Controversial Sex and The City reboot And Just Like That… will end after three seasons, following years of fan backlash.
The show – which saw Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprise their SATC roles as Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York – will wrap up with a two part finale, showrunner Michael Patrick King confirmed.
Sex and The City enthusiasts had long expressed their disappointment in the HBO Max spin-off series, slamming it as ‘woke’, ‘awful’ and ‘cringeworthy’.
Fans had bashed the show and its writers, with some even alleging And Just Like That… had ‘ruined’ the once-beloved characters from the original Sex and the City and critics calling it ‘the worst show on television’.
AJLT saw Miranda cheat on husband Steve with non-binary comic Che Diaz, Carrie bizarrely claim ‘love of her life’ Mr Big was a ‘mistake’ and agreeing to take a five year break from her on-again romance with Aidan Shaw.
The show’s viewership had tumbled in its ongoing third season.
King said in a statement: ‘And just like that… the ongoing storytelling of the Sex and the City universe is coming to an end.
‘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. Along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Casey Bloys and Sarah Aubrey, we decided to end the popular series this year with a two-part finale and extended the original series order from 10 episodes to 12.
‘SJP and I held off announcing the news until now because we didn’t want the word final to overshadow the fun of watching the season.
‘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.’
Samantha Jones actress Kim Cattrall notably did not return for the series full-time after a decade of bad blood with her castmates.
The original show ran from 1998-2004 with two films in 2008 and 2010.
AJLT was first announced in January 2021 – 11 years after the panned movie, Sex and the City 2.
It introduced a host of new side characters including Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) and Dr Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman).
The series kicked off in explosive style with Big (Chris Noth) dying of a heart attack in the first episode.
Noth was later edited out of the series after being accused of sexual abuse by four women – he denied all the allegations and has never been charged with any crime.
Miranda began cheating on Steve (David Eigenberg) – who was her true love over six seasons and two films – with Che (Sara Ramirez) before starting to exclusively date women, despite her character confirming in SATC she was ‘definitely not gay.’
Last year Ramirez was dropped from And Just Like That because their character Che Diaz was a ‘waste of airtime,’ according to insiders, who shut down the actor’s claim that being pro-Palestine cost them the role.
Ramirez a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns, implied they will not return for the third season of the Sex and the City spin-off in a series of posts.
They heavily suggested their time on the show was over as they claimed ‘casting directors and agents are making black lists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians and Gaza to ensure they will not work again.’
But a source close to the show ridiculed the suggestion, claiming Ramirez’s head had been ‘on the chopping block since last season’ because their character ‘held no value anymore’ and was ‘annoying.’
Cattrall had previously refused to ever reprise her fan-favorite role as the man-hungry publicist – having last played the character in much derided 2010 film, Sex and the City 2.
It was claimed Cattrall had previously ‘torpedoed’ plans for a third Sex and the City film – but she later denied this.
Cattrall shocked fans when it emerged she had filmed a secret cameo for the show’s second season, which she did without interacting with any cast member.
She had previously hit out at Parker and said ‘we’re not friends’ after her former co-star posted an Instagram condolence message following the death of Cattrall’s brother.
It was explained in the series premiere that Samantha had moved to London after falling out with Carrie, with the Season 1 premiere finding Carrie reaching out to Samantha via text, making plans to meet in person and reconcile.
Samantha’s return came in the form of a phone call to Carrie in the season two finale.
In the wake of the announcement Parker bade an emotional farewell to Carrie on Instagram writing: ‘Crossed streets, avenues, rubicons, so it seemed.
‘She broke hearts, heels, habits. She loved, lost, won, tripped, leaped. Fell short and into puddles.
‘Aged. Got wiser. She has made the hardest worst and best decisions.
‘Traveled near and far. For the new. The vintage. Friends and love.
‘Changed homes, time zones, boyfriends, her mind, her shoes, her hair, but never her love and devotion to New York City.
‘She had dates, drinks, boyfriends. A husband and truly great loves and romances.
‘She hailed cabs. She ran in heels. And danced with Stanford. She told the truth and she lied.
‘She typed. Wondered. Wrote. Published. Grieved. Forgave. Got stood up. Stood strong. Stood out.
