So It's A Show?: Keeping Up With The Gilmore Girls

Dawn Powell? Dorothy Parker? Never heard of ‘em. We’re a few steps behind Rory and Lane on this double reference, which is why we gotta dig deep to get to the bottom of the controversy about who really wrote some funny jokes—and the original version of A Star Is Born—in the 1920s and ‘30s. Then we gotta figure out why Amy Sherman-Palladino named her production company after one of these ladies, all the weird ways their lives overlap, and, um, where their bodily remains went. Speaking of funny lady writers, we gotta give a special shout-out to writer/director Amy Sherman-Palladino who has now won all the Emmys for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! (Okay, or at least a lot of the Emmys.) And whether you decide you’re #TeamDawn or #TeamDorothy, stay tuned—we’ve got a bonus episode coming your way next week to supplement this discussion! Other pop culture we ref: Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Eden, Sid Vicious, Nancy Spungen, Jack Kerouac, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Earnest Hemingway, Harpo Marx, Robert Benchley, Calvin Coolidge

Come one, come all to the Stars Hollow town square for a movie night! Because what says an evening of fun like a movie about the struggles of pioneer living, including imminent death? Kyla and Taylor suffer through movie violence, annoying child actors, and, okay, some actually pretty beautiful landscapes in 2 different versions of The Yearling from the ‘40s and ‘90s. We compare and contrast the 2 movies, try to figure out why Taylor Doose would ever pick this movie, and find 5 very real movies that would have been better options. You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Pets on Gilmore Girls Other pop culture we ref: The Odd Couple, 24, Kim Possible, The Sandlot, Sweet Home Alabama, Spencer Tracy, Vincente Minnelli

It’s another episode with a super catchy theme song! This time our odd couple isn’t an astronaut and a genie but the quintessential Odd Couple, sloppy Oscar and neat freak Felix. We follow the pair’s evolution from the stage to the silver screen to the small screen. Plus, we discover this show not only has a special connection to Gilmore Girls—it has a special connection to a ‘90s sitcom you’ve probably watched a gajillion reruns of. Listen in as we try not to drive each other crazy with our quirks and get to the bottom of why Paris is comparing Madeline and Louise to some feathery characters of a sitcom past. Heard ‘round the Gazebo: Stars Hollow odd couples Other pop culture we ref: Friends, The Fortune Cookie, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, Hercules, I Dream of Jeannie, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, The Importance of Being Earnest, Reese Witherspoon, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Stranger, Funny Girl Note: We recorded this episode shortly before Neil Simon passed away on August 26 at age 91. If you wa

Duh DUH duh duh duh duh duh DUH duh...help, we cannot get this catchy theme song out of our heads! Kyla and Taylor are dreaming of Jeannie, and Rory is dreaming of Jess actually doing something helpful around Stars Hollow. Listen in as your hosts speak in extra perky tones of voices and do not use contractions to please their Masters (also known as you, the listener). Hear Jeannie herself, formerly know as Barbara Eden, explain why she still embraces this role (and why we might agree). Other pop culture we ref: The Incredibles 2, Carly Simon, Beyoncé, Patty Duke, Dallas, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Bewitched, Annie Get Your Gun, The Office, Jane the Virgin

Emily and Lorelai are going to the spa, Daisy and Hoke are going to the Piggly Wiggly, and Kyla and Taylor are going to chat with Len and Vince! Micheaux Mission co-hosts Len and Vince join the podcast to discuss the 1989 Best Picture winner Driving Miss Daisy after Lorelai compares Emily to its protagonist when she arrives with a limo. Len and Taylor liked the movie, Kyla didn’t care for it, and Vince—well, Vince has some words for it. At least they can all agree it shouldn’t have won Best Picture! Len and Vince share the debate they had about the movie in one of their podcast’s most popular episodes, which informs the discussion about the representation of black characters in film and why Lorelai would drop this pop culture ref. You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Gilmore Girls drivers Other pop culture we ref: Do the Right Thing, The Holiday, the Bechdel Test, Oscar Micheaux, Hans Zimmer, Bruce Willis, The Help, Sorry to Bother You, Black Panther, Moonlight, Ava DuVernay, The Simpsons, Katharine Hepburn, Car

