Gilmore Girls Reboot: Trouble in Stars Hollow?
For anyone who came of age with Rory Gilmore, the Netflix reboot of the Gilmore Girls series has been a much-anticipated event. Millions of viewers, who cringed at Rory’s high school experiences at Chilton and cheered with her upon her acceptance into Yale, geared up for a night-in on November 25th, 2016, when the series was released in Canada.
However, many viewers were not aware that their trip down memory lane (and back to the sleepy town of Stars Hollow) almost never was.
In April 2016, Gilmore Girls producer Gavin Palone sued Warner Bros. Television over the series reboot, arguing that a previous agreement entitled him to receive $32,500 USD for each episode produced after 2003, plus a percentage of the show’s modified adjusted gross and an executive producer credit. According to Mr. Palone’s lawsuit, after Netflix announced that it would release a series reboot, Mr. Palone approached Warner Bros. Television for his share of the profits, but his request was denied. Mr. Palone argued that, despite his crucial role in and involvement with the development of the series, he was completely shut out of the profits from the series reboot. Mr. Palone sued Warner Bros. Television for breach of contract and sought over $195,000 USD in damages. In return, Warner Bros. Television appears to have taken the position that the new series was not a reboot of the original television series, as it was produced for Netflix, not a broadcast network.
Fortunately for all fans and coffee-lovers alike, Mr. Palone’s lawsuit has now been resolved, after the parties agreed to a confidential, undisclosed settlement. Thankfully, viewers can now finish the story of Rory and Lorelai without fear of any legal woes creeping into peaceful Stars Hollow.