‘She devoted herself to hats, books, shoes, friends and the promise of a new day in her beloved city and the people she treasured most.
‘She has worn shame, pride, honor, optimism and literally countless dresses, skirts, tutus.
‘Held onto hands, hopes and the very best of people. Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, there will never be better friends and what great fortune for Carrie to come to know and love Seema and LTW, most divine new connections.
‘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.
‘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.
‘MPK and I together recognized, as we have in the past, this chapter 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.
‘I am better for every single day I spent with you. It will be forever before I forget the whole thing. Thank you all. I love you so.
‘I hope you love these final two episodes as much as we all do. Rabbit rabbit. Xxx, SJ.’
In one of the most shocking and cringeworthy moments of the reboot which outraged fans, Carrie questioned whether Mr Big – the love of her life over six seasons, two movies and AJLT – could be a mistake.
Carrie’s on-off romance with Big – which saw him finally tell her she was ‘The One’ in Paris in the SATC series finale – is the epicenter of her character – and fans were baffled as to why she was doubting her late husband after Aidan reappeared.
The scene in question saw Miranda – shocked at the speed at which Carrie and Aidan were moving forward with their renewed romance – saying: ‘Could we maybe take a beat here? You’re moving so fast you didn’t even know you’d Googled England’.
Carrie says: ‘Aidan and I aren’t in the past, we are very much in the present. In fact these past two weeks I’ve been having orgasms like I’ve never had in my entire life with anyone – including Aidan…
‘I think I was always holding a piece of myself because of Big. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t allow myself to fully go there., just feel this connection. I wonder, was it always there and I didn’t want to accept it.
‘I’ve been asking myself, was Big a Big mistake?’
Throughout Sex And The City, Carrie tore herself between Big and Aidan, cheating on the latter with the former – and eventually married Big before his sad death from a heart attack at the start of the first season of And Just Like That…
Carrie and Aidan shared a kiss in the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2 – with Carrie later saying she didn’t want the kiss.
The about-face from Carrie saw fans write: ‘To say Big was a mistake was just bad writing and does insult their marriage and love’ and ‘I was very offended and annoyed by this. Such bs from the AJLT writers. And it’s so disrespectful to her husband of almost 20 years.
‘And nothing against him personally, but the whole Aidan thing is so just plain ridiculous. No one spends their life going between two men.’
Aidan would return for AJLT seasons two and three – but his distrust of Carrie around men would ultimately end their romance for good.
Full timeline of And Just Like That’s Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall’s feud
Sex and the City fans around the world were stunned in late May, when Variety reported that Kim Cattrall was making a long-awaited appearance in the Max spin-off And Just Like That…
Cattrall, 67, played Samantha Jones on all six seasons of the original HBO series Sex and the City, a role she reprised in two movies in 2008 and 2010.
Rumors surfaced about a feud between Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker nearly two decades earlier, and while both Cattrall and Parker have denied those rumors, it came as no surprise when she wasn’t returning for And Just Like That, when it debuted on Max in 2021.
It was explained in the debut episode that Samantha had moved to London, with Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw reaching out to her in a text later that season, and in the Season one finale, they made a plan to see each other and reconcile.
So, as Cattrall makes her return – and the show celebrates its 25th anniversary – we’re looking back at all of the drama that lead up to this long-awaited cameo.
September 2004 – Kim Doesn’t Sit With SATC Co-Stars At Emmy Awards
One of the very first signs that there was drama between Cattrall and Parker was in mid-September at the Emmy Awards, just seven months after the show completed its seven-season run.
While Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon were all photographed smiling together at their table, Kim Cattrall was nowhere to be found.
Parker won her second Emmy that night for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, while Nixon won her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Nixon beat out both Cattrall and Davis for the award, along with Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Megan Mullally (Will & Grace).
November 2004 – Kim Admits That Money Was at the Root of SATC Ending
Parker, who served as both the leading star and a producer on the original Sex and the City, was earning quite a bit more than her co-stars, a point which Cattrall wanted to rectify if the show would continue.
Cattrall appeared on the UK TV talk show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, where she insinuated that others should participate in the financial success of the show, beyond Parker.
