Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (Netflix)

Ten years on from the end of the much-loved series, four movie-length episodes – Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall – show a year in the life of the inhabitants of Stars Hollow. The Gilmore women are grieving the sudden death of Edward. Emily is behaving erratically; Lorelei is in a holding pattern; and Rory is in a career crisis and finding it hard to quit old bad habits. All eventually find their way and are ready to move on, but getting there is a torturous journey. Most of the supporting characters are back for at least one of the episodes; the Palladinos write and direct; and all the ingredients are there for a satisfying catch-up with old friends, but somehow it just doesn’t come off. Possibly trying too hard for the quirky, the script is rarely funny and the storylines just not very interesting. Very occasionally there is a spark of the former entertainment and a belly laugh, but it only serves to point out how few and far between such moments are. In a word - disappointing.