Who can turn the world on with her smile? Well, it’s you, and we want you to join us for our Mary Tyler Moore-themed episode—be sure to bring your Bubbie with you! In addition to our usual chatter about Rory and Lorelai, we’re talking Mary, Rhoda, and Ida. Ariel Fisher, co-host of After All: A Mary Tyler Moore Podcast joins us for a discussion of the classic sitcom, and boy, are we glad she did. While Kyla and Taylor are rather baffled by this reference, Ariel makes a serious case for taking over their hosting duties because of just how much insight she brings! We talk about how Ida ties in with Jewish representation in pop culture, Ariel’s experiences with her own Bubbie, and the traits Dean shares with Rhoda’s mother. And don’t worry—by the end of the episode, we figure out we’re gonna make it after all. Other pop culture we ref: All in the Family, Betty White, Ed Wood, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, This Is Us, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy, Angela Lansbury, Archie comics, Funny Girl

Hey, duck, Harvey! I mean, we can’t see you, but we’re pretty sure you should watch out so your bunny ears don’t get clipped by that phone cord. In this ep, we’re going back to classic Hollywood to watch and discuss the 1950 fantasy/comedy movie Harvey, starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd and a maybe-imaginary co-star playing a six-foot-something rabbit named Harvey. We talk why Jimmy Stewart loved this role so much, why we love the message of this movie so much, and why bunnies in movies may be bad news. Plus, did Harvey make a visit to Stars Hollow? We try to figure it out—maybe with an inaudible rabbit as a co-host, but who’s to say? Other pop culture we ref: Space Jam, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Harvey Weinstein, Tom Hanks, Lenny Bruce, James Bond, Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men, August Wilson, Fences, Cary Grant

*Cues the laugh track* What’s the deal with Lenny Bruce? *Uproarious laughter* Try not to fall apart with laughter as we cover the life and trials of stand up comedian Lenny Bruce! He gets a reference in Gilmore Girls 213 (one of Taylor’s all-time favorite episodes), and he’s a character in the Palladinos’ new, critically-acclaimed show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which Kyla is in love with). Bring your baskets for a picnic and listen in as we try to talk about his boundary-pushing, obscenity-laced routines without losing our “Clean” rating iTunes; recall our favorite bits from John Mulaney and 30 Rock; and figure out the connection Lenny has to Jess Mariano. Plus, we respond to some listener mail, and Kyla’s husband, Rod, makes a special appearance! Other pop culture we ref: Elizabeth Taylor, Valley of the Dolls, Angela Lansbury, Humphrey Bogart, Allen Ginsberg, Get Out, Roseanne, The Good Place, The Incredibles, Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, Tina Fey, 30 Rock, Bunheads

Who’s our friend? Oh, that’s Paris Geller, but today we’re calling her Angela. In this ep, we take a stab (pun intended) at Paris’s new nickname, inspired by one Angela Lansbury, the star of the hit murder mystery show we knew nothing about: Murder, She Wrote. Other things we don’t know about include the answers to these questions: Was there *actually* a secret killer trolling the town in Murder, She Wrote? Will Angela Lansbury *ever* win an Emmy? And *was* Luke running a crime ring in his diner? While we leave those cases cold, listen in for the cases we *do* solve, like what it’s like to watch Mitchum Huntzberger die.You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Gilmore Girls deaths (Please send your incensed emails to SoItsAShow@gmail.com)Other pop culture we ref: Gaslight, Elizabeth Taylor,  Beauty and the Beast, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, George Clooney, 13 Going on 30, The Emmys, Leonardo DiCaprio, Octavia Spencer, Murder on the Orient Express

