2024 bought an unexpected Gilmore Girls became a classic comfort show for many viewers. This made 2016’s Netflix miniseries A Year in the Life inevitable.

Unfortunately, A Year in the Life was far from perfect. The 4-episode miniseries had its moments, but A Year in the Life failed to recapture the unique tonal balance of the original series. Often too goofy or too bleak, A Year in the Life never quite felt like classic Gilmore Girls. The funniest episodes of Gilmore Girls highlighted the show’s ability to bounce between comedy and drama, but these tonal shifts felt stiffer and more awkward in its miniseries revival. Luckily, 2024’s latest piece of Gilmore Girls content proves the series could recapture its magic with a new outing.

Walmart’s Gilmore Girls Ad Proves A Year in the Life Needs A Follow-up

Gilmore Girls Ended With 2016’s Netflix Revival

Although Patterson and Graham are both busy with other roles, that did not stop the heroes of Gilmore Girls from reuniting for a festive Walmart ment in late 2024. The retail giant’s ment brings an older Kirk, Luke, and Lorelai back to the snowy environs of Stars Hollow for a cute reunion as Kirk delivers Luke a Keurig coffee maker that is soon revealed to be Lorelea’s Christmas present. Shockingly, Walmart’s 2024 ment is the first time fans have seen Luke and Lorelai’s married life, as evidenced by the two characters wearing wedding rings in the 30-second spot.

Since Gilmore Girls’ Emily and Richard break up proved that none of the show’s couples were safe from relationship strife, viewers had no way of knowing whether Luke and Lorelai’s last-second wedding stood the test of time. Luke and Lorelai got married in the last moments of A Year in the Life’s finale, meaning the miniseries never got around to depicting their actual wedded life. Fortunately, even though their earlier engagement ended in separation shortly before Lorelai married Christopher instead, this Walmart ment proves that their marriage lasted at least 8 years.

Walmart’s Gilmore Girls Ad Finally Depicted Luke and Lorelai’s Marriage

Luke and Lorelai Only Tied The Knot In A Year in the Life’s Finale

Since this 30-second spot is the first viewers have seen of their married life, it is clear that Gilmore Girls needs another follow-up in the coming years. Lorelai and Luke’s love story lasted throughout the original seven seasons of Gilmore Girls and, although their relationship was relatively stable in A Year in the Life, they only married during its closing moments. One of the best Christmas episodes of Gilmore Girls, season 5, episode 11, "Women of Questionable Morals,” saw Luke build a skating rink for Lorelai to cheer her up when the show came down.

Luke and Lorelai only reached a level of relative stability after the show’s original run ended.

This proves just how perfect the couple was for each other, so it is frustrating that viewers never got to see more of these romantic gestures after they tied the knot. Luke and Lorelai only reached a level of relative stability after the show’s original run ended, and the beginning of their married life marked the end of A Year in the Life’s plot. The reliably chaotic lives of Emily and Rory ensure that a new Gilmore Girls reunion will still have plenty of conflict, but Lorelai could be a much better now that she has a stable marriage.

Walmart’s 2024 Gilmore Girls Ad Has A Secret Connection To The Series

Jess Worked In Walmart When He Arrived In Stars Hollow

While Jess’s Gilmore Girls exit meant that he wasn’t the love interest Rory ended up with, Jess and Rory’s relationship mirrored Lorelai and Luke’s tumultuous dynamic in many ways. Both Luke and Jess were moody and standoffish, but also secretly sweet and invested in the happiness of Lorelai and Rory, respectively. As such, it is only appropriate that 2024’s Gilmore Girls ment features a secret connection to Milo Ventimiglia’s role in the show. In season 3, episode 17, “A Tale of Poes and Fire,” Jess worked at Walmart before Luke discouraged this.

Jess even managed to earn Employee of the Month during his brief time working at the retailer, but Luke was dismayed to learn that this came at a cost to his high school attendance. Jess eventually quit and went on to work in publishing, becoming a successful author. Although he had moved on from the job long before A Year in the Life's story, Jess’s Gilmore Girls job does provide a clever link to the show’s 2024 ment.

Gilmore Girls and A Year in the Life are available to stream on Netflix.