One last Cosmo with Carrie Bradshaw: Fans say goodbye to 'And Just Like That'

NBC News

2 days ago

Warning: This article contains some "And Just Like That" spoilers.
It's the end of an era for New York City's most notorious fictional sex columnist.
On Thursday, "And Just Like That," the spinoff of the popular "Sex and the City" series, wrapped up its third and final season.
With its conclusion came a bittersweet realization for many fans: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) will likely never walk onto their TV screens in her Manolo Blahniks ever again.
The spin-off was met with largely tepid reviews when it debuted on HBO Max in 2021. Viewers have since described it as their favorite show to " hate watch," and called out several ridiculous storylines, including the season one bombshell moment when Carrie's longtime love interest-turned-husband, Mr. Big, dies while riding a Peloton. Many fans have also continued to lament the fact that beloved character Samantha Jones was not part of the new series. (She only makes a brief, off-screen cameo.)
But even amid the criticism, "And Just Like That" continued to serve as a nostalgic reminder of the original magic of "Sex and the City," a show that has remained part of the zeitgeist despite ending more than two decades ago.
"Even though I've complained a lot about this show, I've quite enjoyed the complaining," Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of the book "Sex and the City and Us," told NBC News in an email. "It's still a form of fandom, and fandom is a kind of bonding. It's a way of knowing someone is your people right away."
The original show, which ran for six seasons (from 1998 to 2004) on HBO, came to define a generation of viewers, particularly women who saw themselves in the quartet of female characters. It was based on the life and work of Candace Bushnell, who wrote a column for The New York Observer called "Sex and the City" and later a book of the same name.
In addition to Carrie Bradshaw's romantic escapades, "SATC" also centered around the female friendships Carrie had with PR queen/sex positive pal Samantha (Kim Cattrall), preppy art dealer/hopeless romantic Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and feisty, cynical attorney Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon).
"It was a formative show for at least a generation or two of women, one that gave us a new vision for what it meant to be single, independent, professional, and in your 30s," Armstrong said. "Before this, being a single woman in pop culture was sad."
"These women showed us that being a single woman meant nights on the town with your girlfriends, constant dishy sex talk at brunch, and a great wardrobe you bought yourself," she added. "That was still new then, and it turned being a single woman from being sad to being glamorous."
These women showed us that being a single woman meant nights on the town with your girlfriends, constant dishy sex talk at brunch, and a great wardrobe you bought yourself."
-Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of the book "Sex and the City and Us"
But why does it still resonate?
"Now, we have so many shows where women are single and talk about sex and dating," said Eli Rallo, author of the upcoming book, " Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?" 'But what Candace Bushnell and [showrunner] Michael Patrick King did for women in their 30s and beyond during the 90s and early 2000s was taste-making.'
The "SATC" universe has continued to strike a chord with viewers "because the show did a perfect job of hitting the nail on the head of true women in their 30s," added Rallo, who has also been described as "Gen Z's Carrie Bradshaw" by some of her 1 million plus followers on Instagram and TikTok.
'And Just Like That" came after two 'SATC' movies (released in 2008 and 2010, respectively) and a prequel series, "The Carrie Diaries" (which aired on the CW for two seasons from 2013-2014).
The spin-off served as a continuation of the storyline of the group of friends in New York City, with the women now in their 50s. While Rallo said she understands the criticism toward "And Just Like That," she described the spin-off as a "treat" because it served as an opportunity to see these characters "in a later stage in life."
Throughout the 33 episodes of "And Just Like That," Carrie navigates the death of a loved one (Mr. Big), reunites and then splits up with her other former flame (Aidan), and starts anew in a way larger place than her iconic apartment. Miranda gets sober, goes through a divorce, comes out and finds a new career that she's passionate about. Charlotte, still married to the love of her life, Harry Goldenblatt, returns to work as an art dealer while balancing being a mother to two teens (one who comes out as nonbinary).
Samantha is no longer part of the group's day-to-day lives, having moved to London. But there were some new additions to the spin-off crew, including: Charlotte's fellow working mom, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker); Carrie's realtor-turned-friend, Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury); and Miranda's now-ex partner, stand-up comic Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez).
In Thursday's finale of "And Just Like That," Carrie does the unexpected for a character we've mainly seen entangled in the thralls of romance for the 27 years she's been onscreen. She ends up choosing herself. The show concludes with Carrie at her laptop, rewriting the opening line from the epilogue of her new book. She reads it out loud, in a typical Carrie voiceover, as she types: "The woman realized she wasn't alone. She was on her own." Carrie then gets up and dances around in her apartment.
Early reaction to the finale appeared to be lukewarm, with fans on X and TikTok sharing mixed responses Thursday evening.
"The ending of And Just Like That Season 3 is mildly chaotic, amusing, and little bittersweet… but I liked it? #AndJustLikeThat" one X user quipped.
"The final shot ever is one for the books, sitting at her computer, window-shot, followed by song and dance," one about the finale, which featured a clip of the end scene.
Others were less enthusiastic.
"The assesination of SATC IS unforgivable," one X user wrote, replying to a post from the show's account.
"You've got to be kidding me," one TikTok creator said in her reaction video, calling the finale "disrespectful."
King said the decision to end the show came after he consulted with Parker, who serves as an executive producer, as well as Casey Bloys, HBO's chief executive officer, and Sarah Aubrey, HBO's head of original programming.
"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," King wrote in his Aug. 1 announcement.
Since King posted the news, cast members and fans have reflected on the show's legacy and what it meant to them.
"I will always cherish this amazing experience and all of you," Nixon wrote in a post Thursday, giving a special shoutout to "all the undying fans of the show and the SATC universe."
Davis also shared a goodbye post, writing, "... in my mind, Charlotte will be living her life in her own glorious way, whether we get to watch her or not. Thanks to all who came along for the ride."
Parker's tribute, which she shared on Instagram earlier this month, stirred the most fan response. It garnered more than 772,000 likes.
"Carrie Bradshaw has dominated my professional heartbeat for 27 years. I think I have loved her most of all," Parker wrote. "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."
In the comments, hundreds of people — including a handful of celebrities — shared their love for Parker and Carrie.
"This show has been the greatest friend and companion for 30 years," comedian Billy Eichner wrote. "So many of us grew up with it. Thank you for all the hard work and devotion."
"THIS IS ALL TOO FINAL SOUNDING! AND I AM NOT READY!!!" musician Kelly Rowland commented.
But Parker hasn't entirely dismissed the possibility of returning to Carrie one day.
"I have learned not to say goodbye, but to say farewell," she told culture commentator Evan Ross Katz in a recent Q&A hosted by Threads and HBO Max.
"There's a distinction ... You arrive at this decision, and it's incredibly hard to be definitive and to say it ... But I think it's the respect and the affection that we feel for the experience in totality that leads you to a decision like this."
Years ago, Parker said, she never would have expected to make "Sex and the City" movies, let alone a spin-off. Then King called, and Parker said, "It was so apparent to both of us that it felt right" to revisit the universe with a new show.
"So who knows?" she told Katz.