With that said, I would like to stand up for a wonderful show that is still searching for an audience. The Gilmore Girls is the kind of show that always seems to suffer in the ratings - a show that doesn't fit into a simple category.

Lorelai and her daughter Rory are the "Girls" in the show's title. Lorelai is a 32-year-old innkeeper trying to make the best life she can for her 16-year-old daughter Rory. If you haven't already done the math, Lorelai was 16 when she became pregnant with Rory, probably the strongest motivation for to be protective of her daughter. Lorelai's decision to have her baby caused her to move out of her wealthy parents' home because they did not approve of her decision.

However, when Rory gets accepted into an exclusive prep school, Lorelai is forced to go to her parents to help pay for the tuition. This brings Lorelai's mother back into her life and deal with the issues that helped to drive them apart.

With a premise like that, this show could certainly either become an overly sappy Sisters-like melodrama or just collapse under the pressure of trying to keep the story interesting week after week. The Gilmore Girls does neither. There are enough lighthearted moments to keep the show from getting overbearing and enough quirky characters in the town to keep the show from having to rely solely on its main characters.

The show takes place in a fictional Connecticut town filled with interesting and distinct characters that only seem to populate fictional towns in TV shows. I do not mean this as a knock on the show. Gilmore Girls is one of the rare programs that can translate the complexities of the human character onto the small screen. Some shows barely take the time to flesh out their main characters, but this show is populated not by caricatures, but characters. No matter how little screen time a character has, whether it's Jackson the vegetable wholesaler, or the mayor of Stars Hollow, these people feel whole - and their emotions familiar.

Some of the wonderful supporting players include Luc Danes (Scott Patterson), the grumpy coffee shop owner who has a soft spot for the Lorelai and Rory. Liz Torres is a scene-stealer as Miss Patty, the local dance instructor who loves to talk of her old dancing days - and about everyone else's business. Keiko Agena is a ball of teenage confusion as Rory's best friend Lane, and an almost unrecognizable Sally Struthers pops up in a few episodes as the Gilmore's neighbor.

This is a tribute to The Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. She has created a fully realized world of nuanced characters - something increasingly rare in primetime television. The show has a very whimsical feel but never becomes too silly to believe.

Lauren Graham is wonderful as Lauralai Gilmore. She blends just right the combination of childlike dreamer and hard working realist. Alexis Biedel, as Rory, passes her first acting job with flying colors. Biedel's Rory is practical but innocent confused teenager and assured adult all at the same time.

Graham and Biedel have a wonderful chemistry that makes them a pleasure to watch. The duo's relationship is more sisterly than mother/daughter, and their banter is quick and funny. The show handles honest situations between families and the issues facing a young mother and a teenager without ever becoming predictably preachy or heavy handed.

When a new show goes up against a proven powerhouse, the results are usually as lopsided as a Roy Jones Jr. boxing match. The Gilmore Girls, and the WB, has the insurmountable task of trying to build an audience up against the Friends juggernaut. The "save our show" campaigns have already been started by the few but faithful. Lately though there has been a glimmer of hope as word of mouth has started to spread just a little. Maybe viewership is not too far behind.

I am not going to tell you what to watch (okay, I might). But I would suggest that you try to catch this show just once--you might be pleasantly surprised. I mean when it comes right down to it the best thing that you can say about a TV show is that it leaves you feeling good when it is over. The Gilmore Girls never fails to put a smile on my face. And let's be honest-- haven't they exhausted every possible scenario for 6 white people in New York that hang out in a coffee shop?

Michael Messineo is a part-time writer and pop culture junkie. He lives in New York.

Got a problem? Email Michael at filmmonthly@hotmail.com