How Melissa McCarthy Feels About Her Return To Gilmore Girls

Netflix’s ambition in creating diverse programming is truly something outstanding. In addition to the myriad series which are original concepts, the streaming service is also in the business of rebooting shows which were taken off the air years ago. Perhaps the most exciting and anticipated of these ventures is the upcoming Gilmore Girls reboot, tentatively titled Gilmore Girls: Seasons. A comedy with an extremely loyal fanbase, Netflix will be bringing back seemingly all of the colorful characters that inhabited the world of Stars Hollow. As of recently, this also includes movie star Melissa McCarthy, who played Sookie St. James for all seven of the show’s original seasons.

Melissa McCarthy recently spoke to People about how it felt to step back into Stars Hollow, and eventually use Sookie’s band-aid clad hands.

I went back and visited about two weeks ago and saw the sets again and everybody on them. Oh my God, it was so sad. I got so sentimental. And it felt like the greatest idea in the world. It was lovely.

It seems like Melissa McCarthy is full of emotion, much like her Gilmore Girls counterpart. Being transported into the past must have certainly been overwhelming, especially considering how far McCarthy has come since her tenure as Sookie.

Melissa McCarthy’s participation in the Gilmore Girls revival has been the subject of much conversation since the series was announced. Sookie is one of the most significant characters in the series, second only to the actual members of the Gilmore family. She is Lorelai’s closest friend and business partner, and her relationship with Jackson and their gaggle of children was always one of the funniest plots in the show.

So when Melissa McCarthy originally stated that she had never received an offer to reprise Sookie, and therefore would be one of the only cast member not returning for the reboot, fans were in dismay. Stars Hollow without Sookie just doesn’t seem right. Luckily for us, she seemed to have found a way to make her busy schedule work with shooting, and she’ll be serving up delicious food and Sookie’s optimistic attitude after all.

Gilmore Girls: Seasons seems like it will be a dream come true for the droves of hardcore Gilmore Girls fans. The show’s final season was a bit of a letdown when it was originally airing. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had nothing to do with Season 7, and it showed. The tone felt inorganic, despite having Lorelai and Rory united again. Additionally, series finale was less than ideal because the show was cancelled suddenly after filming.

Now Netflix will be bringing back all of the quirky characters of the show, including Melissa McCarthy. Hopefully Gilmore Girls will get the finale it always deserved.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.