To the devoted Gilmore Girls [1] fan, an episode of Amy Sherman-Palladino [2]'s sweet and culturally savvy series is like a warm blanket or cup of cocoa on a cold day. It's hard to imagine life before Kirk's hilarious mishaps or Emily's telling glances. We were blessed enough to get a sweet, but much too brief reboot [3] a couple years back, but like Lorelai with coffee [4], we're craving more.
Lucky for us, there are plenty of series out there with complex female protagonists [5], snappy dialogue [6], and good old family drama [7]. If you're craving the nostalgia and familiarity of Stars Hollow, read on to see our favourite quirky and wholesome shows on Netflix that'll warm up even the curmudgeonly Luke Danes.
The Fosters
If you're looking for good old family drama, you'll find a dose of it in The Fosters, the Freeform series about an interracial lesbian couple and their one biological child and four adopted children. It's sweet and sentimental, but also tackles issues around race, sexuality, and mental health.
Watch it now. [8]
New Girl
If Rory ever went down the teaching route, we'd imagine her to be a little bit like New Girl's Jessica Day — smart, sweet, and lovably flawed. While the Fox series doesn't have an awful lot of family drama, it'll still leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside after seeing Jess navigate adulthood with her sometimes silly and alway supportive friends.
Watch it now. [9]
Jane the Virgin
Obviously, the quirky series shares with Gilmore Girls [10] a plot that builds upon an unexpected pregnancy. Beyond its story, it takes on the mysteries of family and love in a way that centres around Gina Rodriguez's lovable performance.
Watch it now. [11]
Hart of Dixie
After stealing our hearts as Summer Roberts on The O.C., Rachel Bilson [12] plays the Hart of Dixie's heroine, a doctor who decides to practice medicine in a charming small town. The dramedy has a feel-good quality and a witty female protagonist that'll give you vintage Gilmore Girls [13] vibes.
Watch it now. [14]
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
The Gilmore Girls [15] reboot belongs here because, duh! Although the revamp is only four episodes (one per season), each installation is like a mini-movie that bathes us in Stars Hollow nostalgia as we see how our intrepid heroine Rory copes with being an adult and how Lorelai and Emily find themselves after Richard's death.
Watch it now. [16]
The Carrie Diaries
Rory's thing is that she wants to be a writer. A prequel to Sex and the City [17], The Carrie Diaries follows a young Carrie Bradshaw who too aspires to write for a living while figuring out life as a young woman.
Watch it now. [18]
Friends
As a sitcom, Friends might not follow Gilmore Girls [19]' serial drama format, but both shows share the goofy, wholesome humour of the early aughts that'll leave you feeling nostalgic. We imagine that Rory probably binge-watched it while trying to figure out her life in season six.
Watch it now. [20]
Switched at Birth
Switched at Birth is in the teary, sentimental vein of This Is Us, featuring a drama-laced story about two girls who, as its title suggests, accidentally went home to the wrong families when they were born. The discovery of the mix-up brings the two girls and their families closer together.
Watch it now. [21]
Parenthood
In the NBC show Parenthood, Lauren Graham plays another quirky single mother, Sarah Braverman. Instead of a bibliophile like Rory, her character, an artist, raises two rebellious, often difficult teenagers.
Watch it now. [22]
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl [23] might be a bit darker than Gilmore Girls [24], but you have to admit that there are striking similarities. Rory too is an ambitious East Coast private school kid who comes from a partially posh lineage. Plus, both shows will pack a punch of boy and family drama.
Watch it now. [25]
Grey's Anatomy
What does a steamy medical drama have in common with Gilmore Girls [26]? Like Amy Sherman-Palladino, Shonda Rhimes has created a world filled with complicated women such as Meredith Grey, Miranda Bailey, and Cristina Yang. While there is a lot of devastation and sadness in the series, Grey's Anatomy [27] also embraces warm, familiar themes of love and friendship.
Watch it now. [28]