After my obligatory Gilmore Girls rewatch, I, of course, have my thoughts on who Rory should end up with, who’s best for Lorelai and if Lane decided to marry the right guy. While the revival clears up some of these worries, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered as well.
Here is my ranking of the 31 main guys from Gilmore Girls, from worst to best (not including the revival).
31. Mitchum Huntzberger
This one almost goes without saying. While it was Rory’s own doing that sent her spiraling out of college, it was Mitchum that started this process. He also never trusted his own son to do anything worthwhile, sustainable or mature, and never was a fan of Rory and Logan’s relationship.
30. Asher Fleming
Paris’s old professor boyfriend made everyone uncomfortable. I should probably feel bad since he died, but he was an unnecessary part of Paris’s life (and her storyline). While the only thing he really did wrong was dating a student, that’s a pretty big problem. No one would be sad if Asher had never been a part of the show.
29. Rune
While Rune brings a lot of life to the screen, he was definitely not a favorite. Jackson’s cousin went on a double date with Lorelai and, later on, got a job at the Independence Inn, but wasn’t grateful for any of it. Plus, he hated Lorelai. Who hates Lorelai?!
28. Taylor Doose
Taylor is a very “by the rules” guy, which is why he’s perfect for town selectman. However, what he doesn’t get about Stars Hollow is that it is a very community-based town, where sometimes, rules don’t need to be followed. He also put in a conjoining window to Luke’s without telling him and wouldn’t let Lorelai change the Dragonfly’s street name from “Sores and Boils Alley” for a long time.
27. Colin McCrae & Finn Morgan
In all honesty, these two are a package deal. They have their fun moments, like getting Rory out of her shell a little bit, but also take things too far. When Logan ended up in the hospital after their trip, they were laughing about it and praising Rory. Still, I guess they showed up.
26. Christopher Hayden
Christopher definitely had his flaws, but he always loved Lorelai and Rory. Unfortunately, his love of Lorelai was almost too much, as he tried to break up her and Luke, left her the second Gigi was born and got married without Rory there. Christopher ended up being a good dad for Rory, but could never be right for Lorelai.
25. Jason Stiles
Jason had a lot going for him. While he was an interesting choice for Lorelai since he still lived the life she ran away from all her life, he was able to take a step back and have fun. He supported her and her decision to hide their relationship from her parents. However, he ended up suing Richard, Lorelai’s dad, so that was an immediate turn off for any Jason fans out there.
24. Dean Forester
In all honesty, Dean wasn’t so bad in the beginning. As said often throughout the show, Dean was a great first boyfriend for Rory. He showed interest in things she liked, watched movies, even with Lorelai, and after they broke up, he remained civil around town, even though Rory was with Jess. At times, though, he was controlling, and cheating on his wife instantly puts him lower on the list.
23. Andrew
Andrew is a Stars Hollow resident who owns Rory’s favorite place in town—the bookstore. However, while he might be a necessary component of Rory’s life, he also loves to side with Taylor on things and doesn’t have the best relationships with women. He has been seen multiple times arguing with a girlfriend or objectifying another woman.
22. T.J.
As both Luke’s brother-in-law and Liz’s husband, T.J. has a lot of drama in his life. The thing is, he brings a lot of it. From hanging out at the diner until Luke goes crazy or thinking he’s in charge of the expansion to Lorelai’s house, T.J. has a whole lot going on. He’s obnoxious, but his heart is in the right place.
21. The Town Troubadour
The Town Troubadour is always an enjoyable part of transitions in the show and would be pretty nice to have around on a nice fall day. While his music may be nice, he has a really bad temper, as seen when another troubadour comes to town, as well as when his touring job didn’t work out. Stars Hollow doesn’t need that kind of negativity.
20. Gil
Gil doesn’t really do anything wrong, he just makes everyone uncomfortable. As the only adult in Hep Alien, he has a lot of knowledge and is great for the quality of the band, but also is a lot older, with a wife and kids. He was pretty supportive when helping Lane prepare during her pregnancy.
