Fans of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s shows will notice that certain actors have appeared in both Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Sherman-Palladino is best known for creating the two aforementioned shows as well as Bunheads. Her shows typically include fast, rapid-fire dialogue with pop-culture references, long scenes with a master shot filming style, and recasting actors in multiple roles in different series.
Although they’re set in different time frames, both Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel center around strong female characters and their relationships with their families. Gilmore Girls focuses on the relationship between Lorelai Gilmore, a single mother, and her daughter, Rory, as they both deal with romance, friendship, and family. The show was so popular that Netflix revived it in 2016 with the four-part series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. On the flip side, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tells the story of Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a 1950s Jewish American housewife in New York City who becomes a stand-up comedian after her husband leaves her. Just like in Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel covers Midge’s relationship with her father, Abe, played by Tony Shaloub, and mother, Rose, played by Marin Hinkle.
Because Sherman-Palladino created both shows, there has been a good amount of crossover between Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In particular, Sherman-Palladino has cast actors in various roles in both Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Here is the list of actors to appear in both shows.
Alex Borstein
Alex Borstein is in rare air, having had not one but two roles on Gilmore Girls. Borstein made a minor appearance in the first season as Drella, the harpist at the Independence Inn, and in later seasons, Miss Celine, a hairstylist. Fun fact, Borstein originally played Sookie St. James, Lorelai Gilmore’s best friend, in the pilot episode. Due to her contract MADtv, Borstein had to drop the role and Melissa McCarthy was recast in the same role. However, Borstein found more success in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Susie Myerson, Midge’s manager. Borstein has drawn critical acclaim for her role, which has resulted in back-to-back Emmy wins for supporting actress in a comedy.
Emily Bergl
Emily Bergl appeared in the second season of Gilmore Girls as Francie Jarvis, a classmate of Rory’s at Chilton Preparatory School. Francie is the mean girl of the school who threatens the relationship between Rory and Paris. Bergl briefly made an appearance in the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Tessie, Suzie’s sister.
Liza Weil
Liza Weil holds a special place in the hearts of Gilmore Girl fans. Weil played Paris Geller, an extremely start student who is brutally honest and neurotic. Paris and Rory start out as rivals, but they slowly become best friends by the end of the series. To the delight of many fans, Weil reunited with Sherman-Palladino in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 3 as Carole Keen, a bassist in Shy Baldwin’s orchestra who grows close to Midge.
Brian Tarantina
Brian Tarantina played small but memorable roles in both series. In Gilmore Girls season 2, Tarantina played Bootsy, a quirky newsstand owner in Stars Hollow. In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tarantina portrayed Jackie, the emcee of the Gaslight where Midge performs. Tragically, Tarantine passed away in November 2019, one month before the premiere of the third season.
Next: What To Expect From The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Season 3
