‘Gilmore Girls’ is the ultimate comfort show whose legacy endures after more than two decades of its pilot airing for the first time. After seven seasons, the show concluded in 2007 and found a new generation of fans through Netflix reruns. The show focuses on the mother-daughter duo – Lorelai and Rory Gilmore – who manage family, career, and romantic partners while sharing the strongest bond with each other.
Both Lorelai and Rory had multiple love interests on the show, and in season one, besides Rory’s boyfriend Dean, played by Jared Padalecki, we had Chad Michael Murray’s charming bad boy Tristin DuGray stealing hearts. Although he made it big with ‘One Tree Hill’ after quitting ‘Gilmore Girls’, what was the actual reason for his exit? Let’s explore.
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Why Did Chad Michael Murray Quit ‘Gilmore Girls’?
Lorelai and Rory’s life in Stars Hollow expanded to Hartford as grandparents and a new school was written into the storyline. There, Rory met Chilton’s ambitious and rich kids who had an air of superiority about them while trying to safeguard their insecurities. One of them was Tristin DuGray. He played a popular boy with an attitude, who loved to tease Rory, but also had a soft spot for her. Classic trope, right? But his character was written off the show, and we couldn’t enjoy their love-hate relationship for long. So, Tristan left in season 2 of ‘Gilmore Girls’ as his father pressured him to attend military school in North Carolina.
It’s a common theory that Chad Michael Murray left ‘Gilmore Girls’ to play Lucas Scott in ‘One Tree Hill’. However, he filmed the pilot of ‘Murphy’s Dozen’ after his exit, although it wasn’t picked up by the network. Then he starred as Charlie Todd in the fifth season of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ before ultimately landing ‘One Tree Hill’ which fetched him stardom as a heartthrob.
In an episode of ‘Gilmore Girls‘ podcast ‘I Am All In‘ by Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes on the show, Murray admitted that he was offered to remain on the show for more seasons but he wanted to push his boundaries with more roles. He said he does not regret that decision. Well, it turned out quite well for him.
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Murray Thinks The “Heart” Factor Works For ‘Gilmore Girls’
In an interview with Today in 2021, Chad Michael Murray credited ‘Gilmore Girls’ creator Amy Sherman-Palladino – who is also the force behind ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘ – for her “on point” writing while reminiscing the show which was his “first recurring role on television.” He said, “I was really just getting accustomed to the world. And so, I was just kind of holding on for dear life. And, you know, Amy Sherman Palladino … her writing was just so on point; it still is obviously today. And she’s so good at getting the best out of you and getting the most out of you at every moment.”
About the show’s “relatable” storylines creating a huge fanbase that spans generations, Murray gave his take. He continued, “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. 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 Tristan. We’re all just kind of going through this big life. Trying to find our way. And that’s what storytelling is, right?”
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