Milo Ventimiglia Would Sign On To More Gilmore Girls Under One Condition

There's already quite a bit of "Gilmore Girls" in the universe. Seven seasons on network television (some of us only consider the first six canon, but let's stay focused) and a comprehensive four-episode Netflix revival is a lot more than most fan-favorite TV shows get nowadays. Nevertheless, considering the global population's insatiable hunger for new content, and the enduring popularity of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore's quests for emotional and professional fulfillment, should TV ever return to the ruthlessly quirky small town of Stars Hollow in which the mighty Gilmore girls reside?

Netflix's "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" does leave some doors open for revisitation, at least from a narrative perspective. The much-anticipated 2016 miniseries ended abruptly when Rory — the precocious teen we first meet in 2000's season 1, grown into an aimless 30-something — tells Lorelai that she's pregnant. We don't see how Lorelai reacts to the news that she's about to become a grandma, nor are we told who the father of Rory's child is. In theory, there is more story to tell.

In practice, Milo Ventimiglia isn't so sure. The actor behind Jess Mariano — Rory's hyper-literate, former hooligan ex-boyfriend — is something of a television institution in and of himself these days; he went from a major supporting role on "Gilmore Girls" to starring on network hits "Heroes" and "This is Us." As far as "A Year in the Life" goes, Jess is something of an understated presence, mostly only showing up in a couple of scenes to lend Rory moral support. As busy as he is, Ventimiglia has said he'd consider returning to "Gilmore Girls" under certain conditions. 

During a 2021 chat with his former on-screen uncle Scott Patterson, Ventimiglia said he'd probably be down for more Jess if the rest of the "Gilmore" crew also returned.

"If they did want to bring it back and if it was [original creators and showrunners] Amy [Sherman-Palladino] and Dan [Palladino] at the helm and you guys were all showing up, I'd be a jerk not to show up," Ventimiglia said on Patterson's "I'm All In" podcast.

Beyond a sense of obligation to the show that put him on the map, Ventimiglia sounded a little conflicted about the creative prospects for more "Gilmore Girls." On the one hand, he seemed genuinely impressed by how "A Year in the Life" came out, to the extent of feeling like, "It didn't seem like television anymore, it seemed like it had graduated into something. It morphed into the film world." On the other hand, he noted that he wants to play a lot of parts in his career, which might imply that he'd rather not keep going back to the same well unless there's a compelling reason. While Ventimiglia didn't state anything with certainty, he did offer a dessert-based metaphor.

"The way that I look at it is the four films that were put together after the fact, that felt like the extra slice of cake after you already had cake," he said. "You had that favorite meal. You had the cake and then you got something even extra. I don't know if they would bring it back."

We hate to admit it, but the sad fact of the matter is that there is such a thing as too much cake.