While Gilmore Girls’ cast of characters included a mix of future stars like Jared Padalecki, Adam Brody, and Chad Michael Murray, established talents like Lauren Graham, and cult icons like Sally Struthers and Carole Kane. Although Gilmore Girls mostly focused on the three generations of the titular Gilmore family, the town of Stars Hollow and its residents still offered a lot of guest roles for some surprising stars.

Much like 2016’s revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life introduced Sutton Foster’s Violet and Roy Choi as himself, the show’s original run featured guest stars played by the likes of Sebastian Bach, Kristen Ritter, Arielle Kebbel, Alex Borstein, and Gregg Henry. However, even among these illustrious names, the show’s near-miss Twin Peaks reunion remains a bizarre surprise. As weird as it sounds, Gilmore Girls almost brought the stars of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s iconic mystery series back together when Mädchen Amick and Sherilyn Fenn played guest roles only a few episodes apart.

Gilmore Girls Almost Featured Two Major Twin Peaks Stars At Once

Sherilyn Fenn and Madchen Amick Guest Starred In Gilmore Girls Season 3

Mädchen Amick played Shelly Johnson in Twin Peaks, while her co-star Sherilyn Fenn played Audrey Horne. Amick first appeared in Gilmore Girls as Christopher’s new love interest Sherry Tinsdale in season 2, episode 14, “It Should’ve Been Lorelai,” and last appeared in season 3, episode 13, “Dear Emily and Richard.” Only a few short episodes later, Fenn first appeared as the girlfriend of Jess’s father, Sasha, in season 3, episode 21, “Here Comes the Son.” As a result, the pair of actors just about missed out on a Twin Peaks reunion.

Christopher had a child with Sherry, and his ensuing responsibilities meant that he and Lorelai didn’t reunite romantically until season 6.

Although both characters had relatively limited screen time, they had a major impact on the world of Gilmore Girls. Christopher had a child with Sherry, and his ensuing responsibilities meant that he and Lorelai didn’t reunite romantically until season 6. Although Gilmore Girls heroine Emily always wanted the couple to get back together, Christopher’s second failed attempt at starting a family proved that this would never have worked out. Meanwhile, although Sasha was friendly to Jess when he arrived in California, his rough relationship with his father meant that he soon returned to Stars Hollow.

Gilmore Girls Never Reunited These Twin Peaks Heroines

Fenn’s Sasha Only Appeared Once In Gilmore Girls Season 3

Gilmore Girls never quite pulled off its potential Twin Peaks reunion, since Sherilyn Fenn’s character arrived just after Madchen Amick's character left. Although Fenn first appeared as Sasha, bizarrely, she played a completely different character in later seasons of Gilmore Girls. Fenn had a much bigger role in seasons 6 and 7 as Anna Nardini, the mother of Luke’s daughter April. While Jess returning from California made Rory’s Gilmore Girls love life even more chaotic, Anna Nardini had a much more meaningful impact on the story of the show.

Luke and Lorelai were in the midst of planning their wedding when April arrived in Luke’s life, and his decision to hide his daughter from Lorelai started a fight that eventually ended their engagement. Although Luke and Lorelai did reunite, the pair did not get married until the end of 2016’s revival A Year in the Life. Thus, since Christopher’s partner Sherry blocked Lorelai from reuniting with Rory’s father and April’s existence indirectly ended her relationship with Luke, it is fair to say both Twin Peaks alumni inadvertently stood in the way of Lorelei’s romantic success.

Gilmore Girls’ Original Plan Would Have Been A Full-Blown Twin Peaks Reunion

Fenn Almost Played Lorelai In Gilmore Girls

Although Fenn and Amick’s roles in the show nearly intersected, Gilmore Girls could have pulled off a much weirder Twin Peaks reunion. Originally, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino considered Fenn for the role of Lorelai, which would have made Amick playing Sherry really strange. That said, Amick was also considered for the part, so Sherry may have been recast had that plan come to fruition. Although April’s role was a storyline Gilmore Girls could have done without, the preternaturally charming Fenn did manage to make Anna Nardini into a watchable character.

Gilmore Girls would have owed a much bigger debt to Lynch’s influential TV show if this planned casting had gone ahead.

As such, it would have been interesting to see how the Twin Peaks star’s version of Lorelai would have differed from Graham’s take on the character. Similarly, Amick’s campy role in Riverdale proved the star had a playful sense of self-aware humor, meaning she might also have been a good fit for the part of Rory’s mother. In either case, Gilmore Girls would have owed a much bigger debt to Lynch’s influential TV show if this planned casting had gone ahead. Instead, Gilmore Girls can only boast a moment that almost amounts to a major Twin Peaks reunion.