19. Henry Cho
Henry really liked Lane when he met her at the party. Everything seemed to go well, and even Lane wanted to stay to hang out. However, he ended up getting tired of Lane hiding their relationship and ended up asking another girl to prom. I get it, but come on dude. We love Lane.
18. Zack Van Gerbig
Zack is so nice to Lane and is always helpful around town. He whines a lot and we almost always see him sitting in front of the television playing video games, but the second Lane got pregnant, he got a job at the diner and was actually pretty good at it. Zack has a lot of daddy issues too, but isn’t afraid to turn to Luke or Lorelai for help. He does have some anger issues as well, which came through when the band had their big shot at stardom.
17. Alex Lesman
Alex was only in Gilmore Girls for a couple of episodes, but his adoration for coffee matches perfectly with Lorelai’s. Unfortunately, he likes fishing and outdoorsy stuff, which Lorelai turns to Luke for help on learning about. Alex didn’t do anything wrong (we don’t even know why they broke up), but he’s just nothing special.
16. Brad Langford
Brad is a recurring character seen at Chilton, though he switches to another school out of fear of none other than Paris Geller. However, the meek, fearful boy became a whole new person after he went on Broadway, and he wasn’t scared of Paris anymore. I’m not sure if he came to appreciate the Paris we know and love today, but good for him for chasing his dreams and facing his fears.
15. Richard Gilmore
Richard very much has his ups and downs. On the up side, he has a soft side with Lorelai and Rory. He dropped off Lorelai’s dollhouse when Emily was going to throw it away, insured her inn even though he doesn’t do companies that small and said that Rory is a testament to Lorelai’s great parenting. However, he treated Dean horribly, never defended Emily from Trix and stabbed Jason in the back when he was still dating Lorelai. Richard is right in the middle of best and worst.
14. Michel Gerard
As far as being on the screen goes, Michel is a fan favorite, but as a character, Michel gets in the way and is pretty problematic. We see peeks of the real Michel every once in a while, when he actually cares about Rory, Lorelai and Sookie, and he always loves the inn. While Michel isn’t always the most considerate and patient, we still love him, and that’s why.
13. Tristan Dugray
Tristan is definitely not the best character, but he had a lot of potential, which is why so many fans claim to actually be “Team Tristan.” He obnoxiously calls Rory “Mary” when he likes her, and Paris gets very jealous, but Tristan’s intentions really weren’t bad. He really liked Rory and wanted to take her to the dance, but Rory was dating Dean. He ended up leaving Chilton because he was getting sent to military school, but the actor actually left because he got cast on Dawson’s Creek and later in One Tree Hill. This gives me hope of what Tristan could have been. *sigh*
12. Marty
I loved Marty at the beginning. He was sweet, charming, shy and just wanted to be friends with Rory. Richard liked him, he worked multiple jobs and had a passion for Duck Soup. However, when we are reintroduced to Marty in season 7, he is introduced as “Boyfriend!” by Lucy, and pretends not to know Rory. This causes a lot of drama and results in Marty losing his girlfriend and Rory losing a friend. This isn’t the exit I wanted for Marty, but he started off strong.
11. Jackson Belleville
Jackson and Sookie may fight a lot, but it’s all out of love. Jackson would have been higher in the list, with how relatable his relationship is with Sookie. They fight and make up, have realistic communication problems and move in together after much debate. Jackson really cares about Stars Hollow—he even runs for town selectman and wins, until he gets stressed with all the people who want something from him. However, he didn’t follow through on getting a vasectomy, which is really disrespectful to Sookie, especially since he lied about it.
10. Morey Dell
Morey is a very minor character, but still manages to be at every single event. He is a big fan of the Gilmores, and his very chill attitude is a nice change of pace compared to the usual chaos of Stars Hollow, especially since he’s married to Babette. Plus he loves planning a huge Halloween setup at his house every year, which is an instant green flag.
