Scott Patterson Talks 25th Anniversary of ‘Gilmore Girls’ & Luke-Lorelai Relationship

It has been 25 years since viewers fell in love with the residents of Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. And Scott Patterson has kept the fandom’s coffee cups full through his iHeartRadio rewatch podcast “I Am All In” and festive A Year in the Life limited series revival. The actor played diner owner and flannel shirt connoisseur Luke Danes during its initial seven-year run, limited revival miniseries, and that 2024 Walmart commercial.

His undeniable onscreen chemistry and trademark banter with Lauren Graham’s Lorelai Gilmore led to one of the biggest will they, won’t they story storylines of The WB–CW era. The name of Patterson’s pod was a nod to the famous words said by Luke to cement his commitment to their relationship. He also served as a fatherly figure to Alexis Bledel’s Rory Gilmore as she went through all the usual growing pains including her many loves whether it was Dean, Luke’s nephew Jess or Logan (who is the baby daddy?). 

Here Patterson reminisces with us about Gilmore Girls and its impact. The Sullivan’s Crossing star also explores the possibility of Luke’s Diner possibly opening its doors again. 

Neil Jacobs / ©Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection

We just passed the big 25th anniversary milestone of Gilmore Girls premiere. You were there for Lauren Graham when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. How are you taking this all in? 

Scott Patterson: It has been a long time, 25 years is a long time. It’s an actual quarter of a century measure. It has gone by very quickly. My beard has turned white during that time. It’s just completely unexpected. The show’s popularity seemed to start gaining momentum in 2014 and then really went viral in 2016 with the new episodes. In the last nine years, it has just exploded. It’s quite unique. I don’t know if this phenomenon has happened before like this. It’s truly unique and remarkable. I feel very lucky to be a part of it. A show that has been embraced by the world, I’m just feeling very lucky. 

This bond between you and Lauren looks to remain strong. How would you describe the connection you share and how that translated on screen? Because your character initially was only supposed to last maybe one episode or so, right? 

This is true. I was cast as a guest star on the pilot, but I think really the pilot for me was the final audition. They knew they wanted the character. I think [creator] Amy [Sherman-Palladino] was very confident I was the guy, but you still have to get together with the other actor and see how it goes. It went very well immediately. She just seemed very familiar to me when I met her the night before in the restaurant. They threw a little soiree for us with everyone getting to town meeting for the first time. In true Luke style, I was wearing a track suit when I entered this five-star French restaurant in Toronto. I’d lost my luggage with the airline, but they didn’t seem to mind. You have chemistry with a person or you don’t. Your acting styles match or they don’t. In our case, it really checked all the boxes. I knew it right away, and she knew it right away. There was no need to push it because it was just there. It was a real joy to do scene work with her. 

New fans of the show keep coming thanks to streaming. Your iHeartRadio podcast has also been a bridge and link in a lot of ways. How is it to look back with today’s lens coming from the position you’re in? 

There’s a lot of fresh blood coming into the fan base. I do a lot of conventions, so I’m out there meeting people all the time. That’s really one of the main reasons I want to do the conventions. We’re on a soundstage all day. We’re on location all day. We don’t get to really meet other people. We go home, shower, eat, and go back to the studio. There was this need in me to be out there amongst the fans and amongst the people and meet people. It has been a joy. The fans get younger and younger. You see four generations. You see a 7-year-old dressed as Luke, and she is obsessed and loves the show and the character. Here  grandmother is there, and great grandmother is there. It’s wild to see this bonding effect this has for women and for husbands and boyfriends as well. They discover it and become superfans as well where they may get embarrassed to admit that at cons, but they do. I’ve been in the front row watching this phenomenon unfold since the show began. I’m telling you it’s expanding every single year. 

Just a remarkable phenomenon. I can’t think of any example of a TV show doing this. The podcast helped me discover the show because I’d never seen the episodes. I’ve seen the pilot. I saw “Winter,” the Netflix episode, because I was at the premiere. I was forced to watch it because I usually don’t like to watch myself. I was delighted by it. I really thought “Winter” was a terrific studio-level romantic comedy. It was beautifully shot and acted and beautifully lit and directed. I discovered the show. I discovered how funny it was, light it was, and how powerful the narrative was. I discovered how utterly brilliant Amy and Dan [Palladino] are as writers. The more I watched, the luckier I felt. The great writing we were exposed to became our normal. So, to go out and after Gilmore is over, to do other jobs, you see the bar is very high. It’s a different experience out there outside the Gilmore world with that level of writing. It was fun to be a part of it. 

You and the Gilmore Girls cast were able to revisit their characters in 2016 with the Netflix Year in the Life limited series. We are coming up to the 10th anniversary since those four episodes were released. Where do you think we stand in getting more? Where do you see Luke and Lorelai today? 