‘I felt after six years it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City. When they didn’t seem keen on that I thought it was time to move on,’ Cattrall said.
Cattrall did also indicate, though, ‘If the deal was right and the script was fabulous, absolutely I would,’ return as Samantha Jones.
May 2008 – SJP Defends Kim Who Clarifies There Were Family Reasons Behind Filming Delays on the First Movie
A report from the Sex and the City movie set was published by The Telegraph just days before the movie debuted in May 2008, where both SJP and Kim opened up about the movie.
There were reports that Kim’s salary demands were the reason for the delays in filming, with Parker insisting that the cast is all friends, while defending her co-star asking for more money.
‘Honestly, we are all friends and I wish I saw more of Kim,’ protests Parker. ‘She mentioned money and no one should vilify her for it. People made a decision that we had vilified her. No one bothered to say [to the rest of us], “Are you disappointed by not making the movie?” Yes. “Do you respect and support her choice to not do it?” Absolutely,’ Parker said
Cattrall added on the set, ‘Looking back four years ago to when we were discussing a movie, it was a really tough time for me. I was going through a divorce and my job of seven years was coming to an end. Then my dad was diagnosed with dementia. So I took a step back and returned to Canada, where my family is – that’s the reason behind it. It wasn’t all about the money.’
2009 – SJP and Kim’s Friendship Reportedly Ends on the Movie Set of Sex and the City 2
Parker and Cattrall reportedly clashed on the set of Sex and the City 2 in 2009, which was so bad it brought the friendship to an end.
A 2009 report from New York Magazine claimed, ‘Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall are no longer speaking, which is making everyone on the set of the new Sex and the City movie uncomfortable.
Still, both SJP and Cattrall deny any feud rumors, with Parker telling Elle in November 2009, ‘I don’t think anybody wants to believe that I love Kim. I adore her. I wouldn’t have done the movie without her. Didn’t and wouldn’t.’
Meanwhile, Cattrall told Daily Mail in a wide-ranging January 2010 interview, ‘I think Sarah was right: People don’t want to believe that we get on. They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with each other. It makes for juicy gossip and copy. The truth of us being friends and getting along and happily doing our jobs together is nowhere near as newsworthy. I think Sarah is fantastic. She is a born leader and she guides the crew and the cast in such a strong but gentle way. She and I are sick of this. It’s exhausting talking about it and a real bore. Next?’
May 2010 – Cast Downplay Feud Rumors While Promoting Sex and the City 2
The Sex and the City 2 cast was featured on the cover of Marie Claire for a cover story, when the feud rumors were discussed.
‘When you’re on set, you’re working 90-hour weeks, you’re never home, you’re exhausted. There are times when all of us have been sensitive, and sometimes feelings get hurt. But I don’t have any regrets about how I’ve treated people,’ Parker said.
Cattrall added, ‘The chemistry among the four of us is very strong,’ and when asked why these rumors persist, she added, ‘Because the press has to put women in these boxes, rather than show them as the movie portrays them: working together and being powerful. Things just have to be explosive for no other reason than for people’s imaginations.’
Davis laughed off rumors as ‘ridiculous,’ while Nixon admitted, ‘It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. But the idea that we’re somehow adversarial is ludicrous.’
August 2016 – SJP Wishes Cattrall A Happy 60th Birthday
In perhaps another attempt to subvert rampant feud rumors, Parker takes to Instagram to wish Cattrall a happy 60th birthday with a throwback snap.
‘Happy birthday you beauty @kimcattrall. Sending love and the very best for a perfectly marvelous, joyous, healthy and adventure filled birthday year,’ she said.
She concluded, ‘Your ol’ pal, fellow mischief maker and “sister”, Sj xxx,’ she said in the caption.
Still, the rumors persisted, as Parker continued to address them – and deny them – over the last few months, while promoting her HBO series Divorce.
Fall 2016 – Parker Shoots Down Feud Rumors Again Insisting She Treats People Well On Set
As Parker continued to promote her role in Divorce, she also continued shutting down feud rumors in the fall of 2016.
