And just like that, we’re back for another season of Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That. The series was renewed for a third installment last summer ahead of its season two finale, which notably included a cameo (albeit via phone call) from Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, the sex-positive publicist and erstwhile best friend of Carrie (who hasn’t returned to the series full time due to her real-life issues with the cast and production).
Like the original Sex and the City series, which aired on HBO from 1998-2004, And Just Like That has generated tireless discourse since it first debuted in 2021. The show’s attempts to update itself for a new era has resulted in a handful of new main characters, some who are fan favorites (like Sarita Choudhury’s independent real estate broker Seema Patel), as well as ones who you might call a bit heavy-handed (like Miranda’s nonbinary love interest Che Diaz, played by Sara Ramírez—more on Che below).
The Sarah Jessica Parker-led series has also brought back the fashion it’s known for, along with the continuation of her decades-long love triangle with the now-deceased Mr. Big (Christopher Noth) and furniture maker Aidan Shaw (John Corbett).
Here’s everything to know about the season:
Will there be any new cast members?
This season, a few new faces are joining the cast, though they’ll be familiar to many. Rosie O’Donnell announced her role as “Mary” last May, posting a picture of the front cover of the script for the season three premiere episode, titled “Outlook Good,” from a table reading. Fans are already speculating that she’ll be either a love interest or friend of the newly out Miranda (O’Donnell and Nixon have also been real-life friends for years). Then again, who knows? Perhaps they’ll be rivals.
Another New York legend, Patti LuPone will also be part of the crew; executive producer Michael Patrick King told EW that while LuPone’s role is under wraps, she’ll have “an arc on our show this season,” meaning this is more than a cameo. LuPone has been on a career roll lately, making her return to Broadway last fall with Mia Farrow in The Roommate and playing a 450-year-old witch in Marvel’s TV hit Agatha All Along.
Bob’s Burgers and What We Do in the Shadows comedienne Kristan Schaal will also appear this season, and Rosemarie DeWitt will return as Aidan’s ex-wife Kathy (after a brief appearance in season two).
Which cast members will return?
The big three—SJP (Carrie), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), and Cynthia Davis (Charlotte) will all be returning. Nicole Ari Parker and Sarita Choudhury will be back too.
“It’s a lot of ‘new’ within the familiar, but even the familiar characters are going through new things,” King told EW. “It’s more than Carrie that has a new apartment. Miranda has a new apartment. We feel that there’s a lot of newness in the world right now, especially for these characters. We wanted to tell new stories and put them through new obstacles.”
Additional new cast include Cheri Oteri, Mehcad Brooks, Jonathan Cake, and Logan Marshall-Green. Sebastiano Pigazzi (Mario Cantone’s character’s new love interest) and Dolly Wells (the BBC producer flirting with Miranda) have been updated to series regulars.
Who is leaving the cast of season three, and what’s the drama with Che?
Karen Pittman is the latest cast member to leave AJLT, following the departure of Ramírez’s Che Diaz. Pittman, who played Miranda’s professor (and later friend and roommate) Nya Wallace, is simply too busy to return—the actress is currently busy working on The Morning Show on Apple TV+ and Netflix’s adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel, Forever.
The other big news is about Che: after being one of the most divisive characters to ever appear in the Sex and the City universe, Diaz is officially out. Che was a nonbinary standup whose relationship with Miranda catalyzed her coming out and exploring her queer identity, and her breakup from husband Steve (David Eigenberg). Che also sparked endless conversation (and memes) about nonbinary representation in the media, with fans, critics, and Ramírez alike all having strong opinions on what the character meant for both the show and the culture.
The rumors that Che would not be returning first emerged in January. Ramírez has been a vocal proponent of a ceasefire in Gaza, especially online, and the Daily Mail shared a story insinuating that the actor had been let go from the show because of those views. In one Instagram post, Ramírez also seemed to hint that their time with AJLT was over, writing, “It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are. Even more performative than the last character I played.” In the same post, they also called out the entertainment industry for blacklisting people who posted in support of Palestine.
However, Variety reports through anonymous sources that Ramírez was not fired for their politics or Instagram presence, but rather that Che’s character had reached a natural conclusion following the end of their relationship with Miranda.
In a more recent Instagram post, Ramírez writes, “Friendly reminder: I am a HUMAN before I am anything else; any job, any advocacy, any character I’ve played, any efforts I’ve made for community. I am a human being FIRST…There is so much grief that has surfaced these last several weeks, months. So please, before you come to me about anything moving forward, please check in on my humanity first. I’ll be sure to do the same for you.”
King said of the departures: “We just moved forward because that’s what happens in New York City or in life. Sometimes you see someone who is so important to you and then you don’t see them again for 10 years,” King continues. “They’re still on the same island, but you don’t see them. So we put Che and Nya on a very luxurious boat and waved goodbye, throwing confetti as they departed from the shores of And Just Like That. And we moved forward with bringing in new boats, new characters, new ideas.”
What will the plot of And Just Like That season three be?
We don’t yet know the plot details of AJLT season three, but we can speculate based on the loose ends from season two: Carrie had just moved into a new home in Gramercy Park after leaving behind her beloved, original apartment for a renewed relationship with ex-fiancé Aidan Shaw, who dipped back to Virginia at the last minute to take care of his family. Miranda had finally made peace with both Steve and Che, and Charlotte was working on her marriage and division of household labor with husband Harry.
New photos from set show Carrie spending time with Charlotte’s teenage children, played by Alexa Swinton (a distant relative of Tilda Swinton) and Cathy Ang. In the shots, Carrie pairs a mint green silk shirt with matching slingbacks, a ruffled pink skirt, pussy bow tie, and a bejeweled Gucci “Jackie” bag from the spring 2024 runway show:
Does And Just Like That season three have a release date?
AJLT season three has officially started production and will premiere on Max sometime in 2025.
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