The middle of November is upon us which means one thing: Gilmore Girls has almost returned. Netflix's original series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is set to be released in its entirety at the end of the month, finally giving the mass of rabid fans a proper conclusion. After running for seven seasons on the WB/CW and consistently airing in syndication for nearly a decade, the quippy comedy will bring back almost every cast member and denizen of Stars Hollow. Fans are perhaps most excited for Rory and Lorelai to interact with their suitors, but now it appears that one such love interest will not be appearing in the new episodes.
According to a new report by TV Line, Rory's college admirer Marty (aka the naked guy) will not be appearing in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. This disappointment was apparently due to a lack of available screen time, and Gilmore Girls creator/writer Amy Sherman-Palladino said the following about his absence:
We absolutely tried. Organically it just didn't fit in. We love Wayne.
In case you were wondering, Amy Sherman-Palladino is referencing actor Wayne Wilcox (RENT), who played Marty during a handful of appearances on Gilmore Girls. She and the team behind the revival wanted to bring Marty back onto the show and into Stars Hollow, but there were simply too many more important stories to tell.
Marty is one of just a few Gilmore Girls characters who will not be returning for the new episodes. The whole town of Stars Hollow is set to reprise their cooky and nosy roles, with the only exception being the late Edward Herrmann who played Richard... and now apparently Marty.
While I'm a little disappointed that Marty won't be in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, I can't say that I'm really surprised. Unlike Rory's actual love interests, we didn't see a ton of of Marty through the years. He and Rory developed a friendship during her freshman year at Yale, starting when she found him naked on the floor of her dorm and let him borrow her robe to get home. Marty then developed quite the crush on the youngest Gilmore, but these feelings were never returned. Rory instead began dating Dean (again) and Logan (ick), and the pair lost touch.
But Season 7 brought Marty back into the picture when Rory made friends with Lucy (played by a pre Breaking Bad and Jessica Jones Krysten Ritter). Lucy's boyfriend was none other than Marty himself, and he and Rory were forced to pretend like they were strangers upon "meeting" each other. Obviously this didn't end well, and it seemed like Rory's new friendship ended before they started.
Rather than Marty, I'd honestly be more excited for Lucy to return for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. I thought she and Olivia were a good influence on Rory, providing her with fun collegiate female friendships that she was lacking. And with Krysten Ritter already in bed with Netflix for her own show, it seemed to make sense that she'd be back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that either character will be reprising their roles.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will be released in its entirety on November 25th, 2016.
