It’s 2021, and the “Gilmore Girls” TV show has finally gotten a revamp, this time in the form of Netflix’s newest original series, “Ginny & Georgia”. Like “Gilmore Girls”, the main protagonist, Ginny (Antonia Gentry), is the daughter of Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey), who had her at fifteen. Set in a familiar feeling town setting in the Northeast (Stars Hollow much?), Ginny and Georgia also share an unusually close mother-daughter bond. Despite these plot similarities and the same double ‘G’ alliteration in the titles, however, “Ginny & Georgia” turned out not to be the same old thing as the 2000’s TV classic. 

Navigating the trenches of high school in a new town following the sudden death of your stepfather doesn’t seem like something you can get used to, but Ginny Miller is used to it. She quickly manages to find her footing in a tight-knit friend group, acronymed “M.A.N.G.”, and becomes acquaintances with her new best friend’s twin brother, who is conveniently hot and even more conveniently off-limits. Georgia, on the other hand, is off doing young, hot mom stuff, which includes dating the mayor of the city, embezzling funds, and smoking weed. And then there’s Austin, Ginny’s little brother, who doesn’t seem to be adjusting well to the new city and is seen stabbing classmates with colored pencils and letting unfamiliar strangers into the house while home alone. One thing’s for sure- there’s a lot going on in this show, which is a mixture of wildly unpredictable and overly predictable moments. 

While the show is entertaining in the same way one would describe “Twilight” or “Riverdale” entertaining,“Ginny & Georgia” also makes me feel like all producers have completely forgotten what it means to be a teenager. Hitting every cliche in the book – the next-door neighbor love interest whose main hobby is climbing through windows unannounced, the “I’m not that attractive” main character who is objectively beautiful, the secret love triangle trope, etcetera, etcetera – does add to this show’s charm. However, the ‘quirkiness’ of some of the characters’ actions, at times, just reveals the bad writing and general disillusionment by the producers of what being a high schooler is like. Tap-dancing in the hallways in a show of ultimate romance is not normal. Quite frankly, it’s weird (and extremely awkward to watch), and, in reality, you’d probably get bullied for that. Sending snaps of you singing ‘Happy Friday, it’s Friday’ is not normal either (and also extremely awkward to watch). It’s odd that you can find cringey moments like these within the same TV show that attempts to expose racism in classrooms, discuss important mental health issues, and handle sensitive topics like suicide. 

One particularly cringe moment from the show went viral this past week- a one minute long clip between Ginny and her boyfriend, Hunter (Mason Temple). Both are of mixed race with one white parent, but in the clip they seem to take offense to each other’s predicaments rather than bond over it. Ginny takes jabs at Hunter for not embracing his Taiwanese heritage enough, while Hunter throws insults at Ginny for not being black enough. It’s a weird, uncomfortable and unwarranted scene. Hunter, who is perhaps the least developed character with a personality nobody can quite pinpoint, approaches the situation with aggressiveness that was unseen before, and Ginny becomes cruel and competitive in the worst way. 

This show left me, and I’m sure many others, extremely confused. It’s charming, and at times enthralling, but also leaves a plethora of unanswered questions and loopholes that weren’t resolved by the season finale. Many of the characters lack development and personality, while others seem to take on multiple different identities. Being both good and bad has earned “Ginny & Georgia” the honorary title of “Good-Bad TV Show”. If you’re looking for a watch that leaves you constantly flipping from “!” to “?”, “Georgia & Ginny” is for you.