I think the enduring nature of these characters dictate they remain the same. I don’t think they would change very much. I would hope they wouldn’t change very much. I know Luke wouldn’t change. I don’t think she would. I know Amy was talking at the PaleyFest about a possible Christmas special. Lauren was repeating that. I think there is some intention there. Maybe that’s how they are framing it and how they are seeing it. That’s how Amy can execute on this holiday plan. That’s doable. People’s schedules loosen up, and maybe you could film something in a couple of months when everyone is available. I’m hopeful for that. 

GILMORE GIRLS, Lauren Graham, Scott Patterson, ‘Women of Questionable Morals’, (Season 5, ep. 511), 2000-2007, photo: Patrick Ecclesine / © Warner Bros./Everett Collection

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The podcast also has its own offshoot spinoffs built on concepts from the Stars Hollow universe. Why was that important for you to do? 

I feel like I want more too. I’d love to be back on set and doing more work with this cast and these writers. I have a co-branding relationship with Warner Bros. with my coffee company [Scotty P’s Big Mug Coffee]. It’s like family to me. Warner Bros Studios is my home away from home. I’d love to go back on a regular basis and continue to work on this show. Who wouldn’t? It was so much fun for seven years and three-and-a-half months we got to film those Netflix episodes. It has been long enough now. It has been coming up on 10 years. So, it’s time. The fans are everything. They are so wonderful and dedicated and loyal. They send such heartfelt messages to me. I get messages on a weekly basis. You read as much as you can, and it eats your heart out to hear about the struggles people are going through. They speak about how the show got them through these hard times and saved them in some cases. I just met a woman who served in Iraq at a convention. She had some real issues after coming home. People really hang on to this show as a best friend in a therapeutic way, a comforting way. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. 

I could write a book on the stories of people who tell me how the show has improved their lives because of these strong women that are being portrayed in this series. It has given people a lot of hope and strength. I just think you shouldn’t ignore that. You don’t turn your back on that. You create a universe for them to be comfortable in and to congregate and interact because they want to celebrate this show. They want to be together in large groups. Whether they want to congregate in person or online, there are thousands of these festivals going on in the United States going on through the fall and winter. People who own these little coffee shops are throwing these events. It’s an amazing outpouring of love, so why not step in and give them some content they can rally around? Because they are not getting it from the studio right now, but hopefully soon. 

Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for Lauren Graham on October 03, 2025. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Is there one celebrity Gilmore Girls superfan that you met who surprised you? 

I used to go to this gym in West Hollywood, and I saw Steven Tyler. He came up to me and whispered, “dude, I love your show, man.” I didn’t even say anything to him. I was stunned and such a fan. I walked by him, and I said, “did you just come up to me?” He said he did. That was the funniest one. It seems to be rock musicians. Dave Navarro did the same thing. They are just regular good guys. 

Looking back on the show’s storylines you’ve been a part of, was there one that you look at with a different perspective today? 

I do understand how the fans had so much difficulty with the April storyline, my daughter. I found it to be a welcome relief. I thought it added depth to the character. I also loved working with Vanessa [Marano], who was a very precocious child at the time. She remains precocious as an adult. I do get they thought it was out of the blue and took away from Luke and Lorelai, which they were fully invested in. They didn’t like this sudden surprise that was going to drive a wedge. I think the fans were a bit critical that it made Luke and Lorelai in ways that were not recognizable. Ways that were maybe out of character or off character for them. I kind of see it, but I loved working with Vanessa so much. It did give me something else to do. I thought it added dimension, but I do understand how the fans feel about it. I do. 

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Everyone was happy to see Luke and Lorelai get together in the end. You must have been happy yourself because I’m sure people kept asking you about their relationship status. Were you happy for that closure, or did you like the will, they won’t be dynamic? 

There are television folks full of wisdom. They know the history of TV like the back of their hand. They all say the same thing. Once you give the audience what they want, they go away. There were some trepidations leading up to that first kiss and getting these characters together. I think it was a really clever way of handling obvious chemistry between characters, to draw it out as long as you can. I would not have complained if they drew it out for five or six seasons and got together in the end. Then there is so much story to tell. I also think the pressure was great from the fanbase to get these two together. It’s such low hanging fruit, you have to pick it after four seasons. You thank God they waited. Thank God they waited and were smart enough to drag it out because as I know Amy never intended Luke and Lorelai to be romantic. They were supposed to be just friends, but the chemistry dictated otherwise. So, there you go. Another example of the fans demanding something and getting it, but they had to wait. 

Gilmore Girls’ seven seasons are available via Netflix, Hulu & Hulu on Disney+.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is streaming on Netflix.

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