In the pilot episode of “Ginny and Georgia,” a petty fight between 16-year old Ginny and her mother, Georgia Miller, ends when Georgia proudly reminds her daughter that “we’re like the Gilmore Girls.”

After Netflix released the first season of the show, endless parallels were drawn between it and the classic “Gilmore Girls.” Viewers compared the two mother-daughter pairs, but with the new arrival of season two, the basic similarities between “Ginny and Georgia” and the “Gilmore Girls” have become less important than the features that distinguish the shows. The comparisons drawn are simply the bones of what seems to be a much more complex diversity between the two shows. “Gilmore Girls” is a friendly comedy at its core, whereas “Ginny and Georgia” has surface-level humor but also covers dark topics such as depression, self-harm, eating disorders and anxiety.

Let’s look at some similarities. At first, both shows start with a rebellious mother fleeing the past. Yes, Georgia Miller and Lorelai Gilmore each want to leave the past behind, but they choose to do so for very different reasons. Lorelai wanted to abandon her family, who disapproved of her rebellious behavior with baby Rory, whereas Georgia fled an abusive household — a much more serious and concrete backstory than Lorelai’s escape from controlling parents. 

Another similarity in plot is that Ginny and Rory both struggle with the unreliability of their fathers. However, Ginny has a stronger connection to her father and occasionally lives with him, and although Rory spends some one-on-one time with her father, she believes she is much closer to her mother and will always live with her. the partial presence of a father figure with unresolved feelings for the mother. Zion (Ginny’s father) and Georgia have a long history of intimacy, and Zion understands Georgia better than her fiancé Paul. Georgia refers to him as “her penguin” to emphasize that he will always be a part of her life, and later in the show, she cheats on Paul without remorse. Lorelai, a single woman, has reconciled with Rory’s father, but the two have several moments of weakness in which they run back to each other for a few nights before breaking it off.  The dynamics of the two parents in love with each other are hazy, and no matter how hard they try, neither relationship will work realistically based on their life goals.

The classic Luke/Joe comparison in the two shows was by far the most striking similarity between “Gilmore Girls” and “Ginny and Georgia”.  Yes, another love interest to Lorelai and Georgias love lifes. Luke and Joe both ownlocal restaurants that serve as the shows’ go-to spots and have the warm cozy feel of a small town business. Notably, the owners are both secretly, yet obviously, in love with the mother in the show. However, Joe from “Ginny and Georgia” has met Georgia in the past, which is why he has a crush on the engaged and later married woman. Luke, on the other hand, has dated Lorelai and was almost a father figure to Rory as they grew up together.

Now let’s debrief the love triangle, a classic twist which brings the two shows together. Ginny and Rory both juggle multiple love interests. Although these love triangles are a similarity in the plot lines, almost every teen drama ends up in a messy love situation. The love triangle in “Gilmore Girls” is very simple, and it is easy to understand the complexities of each relationship; however, in “Ginny and Georgia,” each relationship has the usual ups and downs, as well as problems that go deeper than the surface. Rory has several love interests throughout the entire series and the audience has their own opinions on who Rory should be with. Fandoms of each duo have been created and it is a lighthearted take on different types of male characters that Rory finds interest in. In Ginny and Georgia, the end of season one announced Hunter and Ginny’s breakup and 

For example, Ginny and Marcus formed a relationship throughout season two, and the audience watched their relationship fall apart because both Ginny and Marcus had deep issues that needed support. Ginny was dealing with family drama that seemed to worsen throughout the new season, while Marcus was dealing with a dark depression episode that was featured when the show had an entire episode featuring Ginny’s perspective, and the following episode featured the same events from Marcus’s perspective.

Finally, let’s talk about the setting in which the show takes place. The East Coast small town charm is one of the most discussed parallels between the two shows. Wellsbury and Stars Hollow are both small, friendly towns with local shops and a close-knit community. However, the Gilmore Girls grew up in this town, whereas Ginny and Georgia moved when Ginny was 16. resulting in a significant difference in sense of belonging and growing up in the charming little town. It is evident that Rory is a wealthy white girl who went to private school and has always fit in. She was a local, and there was never a time when she felt completely alone in her surroundings. However, Ginny moved to a new town and was the new girl in the first season. She had a stable friend group in season one, but due to her ethnicity and association, she lacked a sense of belonging to the town, teachers, and some other students at her school. Season two focused on during family dinners, Ginny felt left out because the rest of her friend group grew up together and there are memories that Ginny will never be a part of. Ginny’s relationship with her English teacher, Mr. Gitten, was a racist white man who called Ginny out in every class. Ginny tried to ignore these antics, but she feared that she would never fit in, and felt singled out in her school environment. Her anxiety led to self harm, which was portrayed deeper throughout season two when she talked about it with father, boyfriend, and therapist. She was told to start a journal which ultimately unleashed the secret to her mother, and showed that she does not have to be alone on her journey. With season three in the makings, “Ginny and Georgia” should only continue to set itself apart from other teen dramas with new characters and plot lines.