The Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix is absolutely on, friends. With many of the major players deciding to, once again, take part in Stars Hollow shenanigans, there’s been one, pretty obvious, absent former cast member: Melissa McCarthy. And now, show creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino has spoken out about that lack of current casting.
She’s really fucking busy. But the thing I have said [to her team] is, ‘Look, if Melissa is available and has an afternoon free, I’ll write her a scene. Melissa was one of us. If she has a spare moment to run over [to the set] — even if for just a cameo — we would be totally game. And if it’s a last-minute thing, I would write her in and we would figure it out. That’s the way we left it.
In an interview about the Gilmore Girls revival with TV Line, Amy Sherman-Palladino revealed her thoughts on getting Melissa McCarthy back into the Gilmore fold. Her desire to move some pieces around and fit her into the shooting schedule if the star has time, makes total sense for anyone who is a lover of the show. However, McCarthy has noted on her Twitter page that she hasn't actually been contacted about reprising her role.
Melissa McCarthy played Sookie St. James on the family dramedy for the series’ entire run, from 2000 through 2007. As best friend to single, thirty-something mom Lorelai Gilmore, she served as an important touchstone for the show. She provided Lorelai with a constant shoulder to lean on, blow off steam with and enjoy their oddball small town life with. She also had her own bits of drama that Lorelai could help her through.
Sookie was also a chef at the same inn that Lorelai worked at, and her, often panicked, desire to have each meal reflect culinary creativity and perfection lead to some of the show’s funniest moments. As did many of Melissa McCarthy’s scenes on the show, in general, along with bringing a ton of extra heart to Gilmore Girls as a whole. And, that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been watching her rise to the top of the comedy ranks over the last few years.
Melissa McCarthy has, of course, had a career that many actors would kill for since her insanely funny role in Bridesmaids garnered her an Oscar nomination in 2012. She’s been nominated for and won dozens of other awards, including winning an Emmy for her work on Mike & Molly in 2011. Since her Oscar nod, she’s starred in seven movies (along with starring on her TV show), with The Boss and Ghostbusters on the way this year. And, about that primetime show, which has been on the air since 2010, there are rumors swirling that her movie star salary has spelled Mike & Molly’s imminent demise, as it ends after this season.
Well, if nothing else, it’s good to know that Amy Sherman-Palladino is ready to drop any and everything to make at least one Melissa McCarthy scene possible in one of the four Gilmore Girls Netflix specials. All we need now is for McCarthy to find some space in her super insane schedule to make it happen.
