Everything We Know About Netflix's 'Gilmore Girls' Revival (So Far)

Following months of rumors, Gilmore Girls" fans have waited years to hear: The show is officially coming back for a short run of new episodes, set to debut later this year. Here's everything we know so far. Copper boom!

1. There will be four episodes, titled 'Winter,' 'Spring,' 'Summer,' and 'Fall'

Each of the "mini-movie" episodes corresponds to a different season of the year, with winter coming first and fall coming last. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino said in an interview with TVLine that the changing seasons were an important part of the original show (Lorelai is a big fan of snow, for instance), and with all the season-themed festivals that take place in Stars Hollow (the End of Summer Madness Festival, the Winter Carnival, etc.), it made sense to focus each installment around a different time of year. "It worked to open on snow and have a colder, starker environment. And then end on a lusher, warmer, golden-y town, which lends to where the story will end," Sherman-Palladino told TVLine.

2. Amy Sherman-Palladino will write every episode

The entire original creative team will be back, with creator Sherman-Palladino and her husband and producing partner, Daniel Palladino, writing and directing all four installments. Each episode will run for approximately 90 minutes, and they're expected to premiere sometime later this year (an official release date is TBA). ASP also hopes to release the episodes separately (maybe one per day for four consecutive days), rather than follow the typical binge model, to give fans a chance to experience them without worry of spoilers (though we have a feeling that that plan won't fly with the head honchos at Netflix).

3. The 'Girls' will all be there – and so will (almost) everyone else

Lauren Graham (Lorelai), Alexis Bledel (Rory), and Kelly Bishop (Emily) are all returning, as are Scott Patterson (Luke), Keiko Agena (Lane), Sean Gunn (Kirk), Liza Weil (Paris), Rose Abdoo (Gypsy), Yanic Truesdale (Michel), and John Cabrera (Lane's Hep Alien bandmate, Brian). Expect many, many more where those came from -– though there will be a couple glaring absences...

4. Melissa McCarthy (probably) won't appear

Sherman-Palladino got fans' hopes up when she suggested that McCarthy -– who played Lorelai's BFF, business partner, and chef extraordinaire Sookie -- was invited to cameo, if she had a free afternoon in her schedule. But McCarthy later said on Twitter that no one involved with the production ever asked her to come back, so she wouldn't take part in the revival. We're not sure who's telling the truth here (maybe McCarthy's people never gave the busy star ASP's message?), but we're holding out hope for a miracle McCarthy appearance. (As it stands now, Sherman-Palladino says that there will be a line of dialogue explaining Sookie's absence.)

5. The loss of Edward Herrmann will be an important plot point

Actor Edward Herrmann, who played Grandpa Richard Gilmore, passed away in 2014, and his death will be written into the show. Sherman-Palladino told TVLine that the loss of the beloved patriarch has a ripple effect throughout the lives of Emily, Lorelai, and Rory that will reverberate throughout the entire revival. "[A tragedy like that] brings up thoughts of, 'Where am I? Where am I going? What am I doing?'" ASP explained. " ... Something they loved is gone, which means things you love will not be around forever. And you can't take them for granted." Added Kelly Bishop, in another interview with TVLine, "Because of the fact that Emily lost her husband, she's kind of a raw nerve. In a desperate attempt to push through [her grief], she blows between right on the edge of losing it to almost being a little manic. ... [Richard] is certainly a presence, especially in that first script."

6. There will be lots of new characters

You can't go to Stars Hollow without running into some kooky personalities, and they and many more new faces will populate the revival. Some of the characters will be somewhat familiar (9-year-old twins Steve and Kwan, for instance, are the sons of Lane and Zack, born at the end of season seven; Clementina the Portuguese nanny is most likely Paris's childhood caretaker, who we met when she and Rory were in college), while others could be anyone's guess. They include Peruivan couple Berta and Alejandro (a handyman); Nat Compton, described as "an incredibly miserable looking man who never smiles"; 13-year-old Dewey; brother and sister Tim, age 7, and Gabriela, age 5; a bunch of hippies at a commune; Paul, a 30-something "Michael Cera-type" and "good boyfriend"; Jim, an older editor of a high-end men's magazine; blue-collar Dwayne; and Damon, a 20-something described as good-looking and eager.

7. Rory will be single and dating

Could some of those men mentioned before be love interests for Rory? Possibly. Sherman-Palladino told TVLine that our girl is "single in the sense that she's not married," and is dating when the show picks up. Does that mean she has a serious boyfriend? ASP isn't telling for now, though she hinted that some of Rory's past flames -- including Dean (Jared Padalecki), Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), and Logan (Matt Czuchry) -- could pop up -- that is, if the actors' deals come together. "Certain storylines — one of which involved one of the boys — had been taken out of our hands," she told TVLine. "We're still dealing with who's going to be in it. We definitely want to see them. And we have storylines planned. I just need someone to tell me they're going to show up." Czuchry has reportedly just signed a deal to return, so that could make things awkward for his ex-girlfriend, who rejected his proposal at the end of season seven.

8. Season 7 is still canon...

Speaking of that much-maligned season, even though Sherman-Palladino left the show before it aired – and still has not watched the entire batch of episodes -– she says that the revival won't ignore its events, and will pick up roughly eight years after things left off. That means that Logan's aforementioned proposal will still have happened in the timeline of the show, among other controversial plots (Lorelai and Christopher's quickie wedding and subsequent divorce, the entire existence of April, etc.). "Luckily, the elements that we really wanted to play were not taken or destroyed by whatever they did in Season 7," she told TVLine. "So it actually worked out quite nicely."

9. ...but we're finally getting those "final four words"

Sherman-Palladino has always said that she knew the final four words of the series, which were never used after a contract dispute prompted her to leave the show before season seven. Now, fans will finally get to hear them. Lauren Graham told TVLine that Sherman-Palladino actually revealed the secret to her years ago. "I asked her, 'Who says them?' And she says, 'Both of you.' That's all I can say. It's not, you know, in unison." Does "both of you" mean Lorelai and Rory, in a back-and-forth exchange? We can't wait to find out.

10. There (probably) won't be any swearing

The freedom of Netflix means the freedom to curse without network intervention, but that doesn't mean Sherman-Palladino and co. will take advantage of that perk – nor does it really make sense to do so. The producer told TVLine that they'd been experimenting with adding in some swearing, but it "just feels weird," since the rhythm of the show doesn't necessitate it. "We're just trying to find that right balance," she said. "For us, our language is more about Hepburn and Tracy and less about f—ity f–k f–k f–k."

11. Fans should be satisfied

Everyone involved with the production who's been interviewed so far has said the same thing: This revival is exactly what fans have wished for. "There's definitely some resolution that we didn't get [at the end of the series' original run]," Lauren Graham told TVLine. "I was completely satisfied with these scripts. It's what I hoped it would be." Kelly Bishop had similar praise, telling TVLine, "These scripts are good. They're really good. And bringing back all of those characters is so delicious. ... People are going to have so much fun with it." Added Warner Bros. exec Peter Roth, "Amy is now able to finish, appropriately, properly and I think with great satisfaction, the show the way it should conclude. It's going to be great. We're very excited." So are we.