Photo provided by: Annaliese Long

One of the main contributors to the show’s autumnal association is the New England setting. The fictional town of Stars Hollow is located in Connecticut, and viewers are given the delight of seeing brightly colored fall leaves in many scenes, as well as the opening credits.

It is finally fall, the season of changing leaves, hot cocoa and sweaters – not to mention an occasional background soundtrack of “lalala’s” and frequent stops at a local diner. That’s right, it is time to rewatch the popular television series “Gilmore Girls”.

“Gilmore Girls” aired from 2000 to 2007, with a reboot later being released in 2016. When the show first aired, it got around 5 million views per episode. Now, “Gilmore Girls” stands as the ninth most watched television show of 2023. The show follows Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, portrayed by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel respectively, who live in the fictional small town of Stars Hollow. Throughout the show we watch Rory’s journeys in high school and college as well as Lorelai’s struggling relationship with her parents as she navigates her 30s.

“My favorite part of ‘Gilmore Girls’ would be the relationship of trust between Rory and Lorelai,” junior Maria Carrero-Jimenez said. “It shows how trust and love are really unconditional in life.”

It is most common to hear talk of “Gilmore Girls” around fall, as the series is highly associated with this season. Even though the show presents all four seasons, the warmer colors that dominate the color palette and the layered, cozy wardrobe of the characters make “Gilmore Girls” feel more like an autumnal show than anything else.

“The first seasons were shot in a small town and they went to a small diner and they had coffee that gave fall vibes,” junior Addison Wilson said.

Many shows and movies are frequently associated with specific seasons, not just “Gilmore Girls”. Other examples would be the “Harry Potter” movies for winter, and “Bridgerton” for the springtime.

“Other shows also correlate with seasons for me,” junior Amanda Gillon said. “For instance, ‘Arrested Development’. They live in a very hot area by the beach so I just usually connect that show with summer.”

It is possible that there is a psychological explanation behind the connection between specific seasons and media. This correlation could even explain why we rewatch certain shows at certain times of the year.

“A show probably is more enjoyable if associated with something that the individual likes, which in this case is a season, because the brain likes to connect and feel good or happy,” Carrero-Jimenez said. “So if you like chocolate or the snow and a show is about that, unconsciously your brain likes it and wants that.”

Even though “Gilmore Girls” was released 23 years ago, it still has a huge fanbase. With views continuing to climb, the show remains popular and will hopefully remain this way for years to come.

“I love Fall and that’s when I watch all my horror movies,” Gillon said. “It’s nice to have a relaxing fall sitcom that I can rewatch every year.”