Fall TV Preview: 'Gilmore Girls'

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Besides, the actress is convinced that men will eventually come around. ''That's why my shorts will be very short,'' she quips. Even though she's playing a TV mom, ''this will be the sexiest character I've ever gotten to do, ironically,'' says Graham, who nevertheless confesses that ''the first time I got called 'Mom' on the set, it sent a chill down my spine that I can't say was pleasant.''

More appealing for The WB is the prospect of Gilmore attracting a few moms along with their daughters. The network learned the hard way last season that you can't survive on high school shows alone, as its youth-appeal-heavy schedule helped drag it down from fifth to sixth behind UPN in overall ratings. ''They really saturated the teen market,'' says Sherman-Palladino. ''Last year some good shows went down because people were like, 'Ugh, another show about teens — who cares?''' That's why Gilmore will deal as much with Stars Hollow's quirky residents as with Rory's adolescent travails. ''School's a place we've all seen before, and this town isn't,'' says The WB's Daniels. Adds Graham: ''I don't think there are that many high school stories left to be told. The focus of this show is the family and their relationships.''

And if that family just happens to comprise, in Sherman- Palladino's words, ''two unbelievably beautiful women,'' all the better. While Graham isn't gunning for the Sexiest Mom on TV title (''Sela Ward has that one''), she has been indoctrinated into the ways of The WB Women: ''I've already gotten the briefing: 'Don't cut your hair, and be prepared to wear [only] a bra at any time.''' Oh, Mama!