Pow! Straight to your podcast feed! Kyla and Taylor are taking a trip to the moon to get to know The Honeymooners, aka Ralph and Alice Kramden, the couple at the center of the classic 1950s sitcom. We try to sort through all of the iterations of the couple on TV show sketches, sitcoms, and reboots, and then we keep an eye out for both how they influenced modern sitcoms and how modern sitcoms have changed from the classics. You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Gilmore Girls renovations (Yes, seriously—you’d be surprised how many there are!) So It’s a Song? “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” by Doris Day Other pop culture we ref: Everybody Loves Raymond, I Love Lucy, The Flintstones, The Jackie Gleason Show, Mad About You, Friends, Frasier, Parks & Rec, The Office, Home Improvement Lord of the Rings, My Fair Lady, Hamilton, The Majestic (which we clearly forgot we referenced on an earlier episode!) Ed Norton, Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Roseanne (Side note: We re

Lorelai and Sookie (and Rune) are pulling off the Bracebridge Dinner, Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo are pulling off The Thomas Crown Affair, and Kyla and Taylor are pulling off episode 34. We’re taking a break from the Lorelai and Rory pop culture refs to cover the one-and-only reference to The Thomas Crown Affair from the one-of-a-kind Rune. We take some time to gush about how great this episode of Gilmore Girls is, how icky the 1999 version of this heist movie made us feel in certain parts, and why Rune’s pop culture ref may have been completely inaccurate. (FYI: This may not be the best episode to listen to around kiddos if you have them. While we gloss over the details, we do talk about the adult content in this movie, which has quite a bit of it.) You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Sookie meals on Gilmore Girls Other pop culture we ref: Michael B. Jordan, James Bond, The View, Spy, Faye Dunaway, Chinatown

We shoulda done this episode in our Katharine Hepburn voices, ‘cause we’re talking as fast as we can to keep up with Howard Hawks over here! Wendy Mays of the Pet Cinematary podcast (#LadyPodSquad) joins us for a conversation about the 1938 classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, starring Hepburn and Cary Grant and directed by Howard Hawks. Listen in as we attempt to explain (and remember) this crazy plot, tell silly stories from the set, and dive into Hepburn’s role as one of the earliest Manic Pixie Dream Girls in cinema. Is Baby a human baby? (Nope.) Do Luke and Lorelai have a Grant and Hepburn dynamic? (Yep.) Would Kyla, Taylor, and Wendy like to hang out with a leopard? (Debatable.) You’ll never know if you don’t listen in—feel free to turn it up to 1.5 speed to make us sound like Hepburn! Other pop culture we ref: Glitter, The Thin Man, The Shining, Elizabethtown, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, (500) Days of Summer, The Awful Truth, Orlando Bloom, If I Stay, Pretty in Pink CHECK OUT WENDY’S PODCAST, PET CIN

Need a new way to say, “You’re the worst”? Just accuse someone of writing the screenplay to Glitter! (But please don’t let it be us.) And if you need a new way to ask the question, “So it’s a show?” for your podcast, we recommend inviting the awesome Hannah Ostic from the podcast Film Roast to join you! (But please don’t steal our podcast idea from us.) Kyla, Taylor, and Hannah take on Mariah Carey’s notorious 2001 movie, including everything from its crazy low box office to its plain crazy storyline, and the crazy way it connects to Jess Mariano. Other pop culture we ref: The Good Place, The Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, Dawson’s Creek, Sex and the City, The West Wing, Set It Off, What’s Love Got to Do With It, the Razzies, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kimberly Elise, Ishtar CHECK OUT HANNAH’S PODCAST, FILM ROAST * (https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Ffilmroastshow%3Flang%3Den&t=ZTg0NTA2YTUzZGI0MDBlNmYwOWMyZjZhMmM3MjM0NzhiZTFkNTVhNyxMRGdKWE1MZQ%3D%3D&b=t%3Ag

