Casting Gilmore Girls If It Were Made Today: All 11 Main Roles

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Aug 26, 2026, 1:45 PM EDT Casey Duby is an avid TV writer, watcher, and reviewer. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021 with a focus in Writing for Film and Television, where she wrote several pilots and watched countless more. She's been working in television ever since. Casey loves thoughtful content that makes her ponder our world and the people in it, and she's learned that any genre can surprise her. With favorites in every genre from horror to politics, family to action, nothing is off limits. Casey has experience working in TV development and writing scripted shows. Currently working as a Writer/Critic in Los Angeles, with an AMC A-List membership to boot, she is always hunting for the next good story and great theme song. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Gilmore Girls is still revered today as one of the coziest TV shows of all time, remaining a pinnacle of fall-themed TV binges. The fictional town of Stars Hollow and its many quirky events and residents have elevated the show into a classic. Though it feels definitively of its time, this is part of its charm, as it evokes a nostalgia for a simpler time, one when phones could easily be banned from coffee shops. If the show were to be revived today, it would have to work much harder to capture its quaint, intimate small-town feel. Yet this might also be the thing that makes a modern-day Gilmore Girls all the more welcome, especially in the wake of the comparatively lukewarm reception to the show's revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Though a completely reimagined Gilmore Girls doesn't seem to be on the horizon, these actors would do the characters justice in a 2026 iteration of the classic series. Mae Whitman As Lorelai Gilmore When she played Lauren Graham's daughter on Parenthood, Mae Whitman proved she could keep up with the quick wit and rapid dialogue that characterized Graham's stint as Gilmore Girls​​​​' Lorelai. More importantly, Whitman's Parenthood character, Amber, embodied the heart and lovable chaos that allowed Lorelai to have some of Gilmore Girls' best quotes. After Parenthood, Whitman played Good Girls' Annie Marks, who, like Lorelai, was a teen mom. Though Gilmore Girls is largely about the wholesome relationship between Lorelai and Rory, Lorelai is the show's most erratic character, an energy Whitman has come to depict well across her TV roles. Chase Infiniti As Rory Gilmore Steve Wilkie /Hulu/Disney Most recently, Chase Infiniti has proven how well she can play a precocious, yet independent teen through her work on The Testaments, Hulu's spinoff of The Handmaid's Tale​​​​​. One of the easier actors to picture in a Gilmore Girls role, Infiniti has perfected the soft-spoken good girl who still manages to get herself into trouble, a persona that Alexis Bledel popularized throughout her time playing Rory. Before The Testaments, Infiniti broke out in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, in which she revealed a fiercer rebellious streak than anything she's yet displayed in The Testaments. Though Gilmore Girls never asks anything of such magnitude of Rory, the character's insistence on doing what she alone wants to do is one of Rory's most quintessential and controversial traits. Jean Smart As Emily Gilmore Image via Max Perhaps Gilmore Girls' most quietly pivotal character, Emily's simultaneous disconnect with her daughter and adoration of her granddaughter creates the central conflict that drives the show's early seasons. Though Lorelai and Rory are the face of the series, Emily and Lorelai's less idyllic relationship is arguably Gilmore Girls' more significant mother/daughter dynamic. On Hacks, Jean Smart depicted the complex maternal energy the role requires, shifting quickly between loving warmth and surprising cruelty. Even in Deborah's most flawed moments, though, Smart never lost sight of the deeper reality within the character that caused her to act the way she did. Short of Kelly Bishop herself, Emily Gilmore could be in no better hands than Smart's. John Goodman As Richard Gilmore Image via Max Though still posh and disconnected from Lorelai, Richard is the show's more classically lovable grandparent. It's a role John Goodman couldn't be better suited for, especially after playing The Righteous Gemstones' patriarch, who, despite an even less savory background, was undeniably endearing. The late Edward Herrmann set the bar for the character high, but Goodman evokes a strikingly similar persona. Over the years, Goodman has demonstrated the simultaneous power and disarming charm required of Gilmore Girls' patriarch. Richard largely chooses to remain disengaged from Gilmore family conflicts, but this makes it all the more powerful when he does insert himself. This commanding nature is something Goodman has mastered in every project, from The Righteous Gemstones to The West Wing. Brett Goldstein As Luke Danes Brett Goldstein, of Ted Lasso fame, has the grump with a heart of gold character trope down to a science. Roy Kent's vocabulary may be considerably more colorful than Luke's, but otherwise, the two characters strongly parallel each other, right down to the romance with the hardworking, fast-talking love interest. In fact, Roy's no-nonsense way of handling the press and fame of professional sports in Ted Lasso feels like a strong example of how Luke would handle the modern-day irritants of current technology and sensory overload. Meanwhile, in Shrinking, Goldstein demonstrated a depth and vulnerability that, if lent to Luke, would give the character a level of substance comparable to that of Scott Patterson. Brett