22. The series was widely critically acclaimed throughout its run, championed by Entertainment Weekly and listed by TV Guide and Time Magazine in their lists of the best TV shows ever. But despite this, Emmy voters repeatedly snubbed the show. Lauren Graham got nods from both the Screen Actors’ Guild and Golden Globes but was left out of the Emmy’s main categories because of Emmy bias against smaller networks like The WB. (The show did get a pity win for Outstanding Makeup in 2004.) Graham’s continued Emmy omission created a scandal with the organization, who also got heat for snubbing The Wire. However, The Wire got writing nominations, unlike Gilmore Girls, which got zero, despite having scripts twice as long as normal programs. (It’s why the characters had to talk so fast.) The Emmys were restructured numerous times to get these shows nods, but neither were ever nominated in the main categories.
23. The character of April is widely seen as an intentional plot device meant to destroy the show, as goes fan legend/internet rumor. When April was originally brought onto the show, Sookie refers to her as Luke’s “lovechild,” and in a humorous segment, she wonders if Jackson has any lovechildren. The lovechild or “long lost child” device is a classic “jump the shark” move in TV land, and the show was seen to decline in quality when April and the custody battle over her dominated Season 6. During this time, the Palladinos were in contract disputes with the network and eventually left the show over it. Afterwards, they went onto create The Return of Jezebel James for Fox (with Parker Posey, Dianne Wiest and Lauren Ambrose), which was quickly cancelled — for good reason. This is because it was so, so much worse than Gilmore Girls at its lowest. (It’s allegedly on Hulu, if you ever feel like hating yourself.)