'Gilmore Girls' Love Stories, Ranked

Though the show is full of great humor and drama, it's the love stories of Gilmore Girls which continue to be spoken about by fans across the World and on a daily basis. Perhaps what is most memorable about the love stories on the show is that they aren't always as straightforward or superficial as many others that you see on TV. Instead, the best love stories on Gilmore Girls are full of complexities, humanity, awkwardness and oddities, with couples pairing up, remaining together, breaking up or pining for one another with an observed realism that could often be painful to watch. Whilst the main characters have all enjoyed several relationships with people which have polarised opinion (can we all finally make peace over Jess and Dean?), it's also the love stories of the supporting characters which can be just as enriching, beautiful and unique to watch.

It doesn't really matter whether you support Jess, Dean or Logan in the Rory's boyfriend stakes, or if you always secretly hoped that Lorelai would end up with Christopher, because each love story is great in it's own way. Whether or not one individual was the best for another is always up for debate, but just because someone's a bit of a wild card or less passionate than another, doesn't mean that their respective love stories aren't compelling and thrilling, regardless. With that in mind, here's the main 23 love stories from Gilmore Girls lovingly ranked from best to worst:

1. Lorelai And Luke

The ultimate, overriding love story of Gilmore Girls without a doubt is that of Luke and Lorelai who constantly share the same obstacle when it comes to achieving total romantic happiness: themselves. Whilst viewers have always been left yelling, "Why can't these two lovebirds just work it out?", during their tempestuous on again and off again relationship, their resolve to always return to each other and try again is beautiful, heat warming stuff.

2.Rory And Jess

Their love story might not be conventional, straight forward or even appealing half of the time (I'm a big Jess shipper but that doesn't mean I don't realize how horrendous he could be to Rory), but it's definitely one which lasted throughout the seasons, with cameo appearances from Jess in later seasons seeming to imply that their romance wasn't quite over. Their relationship was exciting, passionate and complex and whether you're a fan of Jess or not, you have to agree that their initial flirtations and eventual courtship made for great storytelling and compulsive viewing.

3. Emily And Richard

Both strong characters, it's no surprise that Emily and Richard didn't always see eye-to-eye in their relationship, but their love for each other was evident even whilst they were separated and sparring. The failures within their marriage were also portrayed with a sympathetic sense of realism, showing that long-term, monogamous relationships are tough and that disputes are inevitable but that hard work and true love can often bring a strong couple back to each other, eventually.

4. Rory And Dean

Though nowhere near as thrilling as the relationship Rory enjoyed with Jess, the romance she enjoyed with Dean was the perfect first love. He was respectful, adoring and supportive, providing Rory with a boyfriend who would go the extra mile to make her happy, even if that meant attending her fancy school Prom or spending hours holding books at the Flea Market for her.

5. Rory And Logan

Logan was kind of bad news for Rory and seemed to bring out some of her worst traits, but that isn't to say that their love story wasn't still worthy of greatness. Like him or not, Logan helped Rory to grow up and pushed her to become as great as he knew she could be. He even traded his love of ladies and Playboy-Of-Yale status to commit to her, which is a big ask of someone who clearly prided himself on such a reputation.

6. Paris And Doyle

The perfect, high-tempo, quick-witted couple that you'd hate to be stuck sat between at a dinner party, Paris and Doyle were easily each others equals and made for an hilariously quirky, yet adorable, love story.

7. Sookie And Jackson

From their early days of flirtatiously arguing about the size of the yam delivery or the quality of Jackson's strawberries to their later years of enjoying married life and starting a family together, chef Sookie and farmer Jackson's relationship felt organic (no pun intended) and real.

8. Lorelai And Max

Whilst we all kind of knew that Lorelai and Max simply weren't meant to be (probably because we were all too busy waiting for her to notice how in love with Luke she secretly was), their relationship was still incredibly sweet and heartfelt, with more than enough romance to make us wish that their wedding still went ahead.

9. Lane And Dave

Dave Rygalski (who was basically a music-obssessed prototype for Seth Cohen) seemed like the perfect match for music-loving Lane, who became smitten with the musician pretty quickly. Even more adorable was the tactics Dave used in order to still see Lane whilst keeping their relationship a secret from her disapproving mother.

10. Lane And Zack

I really wanted Zack to rank higher than Dave, but honestly? Zack took way too long to acknowledge how supremely awesome Lane was and also that they should be together. His approach to romance wasn't exactly heart-stopping either with dates including watching the TV together, but that isn't to say that he wasn't full of love when and where it counted.

11. Lorelai And Chris

Chris was a horrible, terrible tease to Lorelai who desperately wanted to love him but was so consistently disappointed by him that it simply never worked out. His actions were, frankly, infuriating but his endless charm and impulsive approach to romance often won Lorelai, and us as viewers, back over to him.

12. Kirk And Lulu

Kirk was so proud and happy to have a girlfriend and though Stars Hollow could barely believe it, Lulu was both of sane mind and a big heart, making them an adorable couple.

13. Liz And T.J.

T.J. might have seemed a little rough around the edges and not quite the man that Luke envisioned as being the one to finally treat his sister well, but he truly loved Liz and would do just about whatever it took to make her happy.

14. Babette And Morey

Simply: The coolest couple in Stars Hollow. Their stories are wild and their coupling is pretty one-of-a-kind and beautiful for it.

15. Miss Patty And Every Man In Stars Hollow

You have to admire Miss Patty's unapologetic sensuality and outspoken delight in the male form, and there's scarcely a man in Stars Hollow (including poor Dean) who hasn't fallen foul of one of her raised eyebrow chat-up lines. Why love one when you can love many eh, Patty?

16. Lorelai And Paul Anka

This is not a joke. When Lorelai was estranged from Rory, Paul Anka was there to provide her with a buddy who gave her what boyfriends could not: silent, unconditional affection. The love story between Lorelai and Paul Anka is truly one for the ages.

17. Lorelai And Jason

Okay, I confess: I put Lorelai and Paul Anka in there purely as a comparison pitstop, because all the rest of these love stories easily rank lower than that between a woman and her pet dog. And Jason? He deserves in the doghouse.

18. Luke And Rachel

Rachel was built up as being the love of Luke's life, but she was also incredibly flaky. She was responsible for having left town and broke his heart once only to return again to Stars Hollow to, well, break it for a second time. But only after she'd gotten Luke to love and trust her again, naturally.

19. Dean And Lindsay

I'm sorry but Dean treated Lindsay so badly that the dissolution of their marriage was painful to watch. That scene where Lindsay threw on a Marilyn Monroe dress and made Dean his favourite meal? So much ouchy, because she had no idea that he'd secretly been up to no good with Rory.

20. Luke And Nicole

Speaking of terrible marriages — Luke and Nicole? A mistake from day one.

21. Lucy And Marty (and Rory)

Poor Marty was desperately in love with Rory but she threw it back in his face by dating Logan and befriending the very people that he often worked for and suffered insults from. He later goes on to date her friend Lucy (played by Krysten Ritter), and pretends not to know who Rory is, making everything awkward for everyone forever after.

23. Paris And Asher

Just no.

24. Jess And Shane

So gross. Jess treated poor Shane like a play thing and, even worse, used her as a cruel ploy to make Rory jealous whilst she was still dating Dean. As far as love stories go, that's the absolute worst.

You know what the really great thing about this list is? The fact that it's subject to change, and hopefully Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life will give us further additions to many of these existing love stories and give us even more to talk about in the future.

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