Gilmore Girls Talked to Death

Thu., May. 3, 2007 3:53 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

With only two episodes left to wrap things up, it's a good thing those Gilmore girls are known for their quick tongues.

Warner Bros. Television and the CW announced Thursday that Gilmore Girls would end its run after seven seasons, with the final episode of the mother-daughter dramedy scheduled to air May 15.

"This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television's most memorable, lovable characters," the studio and network said in a joint statement, promising to "give this series the send-off it deserves."

Starring Lauren Graham as single mom Lorelai Gilmore and Alexis Bledel as her verbally prolific daughter Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls debuted on the WB in 2000 and made the jump to the CW last year.

Though the series is currently the network's highest rated scripted show with an average of 1.3 million viewers each week, ratings are down from last year's average of 1.6 million and 1.9 million in its WB heyday.

The dip in ratings was widely seen as one of the consequences of series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's decision to jump ship at the conclusion of the sixth season, along with husband and coexecutive producer Dan Palladino, after they were unable to reach an agreement with the studio.

Under new showrunner David Rosenthal, the series struggled both creatively and in the ratings. Though there was persistent talk of bringing it back for a limited run next season, the network ultimately decided the show had run its course.

The final episodes will center on Rory's graduation from Yale, after which she will be forced to decide whether to accept a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Logan.

Speculating last fall on how the series might one day end, Graham said she was firmly against the idea of the final chapter involving any "I do's."

"It would be my worst nightmare if we end the show with a wedding," she told the Associated Press. "To me, the premise of the show was, 'What if your parent was your best friend?'

"That's the thing you leave people with, the strength of this family and this relationship."