‘Gilmore Girls’ Stars Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson Reunite as They Reflect on Luke and Lorelai’s Timeless Romance (Exclusive)

Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson are reuniting for the first time in nearly a decade as the Gilmore Girls stars look back on the iconic romance between their characters Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes and return to Stars Hollow for a special holiday surprise.

Looking back on the success of Gilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons after debuting in 2000 and returned for a four-part miniseries revival in 2016, Graham said she “never could have imagined” the legacy the show would leave behind.

“Scott was mentioning earlier that we had a conversation about how long we thought the show would last. And [he remembers] me saying I thought maybe five or so years,” she told PopCulture. “Which seems overly confident to me, given that pretty much every single thing I’d been on, I don’t think I got to a Season 2 of anything!”

Graham also remembers a prescient word from co-star Kelly Bishop, who played Lorelai’s mother, Emily Gilmore. “She said, ‘I feel like this is the kind of show that people will realize how good it was later.’ And I thought, ‘That’s so funny. Why would she think that?’” the Parenthood actress recalled. “She actually doesn’t remember saying that, but you just never know. We certainly could not have predicted the outpouring of kindness and appreciation that we’re still getting. It’s an honor, frankly.”

Patterson thinks the magic of Gilmore Girls – and of Luke and Lorelai’s love story – comes down to show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and the original casting for the series. “I think Amy knew exactly what she was looking for in every single character down to this sort of microscopic specificity that she applies to her art,” he opined.

Graham agreed that the dynamic created between Luke and Lorelai even at the ground level created “enough chemistry,” “enough tension,” and “enough fun” to make them a duo for the ages. Praising Patterson as a “classic leading man” to her more “chirpy and positive” Lorelai, the actress noted, “I think people really fell for that.”

It’s that kind of staying power that had Graham and Patterson reuniting for Walmart’s new holiday season campaign, reprising their roles as Luke and Lorelai in a return to Stars Hollow that proves thoughtfulness and intention are at the heart of truly great gift-giving. And of course, a trip to Stars Hollow wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Kirk Gleason, played by Sean Gunn.

Graham called reuniting with Patterson and Gunn on set “the most fun day,” and revealed that she and her co-stars were consulted from the beginning to make sure everything in Stars Hollow felt right.

The Talking as Fast as I Can author recalled being asked, “Wouldn’t you be surprised to see Sean Gunn as the Walmart delivery guy?” to which she cheekily responded, “No, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kirk, you know, working on my roof.”

Other iconic couples reuniting for the holiday campaign are Nia Long and Larenz Tate, who played Nina and Darius in the 1997 rom-com Love Jones.