TV Review: Gilmore Girls
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Common Sense Media Review
GILMORE GIRLS follows the relationship between single mom
Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (
Alexis
Bledel), who act more like best friends than mother and
daughter. They live in the fictional town of Stars Hollow,
Connecticut, where Lorelei runs an inn. Lorelai's parents,
Emily and Richard Gilmore (Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann),
have a central role in their granddaughter Rory's life -- often
to Lorelai's annoyance.
Gilmore Girls has made significant strides as an intelligent, well-written program featuring strong female leads and a diverse cast. The show has won considerable praise from critics and male and female viewers of all ages. Chock full of pop culture and literary references, the material is exceptionally clever.
Tweens and teens alike will gain great insight from the lead characters. Rory loves and respects her family, reads for fun, and has the body of a normal teen. She makes mistakes and learns from them and is the kind of girl parents have been clamoring for on television for years.
But everything isn't always so starry in Stars Hollow. The series touches on a number of mature and real-life circumstances, including underage drinking, the celebration of waywardness, divorce, first loves, first times, single-parenting, and friendship.
Families will delight in watching Gilmore Girls together. Families interested might even want to visit "Rory's Book Club," on the official Gilmore Girls Web site. It has a supplemental reading list of books referenced on the show.
Other high-quality teen- and family-centered dramas include My So-Called Life and Degrassi: The Next Generation .
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that, thanks to its potential to
stimulate relevant conversation, they would benefit from
watching this show with their teens. One of the two central
characters is a single mother raising the daughter she had as a
teenager. Themes of class, tenacity, and family dynamics are
common threads. The program delivers positive messages about
diversity and learning. Characters of all races, shapes, and
sizes are positively represented. All of these positives
outweigh any iffy episode-to-episode content, which is why we
rate this show "on."
Families can talk about Rory's decisions. Is she self-aware, or does she make choices based on the inluence of others? How does Lorelai's relationship with her own parents impact Rory's relationship with her grandparents? What postive aspects are there to this mother-daughter relationship? Are there any negative aspects?
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
