Why Lauren Graham Almost Left Gilmore Girls Before The Show Even Aired

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Lorelai is one of the best characters on "Gilmore Girls," and that is partly due to Lauren Graham's bubbly performance as the outgoing Stars Hollow resident. In fact, Graham is so good in the role that it is difficult to imagine anyone else portraying the character, but that could have been the case if the actor was forced to leave the series after being cast.

In an excerpt shared from her memoir, "Talking as Fast as I Can" (per Entertainment Weekly), Graham recalled that landing a role on "Gilmore Girls" was dependent on another series falling through. "I was still on another show, Don Roos's 'M.Y.O.B.' for NBC. I'd been cast in 'Gilmore Girls' in second position, meaning that if NBC decided they wanted to keep going with 'M.Y.O.B.,' I'd have to be replaced on 'Gilmore Girls.'"

"M.Y.O.B." was a short-lived sitcom that debuted on NBC in 2000. Eight episodes were produced in total, but only four made it to the air, making it one of television's shortest-lived series — the show being canceled before all the episodes were released means that it can't even go down as a legitimate one-season wonder. Fortunately, the sitcom's failures allowed Graham to move on to "Gilmore Girls" for seven seasons (plus 2016's Netflix revival series "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life") — but there were hurdles along the way, and she had to beat out some stiff competition.

The creators of "Gilmore Girls" knew Lauren Graham was perfect to play Lorelai, but the process was challenging. For a start, the "M.Y.O.B." star wanted to honor her agreement with that aforementioned NBC sitcom, so she was hesitant to pursue "Gilmore Girls." What's more, "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was reluctant to meet with Graham early on, despite the show's casting directors pleading with her to do so, as she was aware of her other acting commitments at the time.

"They kept handing me Lauren's picture and I wouldn't look at it," Sherman-Palladino told the ATX Television Festival (via Showbiz Cheatsheet). "Because she was on this other show." The creator feared that she'd want to cast Graham, only to be let down due to the actor's other priorities. However, Sherman-Palladino finally gave in to her colleagues' pestering: "[Graham] finally walked in. She sat down. We talked. We read. She walked out and we're like, and we're done. And, there's Lorelai."

With that being said, the series' creators had backup plans, just in case Graham couldn't accept the role of Lorelai. "Riverdale" star Mädchen Amick was in the running for the "Gilmore Girls" part, but she was ultimately turned down for being too young. However, she was cast as Christopher's sometime wife, Sherry,, so at least she got to visit Stars Hollow in some capacity.