Get ready to turn your podcast feed up to 11! Kyla and Taylor are taking on the classic rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and its reference in Gilmore Girls 206. How does the fictional band Spinal Tap act like real-life rock bands? How does Emily Spinal Tap her taste in portraiture? And why shouldn’t anyone want to be the drummer in in this supposedly awesome band? Listen in to rock ‘n’ roll! You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Hep Alien moments Other pop culture we ref: Gigi, Dumb and Dumber, Zoolander, Misery, Ishtar, The Princess Bride, Audrey Hepburn, Metallica, Iron Maiden, “Hollaback Girl,” U2, Toto, The Office, Parks & Rec, Yoko Ono So It’s a Song? “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” opening from Gigi, TCM.com

One of these couples is cute, and the other…isn’t. Your podcast hosting power couple, Kyla and Taylor, deduce the identities of private investigator couple Nick and Nora of The Thin Man series and then dig into the tragic tale of punk rock couple Sid Vicious (of the Sex Pistols) and Nancy Spungen. Are Luke and Lorelai really more like Sid and Nancy? Or are they the Nick and Nora of our day? Listen to our ep about Gilmore Girls 205 to find out. You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: Couples in Gilmore Girls Other pop culture we ref: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, (500) Days of Summer, The Best Years of Our Lives, Romeo & Juliet, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gary Oldman

Forget it, Lorelai—it’s the Cheshire Cat. What does Lorelai need to forget? And why does she need to forget it? Your private detectives Kyla and Taylor are on the case! We look into the movie Chinatown, its references in Gilmore Girls ep 204 (and beyond), and what it means as a symbol for both the movie and the series. We also cover its super creepy director and the true story that inspired the movie. You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: The best and worst reasons someone could, “Forget it—it’s Stars Hollow.” Other pop culture we ref: Citizen Kane, The Oscars, #MeToo, #TimesUp, Valley of the Dolls, The Tragedy of Oedipus Rex, The Pianist, Blade Runner 2049, Gaslight, Law & Order, Jeopardy!, Across the Universe

Electra-awesome! Put on your spandex and tie on your cape for our look at Gilmore Girls episode 203. Who are Electra Woman and Dyna Girl? A lot of other people would say they’re the starring roles in a 1976 children’s sci-fi TV series, but we’d call them the pop culture ref that’s made us the angriest we’ve ever been by the end of an episode. You’re the Best/You’re the West: Who would be the best and worst superheroes in Stars Hollow? Other pop culture we ref: ZOOM, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Dragon Tales, The Mamas and the Papas, Star Wars, Cyndi Lauper

Here come the brides! Gilmore Girls 202 references so many royals and weddings, we needed some extra help for this ep. Kyla is giving the scoop on (Grace) Kelly, Taylor is talking (Elizabeth) Taylor, and our friend Diana is reporting on (Princess) Diana. How was Lorelai going to dress like Diana for her wedding to Max? (#sparkle) What do we learn about Louise in her first pop culture ref? (#princess) And did Liz Taylor stop by Stars Hollow? (#maybe) Kind-of correction: Oprah is not married to Ruben Studdard. Other pop culture we ref: Will and Kate, The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), Michael Jackson, The Simpsons, Carrie Fisher, Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement, Gossip Girl, The Great Gatsby You’re the Best/You’re the Worst: GG weddings

We’re back for season 2, people! And is Lorelai changing her name to Sadie? Spoiler alert: Um, no. But we are trying to get to the bottom what Sookie means when she says newly engaged Lorelai is going to be a Sadie. Kyla and Taylor watch Funny Girl (1968), talk about the woman who inspired the movie, and what we think of our first introduction to Barbra Streisand. Other pop culture we ref: Judy Garland, Isadora Duncan, Friends, Golden Globes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

We’re wrapping up our first season (and the first season of Gilmore Girls) with a very special episode indeed. Kyla and Taylor recommend autumn and winter TV episodes, music books, and movies to hold you over during the hiatus until season 2. The best part? All the recommendations connect to Gilmore Girls and the pop culture references we’ve discussed in the last year. (At least, most of them do—this show lives for pop culture tangents, after all.)