right decision for Rory regardless of who her boyfriend was." Commenting on Rory's friendship with Paris, Sherman-Palladino said: "She needs challenges, and Paris is relentless. Rory will want to stay close to that kind of person because it keeps her sharp, her eyes focused on the prize." She liked the contrast of personalities, "Rory's complete acceptance of people for who they are" and Paris's unwillingness "to accept anyone, even herself." Reception After watching the pilot of the series, Ron Wertheimer of The New York Times wrote: "Ms. Bledel, new to television, creates an appealing blend of precocious wisdom and teenage anxiety." Variety critic Laura Fries called Bledel "the real star" for her ability "to articulate the wide range of often subtle emotions that confront teenagers." In his article discussing child actors playing "more meaningful characters", Allan Johnson of the Chicago Tribune cited Bledel as one of "two more young people who are showing some depth in their various portrayals". Shirly Li of The Atlantic praised the friendship between Rory and Paris, describing it as "a deep platonic female relationship that didn't come prepackaged, but instead developed in front of viewers' eyes. [Their friendship] should be remembered as a cultural landmark—TV’s last, great, gradually developed friendship between teenage girls...Gilmore Girls offered something that’s rare on TV but common in real life. For her portrayal of Rory Gilmore, Alexis Bledel won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actress in 2001. She was nominated in the same category in 2002. In the same year, Bledel won a Family Television Award for Best Actress. She also earned a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Comedy in 2005 and in 2006. Bledel further received nominations from several organizations including the Online Film & Television Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2002, the Saturn Awards and Satellite Awards in 2003, and the ALMA Awards in 2006. References External links Gilmore Girls Television characters introduced in 2000 Fictional college students Fictional journalists and mass media people Fictional characters from Connecticut Fictional feminists and women's rights activists Fictional Yale University people American female characters in television Teenage characters in television Fictional bibliophiles