Q&A With Matt Browning 

Elyse Rosenberg has connected me with Pop Culture enthusiast, television devotee and author Matt Browning! Matt has written the books The Definitive Golden Girls Cultural Reference Guide, & his new release Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Reference Guide out today on March 3^rd wherever you get your books! 

Q: Welcome to Book Notions Matt! Would you like to give brief descriptions of both of your books beginning with Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Reference Guide?

A: Hi! The new book, Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Reference Guide, is a deep-dive into every pop culture reference made during the entire run of Gilmore Girls, including the 2016 revival series. If you’ve ever watched the show, you know that it’s known for very fast-paced dialogue crammed full of random pop culture references. This book serves as a companion guide so you can learn about those references without having to pause the show and look up anything. My last book, The Definitive Golden Girls Cultural Reference Guide, gave the same treatment to that classic series – because if there’s a show that gives Gilmore a run for its money with the sheer volume of pop culture references, it’s Golden Girls! Like the new book, that one, too, goes episode-by-episode and gives insight into each reference.

Q: You are obviously a fan of The Golden Girls & Gilmore Girls! How long did it take you to write these pop culture dictionary/guidebooks? Was your research combined with rewatching the episodes and googling stuff you didn’t know? 

A: With The Golden Girls, I started working on that one right when the world shutdown at the beginning of the pandemic—so I spent lockdown watching television! I did two complete viewings of the show and kept a notepad and pen with me, jotting down and timestamping each reference. I then went back and started researching and writing. I started in March 2020 and turned the manuscript in around Thanksgiving of that year. With Gilmore Girls, I had several months, but not quite as long as I did with the first book. Plus, it’s an hourlong show, as opposed to a half-hour sitcom. So I only had time to do one watch-through. I took my time, going very slowly and with an eagle-eye for references which, with Gilmore Girls, is not an easy task! I’m hopeful that I didn’t miss any, but I’m sure the fans will let me know if I did!

Q: What will your next pop culture book be about? 

A: I seem to have developed a pattern! I’m currently finishing up the manuscript for The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide, which will give the same treatment to that classic series. It ran for 12 seasons and is full of references to science-fiction, comics, television, movies, and straight-up science, which I’m classifying as pop culture for the sake of the book. I’ll turn in the manuscript in May, and it will hit shelves sometime in 2027.

Q: Speaking of Gilmore Girls, did you hear that Amy Sherman Palladino & Lauren Graham are writing a Gilmore Girls book and that its supposed to come out sometime in 2027? It’s supposed to be a book about behind the scenes stuff. 

A: Yes! And I—and the rest of the Gilmore fandom—cannot wait! No one knows more about the show than those two, so you know it’ll be thorough, in-depth, and honest.