Gilmore Girls producer Gavin Polone sues Warner Bros over profits from Netflix revival, A Year in the Life

Producer Gavin Polone, who backed the hit sitcom Gilmore Girls, has sued the entertainment company Warner Bros.  Variety reports that he accused the network of using creative accounting practices to deprive him of residuals for the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls. [caption id=“attachment_4394875” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Lauren Graham (L) and Alexis Bledel in a still from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life[/caption] The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, represents the fourth dispute between Polone and the studio over Gilmore Girls residuals in the last 16 years. In this case, Polone claims that the studio improperly charged a 10 per cent subscription video on demand distribution fee, which reduced profits by $2 million. The studio also tacked on various fees, including electronic sell-through and video-on-demand expenses. The studio is also accused of “straight-lining”, that is bundling Gilmore Girls with unprofitable shows for distribution accounting purposes, thereby diminishing its profits. Polone is also seeking an audit of the show’s profits dating back to 2012, and says he was recently told that Warner Bros could not begin an audit before late 2019. As with the earlier disputes — which dated from 2002 and 2007 — Polone says Warner Bros ultimately settled the matter and agreed to pay more. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007 on The WB/CW, earning a loyal, loving fan base who delighted in the bond between mom Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel). Netflix revived the show with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016 with four 90-minute episodes. With inputs from IANS