Scott Patterson Reveals He Didn’t Feel Interested in Watching ‘Gilmore Girls’ While Working on It

Scott Patterson has spoken about his time on “Gilmore Girls” and revealed that he never watched the show while it was being filmed or during its original run.

In a recent interview on FOX 29’s late-night show “MIKE” with Mike Jerrick, the actor explained that long filming days and exhaustion were part of the reason he stayed away from watching the series at the time.

He said, “Because I made the sausage for 14 hours a day, I didn’t want to eat it. I just was not interested in consuming it after I did it for so long. When you’re on a TV series, you barely have time to eat, sleep or take a shower.”

Patterson played Luke Danes, the diner owner in Stars Hollow and the love interest of Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham. The show originally aired from 2000 to 2007 and became a long-running fan favorite over seven seasons.

Even though he spent years on set, Patterson admitted he did not connect with the show as a viewer during that time. He only came back to it many years later.

In 2021, he started a podcast called “I Am All In with Scott Patterson,” where he watched “Gilmore Girls” for the first time and talked about each episode. According to him, the idea came after he made a deal with iHeartRadio, despite never having seen the full series before.

He said during the interview, “I called iHeart, made a deal and that was my pitch. I had never seen the episodes. They said ‘Really?’ They felt sorry for me, so they gave me a show because they felt bad for me.”

Once he finally watched the show for the podcast, his view completely changed. He said he ended up enjoying it much more than he expected.

“I understood what the fans were talking about. It’s funny, it’s endearing, it’s sweet, it’s unusual, it’s abstract, it’s experimental,” Patterson said.

He also spoke highly of the show’s creators, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, calling them very original and creative voices in television. He said their background and style helped shape the unique tone of the series.

Patterson also praised Lauren Graham’s performance, comparing her character’s energy and humor to a stage comedian performing in a small town. He described Luke as more of a steady presence on the show, mainly acting as a grounded contrast to Lorelai’s fast, joke-heavy personality.

He also noted that part of the show’s lasting popularity comes from how viewers change over time. People who watched it as teenagers see it differently when they return as adults, which is why many fans keep rewatching it.

The series also starred Alexis Bledel, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia, Melissa McCarthy, Kelly Bishop, and Edward Herrmann, among others.

The information comes from Patterson’s interview on FOX 29’s “MIKE” with Mike Jerrick and his earlier comments made on his podcast appearances and interviews.

Overall, Patterson now looks back on the show with a lot more appreciation, even if he did not experience it as a viewer during its original run.

This is one of those interesting cases where an actor’s experience and the audience’s experience are very different. He was busy working long hours while fans were enjoying the finished product at home. It makes sense that he only connected with it later when he had the time and distance. What do you think about actors not watching their own shows while filming?