Goldstein's Major Projects Year Ted Lasso 2020 Shrinking 2023 All of You 2024 Office Romance 2026 Quinta Brunson As Sookie St. James The relentlessly upbeat demeanor that Quinta Brunson brings to Abbott Elementary's mistake-prone Janine would be a perfect fit for Gilmore Girls' bubbly, clumsy chef. Like Janine, Sookie can be overenthusiastic in her endeavors, but this is all part of her charm. Plus, Janine's energy often has Brunson speaking at a breakneck pace, making her a great fit for creator Amy Palladino's snappy dialogue. Notably, Brunson herself has a much edgier, more deadpan personality than that of her breakout role, which speaks to her range as a performer. Over the course of the show, Melissa McCarthy's scenes as Sookie range from physical comedy setpieces to moments of tear-jerking sweetness. She set the bar high, but the star of network TV's current sitcom darling would be up to the task. Sarah Bock As Lane Kim Image via Apple TV+ In some ways, the prim and proper corporate persona of Severance's Miss Huang is comparable to the demure religious front Gilmore Girls' Lane puts on for her mother. As convincing as Sarah Bock is as a dutiful Lumon employee, she also refuses to let viewers forget that she is, indeed, a kid, and likely has very different thoughts and beliefs than the ones she's allowed to express in that setting. The same is true for Keiko Agena's Lane, though Gilmore Girls allows its audience to see and enjoy Lane's true self through her friendship with Rory. For Severance fans, it would be almost cathartic to see Miss Huang let her hair down and join a rock band, something Sarah Bock has, somehow, made it possible to imagine despite her character never doing anything of the sort. Like Lane, Bock is also a musician. While Lane is a drumer, Bock plays piano and guitar (TVLine). Yasmin Finney As Paris Geller Image via MovieStillsDB The trajectory of Paris' character is so surprising that it seems undeniable that Liza Weil's caliber of performance had something to do with the character's longevity. From Rory's first Chilton Academy nemesis to her lifelong best friend, Paris offers yet another image of what an intelligent, ambitious, headstrong teenage girl can look like. Yasmin Finney played one such girl in Heartstopper. Though the character of Elle on Netflix's young adult romance series was much more put-together and much less abrasive than early iterations of Paris, Finney has the determination and persuasive abilities to play an academically focused character like Paris without completely masking the vulnerability that lies beneath her scholarly success. Christopher Briney As Jess Mariano Chris Briney perfected his brooding heartthrob persona in The Summer I Turned Pretty, making him a natural choice for Luke's intense, deadpan nephew. While Jess is rougher around the edges than Briney's Conrad, the latter's beloved teen romance performance would translate well to Rory's fan-favorite boyfriend. More recently, Briney guest-starred on Hacks as an alluring, idolized musician, proving that the scale of his attraction can go beyond the "boy next door" appeal of his breakout role. Yet in this role, too, Briney was introspective and somewhat melancholy, a trademark of Jess that was first brought to life by Milo Ventimiglia. Kingston Rumi Southwick As Dean Forester Rory's first love began as the pinnacle of earnest innocence, bright-eyed and eager. Their early romance was sweet and wholesome, defined by their "scandalous" night alone when they, in fact, merely overslept. Yet that same emotion-driven behavior later took on a heavier tone when Dean and Rory couldn't stop themselves from coming together, even when Dean was married to someone else. Widow's Bay​​​​​​'s Kingston Rumi Southwick has nailed his innocent, endearing puppy-dog eyes, despite being a troublemaker who makes little attempt to hide it. His sheepishness in the wake of being caught sneaking out rivals that of Jared Padalecki's Dean when caught by Lorelai sneaking through Rory's window. Connor Storrie As Logan Huntzberger MovieStillsDB Charming, confident, and softer than his first impression would lead you to believe, Matt Czuchry's Logan makes a strong case for being Rory's most likable love interest. He has all the smoothness that would suggest a cocky, entitled guy used to getting what he wants, yet he genuinely respects Rory and encourages her to do what's best for her, independent of his own desires. Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie plays a similar role: the confident, borderline arrogant Ilya Rozanov opposite the shy Shane Hollander. Yet despite his ego and comparative experience, Ilya proves to be genuinely sweet, surprising everyone by being solid boyfriend material. That simultaneous bravado and substance would make Storrie a perfect fit for Gilmore Girls' Logan Huntzberger. Release Date 2000 - 2007-00-00 Network The WB, The CW Directors Jamie Babbit, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Lee Shallat Chemel, Kenny Ortega, Michael Katleman, Matthew Diamond, Michael Zinberg, Gail Mancuso, Lesli Linka Glatter, Steve Clancy, Bethany Rooney, Jackson Douglas, Robert Berlinger, Steven Robman, Alan Myerson, Lev L. Spiro, Rodman Flender, Adam Nimoy, Arlene Sanford, Bruce Seth Green, Danny Leiner, David Paymer, David Petrarca, Eric Laneuville Writers Rebecca Rand Kirshner, David S. Rosenthal, Sheila R. Lawrence, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joan Binder Weiss, David Babcock, Bill Prady, Gayle Abrams, Gina Fattore, Jane Espenson, Jenji Kohan, Keith Eisner, James Berg, Stan Zimmerman, Allan Heinberg, Jed Seidel, Jessica Queller, Lisa Randolph, David Grae, Rina Mimoun, Jordon Nardino, Scott Kaufer, Joanne Waters Creator(s) Amy Sherman-Palladino