Earlier this summer, Gilmore Girlsfans were confronted with an unexpected twist we didn’t seem coming. No, the show wasn’t revived and suddenly confirmed the paternity of Rory’s child, though we’d have much rather that had been the unexpected twist. But after more than a decade of calling Netflix home, the series was removed this summer.
While that had always been a possibility, it’s one of those possibilities you didn’t actually think would happen. However, here we are, facing our first fall season without Lorelai and Rory on Netflix. Normally, millions of fans would be queuing up our millionth rewatch, and maybe some have on Hulu or Prime Video, but our Netflix watch lists are currently without an annual trip to Stars Hollow.
There’s no one-to-one replacement for Gilmore Girls,even though Netflix shows like Ginny & Georgia and Virgin River are great substitutes for mother-daughter stories and small-town charm. But you can scroll through Netflix and find cozy shows that can bring those same flavors. If you’re in need of a show to binge-watch this fall, we’re sharing three great options.
Felicity
It’s taken longer than most of us would have liked, butFelicity is finally making its return to Netflixand streaming as a whole on Oct. 7. Thanks to a new licensing deal between Netflix and Disney, all four seasons seasons of The WB college drama will be available for a whole new generation to experience.
Felicity doesn’t take place in an autumnal small town like Gilmore Girls. The series takes place in New York City, but as many people and pop culture characters have said over the years, there’s nothing like New York in the fall. Hands down, it’s the best time to binge-watch the beloved cult classic.
Keri Russell stars in the series as the titular Felicity Porter, a recent high school graduate who completely upends her life plan when she decides to follow her crush across the country to college. She gets caught in love triangles and overthinks and tries to do her best.
Felicity Porter and Rory Gilmore would have been the best of friends or at least would have understanded each other in ways other people in their lives didn’t. Being from the same network around the same time, Felicityand Gilmore Girls are cut from the same cozy cloth.
The Way Home
If you’re looking for a binge-watch you can dive into right now without waiting for more seasons, Netflix has officially added all four seasons of the fan-favorite Hallmark Channel original series The Way Home. Once you start watching, you won’t stop until the bittersweet end.
Unlike Gilmore Girls, which is completely based in reality (except for when Lorelai had dreams about being pregnant with twins and meeting Paul Anka), The Way Home folds in the fantasy element of time travel to bring the drama about three generations of women coming back together to life.
Lorelai and Rory might not travel through time, but they sure do know a whole lot about multigenerational drama (and trauma) that finds its way at the center of many Friday night dinner fights. Come to think of it, rehashing the past can sure feel like time travel.
All told, The Way Home features 40 episodes that will keep you emotionally invested and on the edge of your seat until the very send. With the addition of the fourth and final season on Netflix, the series has made its way into the Top 10 most popular TV shows ranking.
Sullivan’s Crossing
There’s an obvious Netflix original series that we’ve already mentioned that’s sure to please Gilmore Girls fans looking to scratch that fall itch. Virgin River is a lot like Stars Hollow but on the opposite coast and full of just as many quirky characters you can’t help but love.
However, if you have already rewatched all seven seasons of Virgin River in anticipation season 8 coming next year, there’s another romantic drama to escape into. Sullivan’s Crossingalso borrows its stories from books written by Virgin River author Robyn Car and is just as addictive.
Fans of one show have no doubt watched the other, but if you haven’t yet checked out Sullivan’s Crossing, it’s a must for Gilmore Girls fans. After all, two Gilmorealums star in the main cast, none other than Scott Patterson and Chad Michael Murray, our Luke Danes and Tristin Dugray.
Currently, four seasons of the Canadian series, which airs on The CW in the United States, but the fifth season is already in the works and getting ready for release early in 2027. Curl up into a blanket and grab some snacks because this is one of the coziest fall binge-watches on Netflix.
