Amy Sherman-Palladino Is Still “Angry” About ‘Bunheads’ Cancellation [Exclusive]

We all have one show that, if given the chance, we’d ask for it not to be cancelled. For longtime fans of Gilmore Girls and Amy Sherman-Palladino, that show tends to be Bunheads. The show ran for a singular season from 2012-2013 when everyone was still reeling from the conclusion of Gilmore Girls five years prior. While many fans knew that it would be unlikely to have the same spirit as Gilmore Girls, with star Lauren Graham on Parenthood and her being such a huge part of Gilmore Girls’ success, fans were hungry for ASP’s next project. She’d left Gilmore Girls at the end of Season 6, resulting in a mixed bag of fan feelings for Season 7.

Sherman-Palladino is once again trying her hand at the world of ballet with her upcoming show, Étoile, which looks to have a much different tone than the dramedy-esque tone of Bunheads, but it would seem that fans and creator alike are still a little salty at the show’s cancellation. Sherman-Palladino was recently honored at PaleyFest for the worlds she’s created over the course of her career, such as Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. When talking with Collider’s Taylor Gates at PaleyFest, Sherman-Palladino shared that she still has strong emotions about the show being cancelled. She tells Collider the thought made her “just angry now.“

Amy Sherman-Palladino Reuses Actors For Her Projects, and We Love Her For It

While star Sutton Foster was new to the world of a Sherman-Palladino project, many of the ensemble cast and guest stars for Bunheads were not. Bunheads followed Michelle Simms (Foster), a Vegas showgirl who accidentally marries a man, Hubbell Flowers (Alan Ruck). Hubbell dies shortly after and now Michelle is stranded in a small town, tasked with teaching ballet with her mother-in-law Fanny, played by Gilmore Girls’ Kelly Bishop. Other Gilmore Girls alums that popped up included Liza Weil, Rose Abdoo, Sean Gunn, Alex Borstein, Michael DeLuise, and more.

For her new ballet-centered show Étoile, we’re seeing some of that pattern once again. Some cast members from Bunheads, Gilmore Girls, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will appear in the new series. When asked about where the Bunheads characters would be now, Sherman-Palladino confirmed to Collider, “Well, two of them are now on our show Étoile. They’re all grown up, because one of our little dancers was eleven, Matisse [Love] and now she’s a full-grown ballerina.” Sherman-Palladino’s frequent co-creator and husband, Daniel Palladino, chimed in, explaining, “there are some dancers in Étoile that were kids in Bunheads.”

Yanic Truesdale, who played Michel Gerard on Gilmore Girls, looks to have a prominent role in the upcoming ASP project, playing Raphael. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Luke Kirby is also in the project. Those are just the main roles that we know about from the initial trailer and casting announcements. With ASP staying true to herself, it would not be out of the realm of possibility to see more alums from past ASP projects. Kelly Bishop, maybe? With a cheeky nod to both her Bunheads and Gilmore Girls characters? And the dream for many would be, of course, to see Lauren Graham again.

You can watch all 18 episodes of Bunheads on Hulu. Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is on Prime Video. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.