She told Time in September 2016, ‘It was always so heartbreaking to me that there was this narrative about Kim and myself because it just didn’t reflect anything that happened on that set. They just didn’t do it to the Sopranos guys. It was so strange to me and upsetting. I posted something on Kim’s birthday and people were like, “Oh my god, I didn’t know you liked her!” What? We were all at liberty to walk away at any time! But nobody asked those questions of shows with men. Isn’t that interesting?’
She also went on the Howard Stern Show where she said, ‘This sort of narrative, this ongoing catfight, it really used to upset me. It was usually about bad behavior on the set and I take very seriously my reputation. I work really hard and I treat people well.’
She added, ‘I have a work ethic that’s very meaningful to me and it’s based on the affection I feel for the people I get to work with. To suggest that I’m behaving poorly or not treating somebody well…it would drive me bananas.’
September 2017 – Kim Cattrall Denies Claims Her ‘Demands’ Halted Sex and the City 3… Though Willie Garson Speaks Out as Well
Daily Mail reported that a third Sex and the City movie was heading into pre-production, though Cattrall’s ‘demands’ ultimately shut the project down.
The report revealed that Cattrall insisted that Warner Bros. produce other movies she was developing or she wouldn’t sign on, and the studio didn’t agree to those terms and then canceled the movie because they decided, ‘it wouldn’t be fair to the fans’ to make a movie with just three of the original show’s four stars.
Cattrall responded to the report with a tweet, stating, ‘Woke 2 a @MailOnline *s**t emoji* storm! The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film….& that was back in 2016.’
However that same day, Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch on the series, seemed to lend credence to the reports, though he did not mention Cattrall by name.
‘Disappointed for all crew holding on for negotiations to conclude for their jobs, and of course, for the fans. Leave it at that. #Truth Every cast member is integral, and all did amazing work, and would have in this lovely script as well. Nothing to do if one doesn’t want to,’ Garson said in two tweets.
October 2017 – Kim Fires Back And Says She and SJP Were ‘Never Friends’ While a New Report Claims Parker Was Always ‘Mean’ To Her Co-Star
After the initial report surfaced, Cattrall was interviewed by Piers Morgan, revealing she had never made any ‘demands’ to be in Sex and the City 3.
‘I remember so clearly, making that decision, and last December, I got a phone call and it was concerning that and the answer was simply, “Thank you, but no,”‘ she said.
‘The answer was always no. I never asked for any money, I never asked for any projects. To be thought of as some kind of diva is ridiculous,’ she added.
She also said Sarah Jessica Parker, ‘could have been nicer. I really think she could have been nicer,’ adding she hadn’t been in contact with any of her co-stars and said it felt like being in a, ‘toxic relationship.’
She also clarified, ‘We’ve never been friends. We’ve been colleagues, and in some ways, it’s a very healthy place to be.’
Just days later, a New York Post report claimed that a pervasive, ‘Mean Girls culture’ was what really ‘ruined’ the Sex and the City franchise, claiming that Cattrall was isolated from the main stars for years, and when her only ally on set – original series creator Darren Star – left the series after the second season, she was truly on her own, which is when Michael Patrick King took over, a close friend of Parker’s who created And Just Like That…
February 2018 – Kim Lashes Out at SJP For Using Her Brother’s Death to ‘Restore Your Nice Girl Persona’
Kim suffered a tragic loss in February when her younger brother Christopher died at 55 from suicide, but when Parker sent well-wishes on social media, Cattrall made it clear they are not friends whatsoever.
‘My Mom asked me today “When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?” Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,’ Cattrall began.
‘Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona,’ Cattrall concluded.
She also posted the link to the New York Post article about the ‘Mean Girl culture’ within Sex and the City, seemingly indicating it was true.
February 2018 – Sarah Jessica Parker Responds to Cattrall’s Piers Morgan Interview
Parker insisted yet again that she never had any major drama with Cattrall, though she admitted being ‘disappointed’ that the third movie didn’t happen, during an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live.
‘I never talked about it, except [to say] that some of us were disappointed [about the movie not happening]. But I never responded to the conversation Kim had with Piers Morgan, where she said things that were really hurtful about me,’ Parker said.
‘We had this experience and it was amazing, and nothing will ever be like it. We had a connection with an audience and we had a connection with the city and with this crew and we got to tell these crazy stories with each other. So I don’t want to mess with that,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded. And I won’t, because she needed to say what she needed to say and that is her privilege,’ Parker concluded.
