Gilmore Girls was one of the most successful shows in the history of the WB network, scoring an impressive 7 season run initially and then rebooting for a limited series on Netflix called Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life.
One of the reasons that Gilmore Girls did so well right out of the gate was that it knew exactly where it was going and what it wanted to be. And because of that, many of the show's best and most important characters were around from the start. However, which great characters were actually introduced after the first season?
Gil
Gilmore Girls is a series that loves music and loves quirky characters, and they really hit the apex of both of those fixations when they introduced Gil.
The awkwardly older member of Lane's band stuck out like a sore thumb both because of his age and because he was played by real-life rocker Sebastian Bach. But when Dave Rygalski left they managed to replace him with a genuinely interesting and good-hearted guy, and Gil made Hep Alien even more fun to watch.
T.J.
He's a bit too direct and he's a little dense, but Liz's husband T.J. seems to be her best romantic relationship by a long shot.
T.J. provided more than enough comic relief to justify his introduction into the series, but seeing another dimension to Liz Danes really made Jess' mom and Luke's sister a lot more interesting and sympathetic. And with the kind of sweet, well-meaning heart that T.J. has, it comes as no surprise that Lorelai hired him as her pretend contractor and couldn't find it in her to tell him it was all a sham.
Lulu
Even now, it's hard to imagine someone who is as much of an oddball as Kirk Gleason is finding someone who loves him and can handle him. But Lulu seems like she was just quirky enough and just kind enough that her relationship with Kirk actually made sense.
It's also great that the series gave her a bit more depth as an elementary school teacher in town, and her demeanor with her students really illustrated why she can deal with Kirk so well.
Liz Danes
Considering how Liz handled Jess and seemed more than content to dump all of her problems on her family before she ever appeared on screen, Gilmore Girls really had its work cut out for themselves when they had to make Liz a remotely likable character.
But as soon as she showed up in Stars Hollow, things started to make sense, and while she's clearly a flawed individual, she was still charming and had plenty of appealing qualities too.
Brian Fuller
When Lane decided to follow her passion for music into a band (that also happened to include a boy she liked) it would have been easy for her bandmates to just become set dressing, but every member of Hep Alien had their own distinct personality and characterization.
Brian was a great friend and roommate for Zack and Lane, and his Gilmore Girls-style quirks seemed to come in the form of an endless list of physical and health ailments.
Dave Rygalski
Before he went on to become the ultimate teen hipster Seth Cohen, Adam Brody cut his teeth on the equally charming and wacky first love interest of Lane, Dave Rygalski. Although Zack and Lane were clearly perfect together, Dave was basically the dream first boyfriend for Lane.
He was into music and was willing to go through whatever absurd hoops that he had to in order to date Lane, and it was sad to see him go.
Doyle McMaster
Undoubtedly assisted by the natural charm and skill of actor Danny Strong, Doyle McMaster was one of the most fun and interesting characters introduced to Gilmore Girls after the show's first season.
He initially starts off as nothing more than the editor of the Yale Daily News, but later on, he begins a relationship with Paris, and he seems to be one of the few people in the world who can actually handle her, and who more importantly recognizes what a superstar she is.
Zack Van Gerbig
Understandably, Rory and Lorelai's love lives were the main romantic focal point of the show. But given how important she was, it's great that Lane found someone like Zack, who was not only perfect for her, but interesting and compelling in his own right.
As one of the key members of Hep Alien from the very start, Zack was Lane's friend first. However, once they realized they had feelings for one another, their relationship was one of the most charming parts of the series, and his willingness to do whatever it took to be with Lane was adorable.
Logan Huntzberger
Rory and Lorelai Gilmore obviously have a lot in common, but Rory didn't meet her version of Christopher until she got to college. Logan Huntzberger was the rich guy with a bad attitude but a considerable amount of depth hidden beneath his cheeky veneer, and it's not hard to understand why Rory was so drawn to him.
And while their relationship was never as good as it could have been, Logan undoubtedly changed the course of the series.
Jess Mariano
It's difficult to imagine what Gilmore Girls would be without Jess Mariano, which is why it's almost odd to think about the fact that he didn't even join the series until the second season. Everyone loves a bad boy, but Jess established that he was far from the average ruffian when he and Rory bonded over their shared love of literature.
Jess is arguably Rory's most beloved boyfriend, and even though their fate was left up in the air after A Year In The Life, most fans were pulling for a Literati reunion.