For a while there, it felt like we were all watching a simulation of Sex and the City, some kind of ChatGPT-fueled adaptation that similarly followed the romantic adventures of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and co., but only sort of.
And Just Like That, the spinoff series of that HBO classic, was the closest thing we'd all get to having SATC back on our screens each week. All of the disparate parts were there (well, all except the token sauciness of Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, who only popped up in one measly cameo): Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis were reprising their iconic roles as BFFs Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, with former SATC showrunner Michael Patrick King back to captain the fabulous ship. There was Aidan (John Corbett), Harry (Evan Handler), Steve (David Eigenberg), Anthony (Mario Cantone) and New York. It certainly looked like Sex and the City.
But it didn't feel like it—across three seasons on HBO Max, AJLT failed to live up to the magic of its pioneering predecessor, lacking the cheeky wit, substantial heart and insightful social commentary of the original. Most offensive of all, the beloved lead trio became darn-near unrecognizable: Carrie, too rich, passive and incurious; Charlotte, too goofy and dog-obsessed; and Miranda, too everything.
However, at the near end of the series' third season, it's felt like the powers that be have finally tapped in that SATC spirit: after fumbling its way around incorporating new characters like Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman), Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury), Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and—gulp— Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) in its first two installments, the show has rightfully recentered the focus on Carrie and her own romantic entanglements and close friendships, the very sustenance that fueled the original series through six seasons and two films.
The emotional dissolution of Carrie's relationship with—spoiler alert—on-and-off-again love Aidan felt like classic Bradshaw (it helped that their romance-ending fight was one those characters have been having for decades, ever since Sex and the City itself), as did the lightness of her sweet rebound with fellow writer Duncan Reeves (Jonathan Cake). The end of episode 9, "Present Tense," saw a newly single Carrie joining her girlfriends for some commiseration cocktails, reaffirming—as SATC always had—that the women she surrounded herself with were the true loves of her life.
Sadly, though, those Sex and the City-worthy qualities have come far too late: And Just Like That has officially been axed by HBO Max, with King personally announcing the spinoff's cancelation on his social media accounts: "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 wrote.
He added: "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 world 'final' to overshadow the fun of watching the season."
The sequel series will air its final episode on Thursday, August 14. And while it's certainly sad for longtime fans to have to say a last goodbye to Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes and the rest of the Sex and the City universe, at least we're glad that, for a moment there, said universe was looking far more like familiar territory than it had in years.
Check out the official promo of the series finale of And Just Like That before tuning into the last episode this Thursday at 9pm Eastern on HBO Max.
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