Apparently, some fans of "Gilmore Girls" are concerned about the direction of the series. And, I'll be the first to admit, I was among them.
This is a show I've loved since it premiered four years ago. My original review used words like "great . . . wonderful . . . fresh and funny."
For four years, my teenage daughters and I have watched Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) grow from 15 to 19 as one of TV's real good girls — smart, polite, ambitious, sensible and moral. The kind of girl I'd love to have my daughters emulate.
So it was with no small degree of consternation that I watched at the end of last season when Rory lost her virginity to her old boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki). And Dean is married.
"Gilmore Girls" has had its problems (especially last season as the writers adapted to Rory going off to college), but it has always been very pro family. The Gilmores aren't the traditional family unit — Lorelai (Lauren Graham) got pregnant when she was 16 but worked hard to build a life for her daughter.
Hey, this is about the only show on TV where the grandparents (Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann) are three-dimensional characters who have lives of their own. (Albeit, at the moment, somewhat troubled lives — they're separated.)
And I've heard from a number of readers who tell me they're "distressed" by what's going on.
Still, it's really not fair to say that "Gilmore Girls" is sending out the wrong message. Lorelai made it abundantly clear to Rory that she did not approve — "I didn't raise you this way."
And, while, no, Dean's marriage was in trouble and, yes, Rory is the love of his life, this was not the sort of behavior Lorelai expected of her daughter. And Rory, while seemingly not yet entirely aware of the gravity of the situation, wrote Dean a letter telling him he must settle the relationship with his wife, Lindsay, before they can move on in any way.
It's not as if Rory and Dean have been rewarded for their behavior. Rory has been verbally assaulted in the street by Lindsay's mother; Dean has been thrown out by his wife; and when Rory talked to Dean she discovered he's suffering massive guilt and regret over the pain he's caused his wife, her family and his family.
This may be the greatest cautionary tale since Buffy (you know, "the Vampire Slayer") lost her virginity and her boyfriend was transformed into an evil, murderous demon. The sort of lesson fathers watching the show with their teenage daughters can be grateful for.
AND THEY'RE (NOT) OFF! "The Amazing Race" is going to return to CBS again. Sometime soon. Apparently. But don't hold me to it.
In May, CBS announced the sixth edition of the Emmy-winning reality/competition show would air on Saturdays at 8 p.m. A few weeks later, that was changed to Saturdays at 7 p.m.
The network has also announced two premiere dates (Sept. 25 and Oct. 6) that came and went. Now CBS sources are simply saying the show will debut in "late October or November."
At this point, I'm assuming it will still be on Saturdays at 7 p.m., but — again — don't hold me to it. You never know when the folks at CBS might change their minds. Again.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com