9. Logan Huntzberger
Logan had one of the biggest character developments throughout the series. We met the character when he was calling Marty out for just being a bartender at parties. In between this horrible first impression and Logan taking out his business mistakes on Rory, he was committed to their relationship (when they were in one), showed up to the hospital and stayed with Rory (Lorelai’s husband wouldn’t even show up), wanted to marry Rory and take her with him to California (even though he said it was all or nothing) and stood up to his family when they criticized his dedication to his future and degraded Rory (good for him). I have mixed feelings about Logan’s choices, but I still love him.
8. Jamie
When Paris met Jamie at the student government program in Washington D.C., she didn’t even realize he was asking her on a date. The audience got it though, and instantly fell in love. Jamie was probably a part of Paris’s life at the worst time, as she blamed losing her virginity to him as the reason she didn’t get into Harvard and even cheated on him with Asher for a long time. Jamie could tell something was wrong, but he never left her side. Props to him.
7. Jess Mariano
Jess is probably one of the most liked characters in the show, and his biggest redeeming factor was being the reason Rory went back to Yale. He was always pushing Rory to be her best, but he struggled with this himself sometimes. He left Stars Hollow without telling anyone, told Rory he loved her and immediately ran away and crashed Rory’s car. However, he also got himself together and was able to publish his book. I think Jess needed time to work on himself before he could be with Rory, which is why he’s such a complex character.
6. Doyle McMaster
The more you watch Doyle, the more you like him. He started off as a seemingly aggressive newspaper editor, but being the editor of the Yale Daily News is a stressful job, as we see with Paris and Rory later on. After that, he became exactly what Paris needed: supportive of her aggressive behavior, they challenged each other and tried new things together and he would follow her to whatever graduate school she went to.
5. Luke Danes
Luke is always the best. He stayed up all night to make a tent cover so Rory could have her going away party, he made a chuppah for Lorelai and Max’s wedding, even though he didn’t want it to happen, and is always so patient with his sister, Liz. Of course, he did hide April, his daughter, from Lorelai when they were dating, but he tried to apologize for it, and it’s what makes him so relatable. Luke is one of the main characters of the show, and also one of the best.
4. Max Medina
While Lorelai didn’t love Max as much as he loved her, he’s not to blame. From the daisies to the way he handled Lorelai running away right before the wedding, Max was so in love. I’ve seen arguments where people place him lower because of this, but why should love deter the fact that Max is a great person and a great teacher? I’m Team Max, and proud of it.
3. Brian Fuller
Brian is probably the sweetest person on the show. When Zack refused to write a song called “Lane,” Brian took it upon himself to make sure Lane felt like someone cared about her. Also, Brian didn’t only accept Lane’s culture, he loved it. He loved the food and genuinely offered Mrs. Kim a tea when she came to visit their apartment. Brian panicked even more than Zack did when Lane said she was pregnant, and we can assume he was excited to help out. Brian wants to be involved in other people’s lives, and that’s what makes him so great.
2. Kirk Gleason
Okay, so Kirk isn’t actually better than a lot of these people—he’s actually quite annoying. However, Kirk is the heart of Stars Hollow. He was employed all over town, volunteered for all of Taylor’s crazy ideas, felt comfortable being vulnerable in front of his neighbors, was terrified for his first date with Lulu, continued to care for Lulu, trusted the opinions of others when he asked for it, pursued new business ideas he was passionate about and was loyal to everyone.
1. Dave Rygalski
I debated and debated whether Kirk should be first or second, but Dave is too great to be second to anyone. While everyone wishes he was on the show for longer than he was, Dave was just what Lane needed to face what she was scared of. He never pushed Lane to tell her mother about the two of them. In fact, he did everything he could to make her like him before she even knew they were together. He played hymns on his guitar for hours at the Kims’ luncheon, praised Mrs. Kim’s cooking, told elaborate stories about his history at Bible camp, put up with countless fake Korean dates Lane skipped out on and let’s not forget how he read the entire Bible in one night. Lane said, “I’m gonna love him forever.” So will we Lane, so will we.