filming the pilot which didn't end up airing.
Wetherington explained that he didn't like the makeup and hair and he said, “I was like, ‘This doesn’t look like me, I don’t know what’s going on right now.’ I feeling very uncomfortable in my own skin.”