The unpopular plot that led to the axing of And Just Like That
The series finale of And Just Like That... will air on Thursday, August 14, marking the end of actress Sarah Jessica Parker's journey as Carrie Bradshaw.
The announcement from showrunner Michael Patrick King came as a shock to viewers, despite their complaints AJLT had 'ruined' the once-beloved characters from the original Sex and the City, and critics calling it 'the worst show on television.'
The reboot – which premiered in 2021 – saw Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) cheat on husband Steve Brady with non-binary comic Che Diaz, Carrie bizarrely claim 'love of her life' Mr. Big was a 'mistake' and rekindle her romance with ex flame Aidan Shaw, and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) stumble through raising non-binary child Rock and her daughter Lily's tryst with a ballet dancer in a polycule.
And much to the disappointment of viewers, Kim Cattrall notably did not return for the series as fan-favorite Samantha Jones after a decade of bad blood with her castmates.
Not to mention this season's confusing plot hole in which writers seemingly forgot Lisa Todd Wexley's (Nicole Ari Parker) father had died before season one, only to come back to life in season two and die for a second time in season three.
Now, as multiple insiders have revealed to the Daily Mail, AJLT's glaring issues had ultimately become impossible for production to ignore – despite their best efforts to see the show through to its rightful end.
An insider told the Daily Mail: 'HBO was happy to ride with the show for a few more years.
'Everyone was indebted to Sarah [Jessica Parker] and wanted the story she wanted to be told to go to completion. Decision makers felt like they owed it to Sarah and the rest of the cast and crew.'
According to a report from independent TV tracker Samba TV, just 429,000 households streamed the season three premiere in the four days after its May 29 debut – a seven percent decline from the season two premiere.
That's compared to the 1.1 million households who watched the AJLT series premiere four years ago.
Fans who once loved asking the question, 'Are you a Carrie, Miranda, Samantha or Charlotte?' had now begun to feel that the legacy of Sex and the City was getting damaged by the reboot's tamer storylines.
A second insider told the Daily Mail: 'Sex and the City is about women talking about dating men, their penis sizes and what the sex was like.
'Of course, they're getting older, but it's not like you don't still have sex with men and talk about their penises. People weren't connecting with the show.'
Upon its premiere in 2021, AJLT introduced a host of new side characters – namely women of color to offset the original show's all-white main cast: Lisa Todd Wexley, Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) and Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman).
But it was Miranda's cringeworthy relationship with Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) throughout seasons one and two that was the ultimate nail in the coffin, insiders said.
Che, a newcomer to the spin-off series who introduced themselves as a 'queer non-binary Mexican Irish diva,' struck up a relationship with Miranda after she abandoned her marriage to Steve.
The character was accused of being the 'worst' on the series, with some viewers even claiming the character was '[setting] back non-binary representation 70 years.'
Ramirez, a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns, was dropped from AJLT ahead of the third season.
Shortly after their firing, Ramirez claimed that their vocal support for Palestine had cost them the role.
At the time, a source close to the show ridiculed the suggestion to the Daily Mail, claiming Ramirez's head had been 'on the chopping block since last season' because their character 'held no value anymore' and was 'annoying.'
This season saw Miranda embark on her newfound life as a single queer woman dating in New York City – including a brief sexual encounter with virgin nun Mary, played by Rosie O'Donnell, in the season three premiere.
Not only was Mary's single-episode arc declared 'cringe and dumb' online, but sources said it offered very little development for Miranda's character and the show overall.
The second insider added: 'Cynthia's plot continued to destroy the show. It sucked. Let's be honest, most people didn't watch after that first episode.'
In the penultimate episode, which aired on August 7, it's hinted that Carrie may not have her happy ending after all.
She officially called it quits with on-again off-again boyfriend Aidan (John Corbett) after his trust issues and family drama got in the way of their relationship, and her fling neighbor Duncan (Jonathan Cake) ended with him leaving New York.
While the news of next week's series finale came as a surprise to viewers, Parker and King wanted to give the cast and crew 'enough warning' about AJLT's ending so they wouldn't be left high and dry, according to the first insider.
They said: 'They delayed the announcement of ending the show because they wanted fans to see this season through to see if it worked
'Michael and Sarah tested the waters, and made the decision before there was a time of no turning back, because the rest of the cast and crew needed to know and not be left out in the dark.
'They tried, and now it's over. Time to celebrate and remember the good times.'
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