Gilmore Girls: Why Jared Padalecki's Dean Left The Show - CBR

Introduced in the Gilmore Girls' pilot, Dean Forester was a key figure in the early part of Rory Gilmore's story. However, despite Dean being one of Rory's more important romantic interests, he didn't appear on the CW series after Season 5. His surprising absence had much to do with the actor who played Dean's character, Jared Padalecki, and his career trajectory, leading him to another popular CW project.

However, Dean remains a crucial part of Stars Hollow history, and he's become one of the most relevant parts of the show for all Gilmore Girls fans. The argument about who is Rory Gilmore's best boyfriend will always continue, but regardless of that, fans truly missed Dean in the show's last two seasons. What's more, Jared Padalecki went on to star in another CW project that cemented the audience's love for the actor.

Updated by Alex Roush on November 18, 2024: While Jared Padalecki's character in Gilmore Girls, Dean Forester, is one of the most beloved characters in the show, Dean only appeared up to the fifth season, not including his brief appearance in the 2016 revival. This article has been updated to include information about Jared Padalecki's time on Gilmore Girls, enhance the reader experience, and adhere to CBR formatting guidelines.

What Happened to Dean on Gilmore Girls?

Dean Is a Fan-Favorite Boyfriend of Rory’s

Originally from Chicago, Dean Forester moved to Stars Hollow with his family members, May, Randy, and Clara, sometime before the start of Gilmore Girls. Dean pursued Rory romantically and the two started dating. However, Rory felt like the relationship was moving too fast for her, and the two broke up. While they eventually got back together, the arrival of Milo Ventimiglia's character, Jess Mariano, drove them apart again. Rory discovered she had more in common with Jess than the less-educated Dean. Dean subsequently begins dating Lindsay Lister (played by Arielle Kebbel).

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Dean appeared less frequently on Gilmore Girls starting in Season 4, as he eventually married Lindsay. Rory didn't react well to the marriage, and at the end of the season, Dean cheated on his wife with Rory, which resulted in Rory losing her virginity. That drove a temporary wedge between Rory and her mother, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham). Lindsay also learned about the affair and divorced Dean, allowing Rory and Dean to reconcile again. But in Season 5, Episode 8, "The Party's Over," Dean and Rory break up once and for all. After a Yale party, Dean realized they no longer worked as a couple. Dean appeared one final time on Gilmore Girls later that season to warn Luke Danes against dating Lorelai.

What Happened to Dean in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life?

Dean Ends up With Someone Else

Jared Padalecki briefly returned in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life to reprise his role as Dean. The 2016 series revival answered the question of who Dean ended up with — and it wasn't Rory. The show features Rory and Logan's affair, and Dean appears as a friendly character when Rory bumps into him at Doose's market. Dean and Rory never rekindled their romance, as the show focuses on Logan and Rory's long-standing affair.

It's safe to say that Dean was certainly not the mysterious father of Rory's baby. As Rory and Dean talked in the market, Dean revealed that, since his disappearance, he'd married a woman named Jenny and moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. They had three sons and were expecting a girl. Rory told Dean that she was working on a novel based on her life and asked him if he would be okay with her mentioning him in the book, to which Dean agreed. This is the last time the audience sees Dean in the Gilmore Girls franchise. Fans of Rory and Dean as a couple were disappointed with this turn of events, but it's great to know Dean moved on with his life and created a happy family after all he went through in Gilmore Girls.

Dean Was Rory's Best Boyfriend in Gilmore Girls (The First Time Around)

Dean Was What Rory Needed

The long-standing battle between Team Dean, Team Jess, and Team Logan will likely never end. However, many fans believe Dean was Rory's best boyfriend, and they have a great point. Dean was sweet, loyal, and reliable. From the very beginning of the relationship, he was supportive and loving. Even though he didn't understand Rory's intellectual endeavors, he showed interest and respect. He also commonly spent time with Rory and Lorelai, even when he didn't truly appreciate their sense of humor or taste in movies. Dean was, basically, the perfect first boyfriend.

It makes sense that Rory felt attracted to Jess, with whom she had more in common. But this isn't to say Jess was a good boyfriend. Jess was a tormented soul who lacked any emotional intelligence. He was prone to anger and didn't mind hurting Rory in the process. Jess truly loved Rory, but unfortunately, he was not ready for a real relationship.

