'Sex and the City' spinoff 'And Just Like That' to end with Season 3, just like that
The HBO Max show, which revisits the "Sex and the City" ladies 20 years in the future, will wrap with a two-part finale in August. And now the "And Just Like That" stars are speaking out.
"And Just Like That" is over, just like that.
Michael Patrick King – an executive producer of the "Sex and the City" spinoff, which airs on HBO Max – revealed the show will abruptly end after the current season, in a note posted to the show's social media pages Aug. 1.
"And just like that... the ongoing storytelling of the 'Sex And The City' universe is coming to an end," King wrote. "While I was writing the last episode of 'And Just Like That...' season 3, it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop."
He said that he and franchise star Sarah Jessica Parker "held off announcing the news until now because we didn't want the word 'final' to overshadow the fun of watching the season." King said, "It's with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years."
The "SATC" revival premiered on HBO Max in late 2021, featuring three out of the four original stars, minus Kim Cattrall's audacious Samantha Jones. However, the fan favorite Manhattanite made an offscreen appearance through a text conversation with Parker's lead character, Carrie Bradshaw.
In the spinoff, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) were back on the New York City streets and fans' TV screens.
The cast is rounded out with appearances by characters old and new, including Anthony (Mario Cantone), Harry (Evan Handler), Aidan (John Corbett), Steve (David Eigenberg), Brady (Niall Cunningham), Seema (Sarita Choudhury), Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Charlotte's children Rock (Alexa Swinton) and Lily (Cathy Ang).
'And Just Like That' Season 3 finale date
The show is set to end with a two-part finale on Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 on HBO Max.
Sarah Jessica Parker speaks out on 'AJLT' ending
In an Instagram post after the news broke, Parker said a heartfelt goodbye to a character she's loved for nearly 30 years.
"Carrie Bradshaw has dominated my professional heartbeat for 27 years. I think I have loved her most of all. I know others have loved her just as I have. Been frustrated, condemned and rooted for her," Parker wrote. "The symphony of all those emotions has been the greatest soundtrack and most consequential companion. Therefore the most sentimental and profound gratitude and lifetime of debt. To you all."
She echoed King's earlier message, writing, "MPK and I together recognized, as we have in the past, this chapter (is) complete."
"AJLT was all joy, adventure, the greatest kind of hard work alongside the most extraordinary talent of 380 that includes all the brilliant actors who joined us," Parker said. "I am better for every single day I spent with you."
Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon react to final season of 'And Just Like That'
Davis chimed in with her own Instagram post: "I am profoundly sad. I love our whole beautiful cast and crew. 400 artisans working so hard on our show with deep love. And to our loyal fans, we love you forever and ever."
Nixon paid tribute to her fellow cast members past and present by posting 20 photos and videos from early days of "Sex and the City" through the present day.
"I can’t believe our wild beautiful 'And Just Like That' ride is almost over. It has been such a delight from start to finish," she wrote in the caption. I will miss working with these people everyday SO incredibly much but know we will always be a part of each other’s lives.
"Get ready for a lot more carousels in the weeks to come! And don’t miss these last few episodes: surprises in store! 🫢"
'And Just Like That' criticism
Despite a loyal following of "SATC" fans and new viewers, the show has drawn criticism for its confusing plotlines and character development since Season 1.
As Paste BN TV Critic Kelly Lawler wrote in her review (★½ out of four): "Regretfully, the series is still as lightweight and shallow as a knockoff pair of Manolo Blahniks, unimaginative and dull. ... Three seasons in, 'That' has not lost its penchant for unrealistic dialogue and making its characters unlikable and inconsistent.
"The scenes are exasperatingly stilted and awkward, as if they were scripted by aliens with only a vague idea of how humans behave and interact. It makes the deeply unnecessary series feel all the more inconsequential and flimsy."
Lawler also took issue with the lost sensuality – "annoyingly bland and PG-13," she called the spinoff – and the lack of character development despite revisiting the "Sex and the City" ladies after they've had 20 years to learn life lessons.
"It's maddening to watch Carrie make the same mistakes with Aidan she once made with Big (Chris Noth) and half a dozen men before. The most frustrating aspect of this revival is that, in spite of all the decades that have passed in these women's lives, the characters haven't learned," she wrote.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, KiMi Robinson and Kelly Lawler, Paste BN
(This story was updated to add new information.)