One of the challenges of writing and producing a cable television show is tiptoeing around censorship. In series that are more violent or gritty, this can be a real obstacle in creating honest work. Then there are certain comedies like Gilmore Girls which never used profanities, and we never even noticed. Now that Netflix is bringing Gilmore Girls back, the ability for the denizens of Stars Hollow to have potty mouths has finally presented itself. But will they take the opportunity? Gilmore Girls creator, showrunner, writer, and grand poobah Amy Sherman-Palladino recently opened up regarding the use of curses in the reboot:
We’re debating that still. The weird thing about Gilmore is… you’ve lived a life with these people and there is a language to them. And the minute that somebody steps out of that it just feels weird. We’ve [written] a couple of lines where we’ve thrown [curses] in and it’s sort of… just feels weird. We’re just trying to find that right balance.
This statement, which comes to us from TV Line does make a great bit of sense. Gilmore Girls has never included cursing before, so changing it up after seven seasons might feel a bit inorganic.
While the use of profanity might not seem like the most important subject in the world, Gilmore Girls is really all about the dialogue. While outsiders found the specific verbiage and syntax exhausting and confusing, the hardcore fans delighted in it. The lines are rapid fire and extremely fast in regards to speed, and Rory and Lorelai use an insane amount of pop culture references in their everyday conversations.
While watching the original series, I would often lament to my mother that we have almost no witty banter in our interactions. She seemed unaffected by this.
So, how could cursing possibly fit into the upcoming Gilmore Girls reboot? Personally, I think Netflix and Amy Sherman-Palladino could surprise us by utilizing profanity in a dramatic moment. Rather than changing the normal dialogue to fit gratuitous curses, it would make more sense for the characters to curse when things are bad. There will presumably be a great deal of sad moments in the new Gilmore Girls, especially when addressing the untimely death of Richard Gilmore (the late Edward Herrmann). To have Emily break her composure and drop an f-bomb in her sorrow would be both appropriate and jaw dropping for the fandom.
Amy Sherman-Palladino jokingly addressed using curses for some of the more tertiary Stars Hollow residents, namely the annoying Town Selectman and grocery store owner Taylor Doose.
There are venues where you need language for the stories you’re telling. We never needed that, honestly. We never needed Taylor to go on a foul-mouthed, 'You fucking assholes in Stars Hollow.' For us, our language is more about Hepburn and Tracy and less about fuckity fuck fuck fuck.
As much as AS-P was kidding, I’d love to see Taylor lose his mind and curse out the townspeople in one of those town meetings. HE JUST CARES ABOUT STARS HOLLOW!
Of course, we’ll continue to update you on details regarding Netflix’s Gilmore Girls as details become public.
