4 Times ‘Gilmore Girls’ Was Unexpectedly Mentioned in Other Shows
Gilmore Girls has garnered an impressive following years after the original series ended. While the show was considered only moderately popular during its initial run, it certainly had a significant cultural reach. Over the years, Gilmore Girls and its main characters, namely Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, have been mentioned in multiple other television shows. Did you catch these cute acknowledgments?
‘Barry’ referenced ‘Gilmore Girls’ in a subtle way
Barry doesn’t really seem like a show that would reference a series from the early 2000s. That’s exactly why a hidden Gilmore Girls reference made fans go wild. In the season 3 episode, “Limonada,” it is revealed that Hank and Cristobal have each other programmed into their phones as Luke and Lorelai.
The contact names reference Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore, the endgame couple of Gilmore Girls. The reference was especially subtle but could mean good things for fans of Hank and Cristobal together.
‘Scrubs’ characters J.D. and Turk both enjoyed the series
Scrubs characters, J.D. and Turk, were big Gilmore Girls fans. The besties watched the show, but neither was willing to admit it to Dr. Cox. In the season 5 episode, “My Chopped Liver,” Turk explains to Dr. Cox that he spends Thursday evenings finishing his busy work and watching television.
While speaking to Dr. Cox, Turk claims to watch ESPN while Carla is at work. That’s not the case, though. A cutaway shows Turk tuning in to Gilmore Girls. A second cutaway reveals that J.D. also enjoys the show when Turk calls him for a chat and immediately says he’s “so mad at Lorelai!” While J.D. never mentions exactly why he’s made at Lorelai, the Scrubs Episode aired in April 2006, right around the time Luke and Lorelai started having serious problems over Luke’s long-lost daughter, April Nardini. The episode likely would have been filmed when Lorelai and Rory weren’t speaking.
‘Supernatural’ used its connection to the series to its advantage
Supernatural, on the surface, seems to have very little to do with Gilmore Girls. The two shows are inherently very different. Still, they share one big star. Before becoming Sam Winchester on Supernatural, Jared Padalecki portrayed Dean Forrested for several seasons.
In one Supernatural episode, Sam tours the Warner Bros. lot, and the tour guide mentions Gilmore Girls. Sam looks especially unnerved, leading some fans to believe Supernatural was suggesting the two shows were connected. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. After all, Dean did disappear from Gilmore Girls rather suddenly.
Veronica Mars has two connections to ‘Gilmore Girls’
Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls shared a network, so a slipped-in reference seems pretty fitting. In season 3 of Veronica Mars, Veronica tells Wallace that he’s just trying to figure out which Gilmore girl he was. Veronica never actually decides if Wallace is a Rory or a Lorelai, though.
The famed show wasn’t just referenced in Veronica Mars. An actor who was supposed to play a big role in Rory Gilmore’s life eventually took on a role on Veronica Mars. Teddy Dunn might be best known for portraying Duncan Kane on Veronica Mars, but before that part, he portrayed Graham Sullivan in a single episode of Gilmore Girls.
According to several sources, Dunn was supposed to be Rory’s college love interest before he opted to take a part in Veronica Mars. His storyline, more or less, went to Logan Huntzberger, portrayed by Matt Czuchry. Logan turned into Rory’s most serious boyfriend and is now presumed to be the father of her child.
Barry, Scrubs, Supernatural, and Veronica Mars aren’t the only shows that reference Gilmore Girls in one way or another. Still, the four references are among our favorites.
