It's been nearly a quarter of a century since viewers were first introduced to the mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory, in the hit telly series, which first aired on October 5, 2000. The show has remained a firm favourite for many, often hailed as the 'ultimate' comfort watch.

The programme, currently available on , centres around single mum Lorelai and her 16 year old daughter Rory, living in a small town in Connecticut. A major plot twist early on reveals that Rory has been accepted into an expensive private school in Hartford, with dreams of getting into Harvard.

However, to afford the school fees, Lorelai is forced to reach out to her wealthy estranged parents for financial help, something she is reluctant to do.

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With its eccentric characters and relatable narratives, Gilmore Girls quickly gained massive popularity, featuring stars such as , , Edward Herrmann, Kelly Bishop, , and Melissa McCarthy.

However, fans were recently taken aback to discover that some of these actors almost didn't make it onto the show.

Before Gilmore Girls became the beloved series it is today, there was an unaired pilot that featured a different actor in the role of Dean.

A user caused a stir among fans by sharing an unseen clip of the Gilmore Girls pilot. The snippet shows Rory wandering through her public school alongside her mate Lane, with both characters portrayed by their original actors.

But in a twist to the familiar storyline, the role of Rory's future beau Dean is not played by Jared Padalecki, who later became famous as the 18-year-old star of Supernatural.

Instead, Nathan Wetherington, known for his parts in Cruel Intentions 3 and True Detective, appears as Dean in the unaired footage – although viewers were quick to critique his mature appearance for a high school student.

Many commented that the then-26 year old actor seemed 'too old' for the role, even suggesting he looked more like a character who would abduct Rory rather than date her!

Jokes about Wetherington's age flew on social media, with one fan quipping "He looks like he's gonna kidnap her!" and another bemusedly posted: "He looks 25 lol."

The mystery behind the casting switch from Padalecki to Wetherington remains, with no definite explanation given for the change on Gilmore Girls.

Wetherington himself once recalled the bittersweet moment of learning that the show got picked up, only to find out shortly after through a letter that he'd been cut from the cast.