Logan and Rory also had lots in common, but much in the same way as Jess, Logan and Rory didn't have the best timing. Logan had to grow up a lot when he met Rory, and the relationship between the two had many ups and downs. When Logan finally gets to a good place, he decides he wants to settle down with Rory. But Rory was too young and barely beginning her professional life. It was unfair of Logan to ask her for such a big commitment at the time.

This makes Dean the best boyfriend in the series because he is exactly what Rory needs at the moment. With Dean, Rory learned about love in a safe environment. Dean was truly mature for a teenager, even if he sometimes got carried away by his emotions. Dean was such a good boyfriend that he even dared to end the relationship when he realized Rory was in love with someone else. From then on, no one could deny Dean was a mess, but for the first season of Gilmore Girls, Dean and Rory's relationship was delightfully charming.

Why Jared Padalecki Left Gilmore Girls

The Pilot Episode of Supernatural Aired Just Months After Padalecki’s Gilmore Girls Departure

By Jared Padalecki's initial departure, Gilmore Girls had grown beyond Dean Forester as a character. While Dean made sense throughout Rory's high school career, the gap between the characters became too wide once she started studying at Yale. Much of Rory's growth as a character involved learning which of her peers were compatible with her. In the end, Dean could no longer fit into Rory's life, and his departure helped her discover more about herself. However, there was also another reason for Dean's absence.

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Jared Padalecki was cast as Sam Winchester on The WB/CW's Supernatural, which became so popular that it aired for 15 seasons and spawned a popular spinoff, The Winchesters (although Padalecki never appears in this TV series). That said, Padalecki's role as Dean on Gilmore Girls almost cost him that iconic role, as creator Eric Kripke told TV Guide that he wanted Sam to be a smart character and Dean wasn't known for being smart. Padalecki and his manager convinced Kripke the actor was suitable for the role, and the rest, as they say, is history—just like Dean and Rory's relationship.

What Has Jared Padalecki Done Since?

The Actor Has Continued to Appear in Films and Television Series

While Gilmore Girls fans probably mainly know Jared Padalecki from his time on the show, Padalecki's most iconic role is Sam Winchester in the long-standing CW TV show Supernatural. This role skyrocketed Padalecki's career, as the series garnered a particularly vast fandom. Padalecki led the show alongside co-star Jensen Ackles throughout fifteen seasons, from 2005 to 2020. This massive project also led him to try voice acting in Supernatural: The Anime Series.

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After the ending of Supernatural, Padalecki moved on to be an executive producer and star in Walker, a crime series in which Padalecki portrays the role of a widower father who returns to the city of Austin and becomes involved in investigating a crime. The show had four seasons, but it was unfortunately canceled this year. In 2021, Padalecki cameoed in Walker: Independence, a prequel of Walker, a show for which he was also an executive producer, but the series was canceled after one season. Jared Padalecki will likely appear in Season 5 of the Prime Video series The Boys, in which Jensen Ackles also played a part in Season 3.

Jared Padalecki Recently Returned to Television in Fire Country

He Will Appear in Three Episodes of the Series

Jared Padalecki is joining the Fire Country team for a short three-episode arc. The first episode the Gilmore Girls alum appears in, Season 3, Episode 5, "Edgewater's About to Get Real Cozy," aired on November 15, 2024, and introduces Padalecki's Camden Casey. Casey is the new training captain and an exciting addition to the team.

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Fire Country is currently airing on CBS, and there is interest in developing a spin-off surrounding Jared Padalecki's Camden Casey. Padalecki already has a first-look deal with CBS to consider the Fire Country spin-off, tentatively called Fire Country: Surfside. For now, fans of the show can continue watching the actor in new episodes of Fire Country through December 6, 2024.

Gilmore Girls

Like Follow Followed Comedy Drama Release Date 2000 - 2007-00-00 Network The WB Writers Amy Sherman-Palladino

Cast

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• Lauren Graham
• Scott Patterson

A dramedy centering around the relationship between a thirtysomething single mother and her teen daughter living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

Main Genre Drama Seasons 7 Streaming Service(s) Netflix Story By amy sherman-palladino Powered by

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