‘Gilmore’ sets up division

This season’s “Gilmore Girls” story line, in which the normally tight mother-and-daughter team of Lorelai and Rory feuded, caused some sharp arguments among the show’s rabid fans.

Turns out there were some divisions on the set, too.

“It wasn’t my favorite,” admits Lauren Graham, who plays mom Lorelai.

Lorelai and Rory have since made up; tears flowed. Their rapid-fire repartee is back, although usually by phone.

Rory is in Yale now, and, in one busy episode this month, became editor of her school paper and moved in with her boyfriend.

The show’s creators are clearly trying to push things and avoid the fatigue that usually afflicts television shows in their sixth season.

Long the WB’s most critically acclaimed series, “Gilmore Girls” has quietly grown to become its second most popular after “7th Heaven.” The show averages just under 5 million viewers a week, up from 4.1 million two seasons ago, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The growth has come despite the widely objected-to story line.

Part of Graham’s problems with the feud were personal; she missed working with co-star Alexis Bledel every day. But mainly, she didn’t think it rang true to her character.

“I struggled with the idea that this character, being the parent, would go so far as to stop speaking to her daughter and not make more of an effort,” says Graham.

She questioned co-creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino more this year than ever, “and I’m sure they enjoyed it not at all,” Graham says.

The Palladinos concede that it’s tough to come up with new stories for a long-running show without them seeming contrived. But in this case, they said it was important to do something that shakes Rory to her foundation – a typical rite of passage for budding adults, who learn about themselves by how they respond.

“Personally, for me, I’ve loved the psychological implications of this year more than any other year because we’ve really gotten to do some real mother-daughter stories,” Sherman-Palladino says.

While things are better now between Lorelai and Rory, it’s not so for Lorelai and Luke, her diner-owner beau.

They’re engaged after an agonizingly long courtship. But the sudden emergence of Luke’s daughter from a previous relationship has thrown their marriage plans in doubt.

The future of “Gilmore Girls” is a convoluted plot itself. The Palladinos say they’re genuinely undecided about whether they will continue with the series after this season – alarming news for fans of a series that, more than most, reflects the strong sensibilities of its creators.

They’re making plans for a cliffhanger ending to this season (wedding? no wedding?) and for the show to run without them in the fall, just in case.

Graham says the signs point to one more season after this one; the production company is making sure to add another year for people who had six-year contracts.

That’s when she’d like to move on, she says, citing the show’s workload.

“It’s just a lot of work – 13, 14 hours door to door,” Graham explains. “I’ve missed weddings. I’ve missed babies being born.

“I’m not complaining, because of what it has brought me, but I would be ready for a different balance.”