Cable network Up TV is in the midst of a Gilmore Girls marathon, airing all 153 episodes over the course of a week in advance of the show’s ballyhooed revival on Netflix. Positive findings from the stunt, which kicked off Nov. 18, sees Up eager to up its stake in the show.
Netflix will stream four 90-minute “chapters” of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life starting Nov. 25. Up, which has a triple run of the original Gilmore Girls on its weekday schedule (5, 6, 7 p.m.), would be keen to acquire the new episodes. “We would certainly love to have them,” says Amy Winter, executive VP and general manager at Up. “Time will tell how Netflix and Warner Bros. utilize them, but we would definitely like to add them to the mix.”
The network drew 3.1 million total viewers to its “Gilmore the Merrier” stunt this past weekend, comparable to what it might see for a Christmas movie premiere. Up also saw a median age of 40 over the weekend; it’s usually around 47-48. Gilmore cast member Sean Gunn hosts the marathon; Up has been supplementing the episodes with watch-and-win contests and interstitials.
“It’s been a steady build as it goes,” says Winter, who adds that Up’s family focus makes Gilmore Girls a good fit.
Gilmore Girls aired for seven seasons, from 2000 to 2007 and starred Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel and Melissa McCarthy. The series was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was an executive producer with Gavin Polone and Daniel Palladino. The series was produced by Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Up, the former GMC TV, is available in close to 70 million homes. Earlier this year, it acquired all 103 episodes of Parenthood from NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution.
While it starts rolling the Christmas movies just after Halloween, Up will re-air season one of Gilmore Girls Nov. 28, envisioning a hungry new audience that found the show on Netflix over the Thanksgiving break.
