Gilmore Girls’ Scott Patterson Has A Surprising Luke Danes Theory

The legacy of Gilmore Girls lives well beyond the show’s ‘00s peak, with viral easter eggs and fan theories continuing to circulate online. Now, one of the show’s lead stars, Scott Patterson, appears to be getting in on the action after sharing a wild theory about his character, Luke Danes.

The actor played Luke for seven seasons during Gilmore Girls’ original run (2000 - 2007) and reprised his role in Netflix’s four-episode revival series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

In 2023, he began starring in the Canadian TV drama Sullivan’s Crossing as Harry ‘Sully’ Sullivan. Based on the novels by Robyn Carr, the show follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), who returns to her hometown to reunite with her father, Sully — a character Patterson believes has a surprising connection to Gilmore Girls’ Luke.

“I think he is Luke,” the actor recently told Brit + Co. “If Luke hadn’t ever met Lorelai [Gilmore] or their relationship failed miserably and he shut down the diner, couldn't cope anymore, and he escaped to the woods in Canada and opened up a campground.”

Patterson also claimed there are “a lot of similarities” between the setting of Sullivan’s Crossing and Gilmore Girls, the latter of which takes place in the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow.

“In Stars Hollow there are more eccentric, really lovable oddball characters, you know, because it's a different genre of television,” the actor continued. “But Sullivan’s has its share.”

Along with Patterson’s theory, there’s another notable connection between the two shows. Chad Michael Murray, who had a recurring role in Gilmore Girls as Tristin DuGray, also stars in Sullivan’s Crossing as Cal Jones.

Over on Reddit, eagle-eyed fans also noticed a pontential easter egg in Sullivan’s Crossing, pointing out that a cafe featured on the show is called “Luke’s” — a possible nod to Patterson’s Gilmore Girls character.

Scott’s Ideal Gilmore Girls Reboot

Patterson last appeared in the Gilmore Girls universe in Netflix’s 2016 revival series, which ended with Luke and Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) eloping in the middle of the night. While there’s currently no plans for the drama’s return, Patterson hopes any possible future reboot gives the fans “what they want.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, [there] better be a big, fat wedding,” he told Us Weekly in 2019. “I think that’s what we should give [fans] … I think now it’s time to give them, after 20 years.”