The Sad Cloud Hanging Over The Gilmore Girls Reunion

In case you haven't already heard: The Gilmore Girls revival is officially happening on Netflix. But even though most of the gang is getting back together again, there are some key members who will be missing from the revamped series. Melissa McCarthy — who claims she wasn't invited to join the cast — is one familiar face that won't be coming back. But there's another character near and dear to our hearts who won't be making an appearance: the late Edward Herrmann. Herrmann — who played Rory's grandfather, Richard Gilmore — passed away on December 31, 2014. The script for the upcoming series reflects that sad fact: Emily Gilmore, played by Kelly Bishop, revealed that she'll be a widow on the show. "Because of the fact that Emily lost her husband, she's kind of a raw nerve," Bishop told TVLine about her character. The actress also touched on how tough it will be for her personally to do the show without Herrmann. "It’s going to be very hard doing it without him, because he and I were buds on the show. We, obviously, were older [than the rest of the cast]," she explained. "But we were also New York actors, and we connected very well. We always did our crossword puzzles together in the hair-and-makeup room. That was one of our little routines. There was a comfort level… It’s going to be hard without him."