Chad Michael Murray Credits Gilmore Girls' Relatability For The Show's Huge Fan Base

As the show's title suggests, high achiever Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), and her mother, charismatic inn owner Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), are at the center of the WB series, "Gilmore Girls." While fans are charmed by Rory and Lorelai's quippy one-liners and devotion to Pop-Tarts, viewers have also found other quirky characters captivating. 

For instance, Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn) is a scene stealer as the most employed man in all of Stars Hollow. Moody concierge Michel Gerard (Yanic Truesdale), who often suffers from severe boredom, has some of the most quotable lines in the series. In addition, Lorelai's mother, Emily Gilmore's (Kelly Bishop) inability to understand her once-estranged daughter makes for emotional storylines.

While speaking to TODAY in 2021, Chad Michael Murray, who was featured mainly in the first season of "Gilmore Girls" as Chilton Preparatory School student Tristin Dugray, revealed he believed the show's decades-long success is due to its ensemble cast of sympathetic characters.

During the TODAY interview, Chad Michael Murray shared he thinks the dramedy's relatability is the reason for its dedicated fandom. He explained that viewers could see themselves in different characters, like ornery diner proprietor Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), his rebellious bibliophile nephew Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), or the intensely ambitious Paris Geller (Liza Weil) as they navigate life's curveballs. 

"There's so many characters that we can all identify with, right? And at the center of the entire show is heart. There's heart," asserted Murray. "And at the end of the day, I think we're all looking for love. Whether you're Luke, or Lorelei, or Rory, or Jess, or Dean, or Paris, or Tristin. We're all just kind of going through this big life. Trying to find our way." In the same interview, Murray noted that Tristin was his breakout role in the entertainment industry. He also shared that he enjoyed being on the "Gilmore Girls" set, especially when Alexis Bledel was his scene partner. "It's a very fond memory of mine," said the "Riverdale" actor.

Despite his fondness for the series, Murray was not in the show's 2016 Netflix sequel "Gilmore Girls: A Year in a Life." Tristin, however, was briefly seen in Episode 2 ("Spring") and was portrayed by Anton Narinskiy. During a 2016 Entertainment Tonight interview, Liza Weil shared that she would have liked to star alongside Murray again in the revival series. "It would have been nice but he's busy. He's doing a lot of things, he's doing very well for himself."