November 2018 – Sources Claim Cattrall Turned Down Sex And the City 3 Because of Money and a ‘Bad Script’
While it was extensively reported that Cattrall wanted more money and that was one of the reasons Sex and the City 3 didn’t happen, a new report claimed it was also due to the sub-standard story.
Sources told E! News that the script for the third movie included an awkward story line involving Cattrall’s Samantha and Brady, the 14-year-old son of Nixon’s Miranda… who sends d**k pics to Samantha.
‘Kim never wanted to really do the movie to begin with. It was a combination of not great money and a bad storyline for Samantha. It was a bad script,’ a source said.
It was also revealed earlier that the movie would feature the death of Chris Noth’s Mr. Big, which bothered Cattrall because the movie would be, ‘more about how Carrie recovers from Big’s death than about the relationship between the four women.’
January 2021 – HBO Max Announces Sex and the City Continuation And Just Like That… Without Cattrall While SJP Says ‘Samantha Isn’t Part of This Story’
Just a few years after the Sex and the City 3 movie was canceled because Kim wanted no part of it, HBO Max moved forward with And Just Like That…
Naturally, Cattrall’s exclusion was a big sticking point for many fans, which lead Parker to comment on her social media post about the new show.
When one fan said that Parker and Cattrall, ‘don’t like each other,’ Parker responded, ‘No. I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would. Samantha isn’t part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do.’
HBO’s Casey Bloys indicated in February that Samantha won’t be a part of the series because her character simply drifted apart from the other three.
December 2021 – And Just Like That… Debuts And Reveals Samantha Has Moved to London
One of the burning questions heading into And Just Like That was whether or not the characters will even address the absence of Samantha, and it was answered very early on.
It was revealed that Samantha had moved to London to find new work, after SJP’s Carrie Bradshaw didn’t want her as a publicist anymore.
A few months later in February 2022, both Parker and creator Michael Patrick King insisted they didn’t think Cattrall would return.
Parker told Variety, ‘there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared,’ while King said, ‘I have no realistic expectation of Kim Cattrall ever appearing again.’
May 2022 – Kim Speaks Out on And Just Like That… For the First Time
Cattrall opened up to Variety about her thoughts on the new series, which had wrapped up its first season in February 2022 with a text exchange between Carrie and Samantha.
‘It’s odd, isn’t it? I don’t know how to feel about it. It’s so finite for me, so it doesn’t continue. I think I would ponder it more if I didn’t have something like Queer as Folk or How I Met Your Father. That’s kind of where I’m centered around. This feels like an echo of the past,’ Cattrall said.
‘I loved [Samantha]. I loved her so, so, so much. It’s tough competition. The original show is in all of our imaginations. But for me, it feels clean,’ she said, adding again that she doesn’t think her co-stars were friends but ‘colleagues.’
May 2023 – Kim Cattrall Revealed to Have Filmed a Secret Cameo in the And Just Like That… Season 2 Finale
In a development that hardly anyone saw coming, Variety reported that Cattrall filmed a secret cameo in late March, and wasn’t seen by any of her former cast-mates on set.
Cattrall filmed a phone conversation between her Samantha in London and Parker’s Carrie in New York City.
Original Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field came aboard to dress Cattrall for the cameo, and it was also revealed that her appearance will not be a continuation of her character in the series moving forward.
The report also revealed that HBO’s Casey Bloys personally called Cattrall and asked her to return, which she ultimately agreed to.
June 2023 – Cattrall Confirms Her And Just Like That Cameo on The View… Revealing that Patricia Field Had to Be Involved
Just days after the news broke, Cattrall appeared on The View, where she opened up about her return.
‘It’s very interesting to get a call from the head of HBO saying, ‘What can we do?’ And I went, ‘Hmm… Let me get creative,’” Cattrall said.
‘One of those things was to get Pat Field back because I just thought that if I’m going to come back I gotta come back with that Samantha style, I gotta push it, and we did,’ Cattrall said.
And Just Like That co-stars Kristin Davis and Evan Handler also confirmed the cameo in recent interviews.
