And Just Like That... is the official Max original series continuation of HBO's ground-breaking franchise Sex and the City. Following Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York Goldenblatt as they navigate the complexities of life, love, work, and friendship in their 50s, the revival shifts the franchise's dynamic from 30-something single life in New York City to mature reinvention, deep grief, and shifting personal identity.
Executive Overview: What Is And Just Like That... About?
Developed by showrunner Michael Patrick King, And Just Like That... catches up with the iconic New York social circle more than a decade after the events of the second feature film. While the original series focused heavily on dating, career building, and female empowerment during one's 30s, the revival tackles life transitions in midlife.
The primary narrative catalysts include sudden tragedy, marital dissolution, midlife career shifts, modern parenting challenges, and the introduction of a more diverse ensemble cast. Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) is absent from the core physical group, explained narratively by a career move to London following a professional fallout with Carrie, though she maintains occasional text communication.
Season 1 Summary: Grief, Disruption, and Reinvention
Season 1 of And Just Like That... introduced a starkly different tone from the lighthearted romantic comedy of the original series, opening with an immediate, life-altering tragedy that reshapes the entire storyline.
The Loss of Mr. Big and Carrie's Grief Journey
The series premiere delivers the show’s biggest catalyst: John James Preston (Mr. Big) suffers a fatal heart attack after completing his 1,000th ride on a Peloton stationary bike. Carrie returns home to their apartment to find him collapsed in the shower, holding him in her arms during his final moments.
The immediate aftermath forces Carrie to navigate profound widowhood in her 50s:
- The Funeral and Aftermath: Carrie meticulously plans a sleek, modern memorial service in New York, eschewing traditional floral arrangements for minimalist aesthetics, while secretly drowning in shock.
- Property Transitions: Unable to remain in the upper East Side apartment she shared with Big due to overwhelming memories, Carrie sells the home and briefly buys a futuristic, glass-walled downtown apartment before eventually returning to her iconic brownstone apartment on Perry Street.
- Literary Catharsis: Carrie channels her grief into her writing, penning a poignant memoir titled Loved & Lost, which details her journey through sudden loss and becoming a widow.
- Scattering the Ashes: In the Season 1 finale, Carrie travels to Paris to scatter Big’s ashes off the Pont des Arts bridge—the location where Big famously declared his love for her in the original series finale—wearing a dramatic, Charles James-inspired orange ballgown.
Miranda’s Midlife Crisis and Awakenings
Miranda Hobbes undergoes the most drastic personal transformation in Season 1, feeling trapped in a comfortable but sexually stagnant marriage with Steve Brady and burnt out on corporate law.
- Academic Pursuit: Miranda leaves her corporate legal career to pursue a Master’s degree in Human Rights at Columbia University, bringing her into contact with her professor, Dr. Nya Wallace.
- Affair with Che Diaz: Miranda meets Che Diaz, a non-binary, stand-up comedian and podcast host who co-hosts X, Y and Me alongside Carrie. Miranda begins a intense romantic and sexual affair with Che, leading her to confront her own sexuality.
- Separation from Steve: After being caught by Carrie having an intimate encounter in Carrie’s kitchen, Miranda eventually demands a divorce from Steve. Despite Steve’s heartbreaking plea to preserve their long-standing partnership, Miranda chooses to end the marriage and move to Los Angeles to support Che during a television pilot shooting.
Charlotte’s Evolving Family Dynamic
Charlotte York Goldenblatt’s storyline focuses on the evolving realities of raising teenage daughters in modern Manhattan alongside her devoted husband, Harry Goldenblatt.
- Supporting Rock: Her youngest child, born Rose, redefines their identity as non-binary, adopting the name Rock. Charlotte struggles initially with traditional concepts of parenting and event planning—specifically surrounding Rock’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah—but ultimately adapts, throwing a broad "They Mitzvah" where Charlotte herself steps up to complete the religious ceremony when Rock resists labels.
- Navigating High Society: Charlotte works diligently to build connections with upper-crust parents at her daughters' prestigious private school, forming a close bond with documentary filmmaker and mother Lisa Todd Wexley (LTW).
Season 2 Summary: Moving On, Old Flames, and New Boundaries
Season 2 shifts from the heavy grief of the premiere season toward themes of recovery, romantic rekindling, professional realignment, and establishing personal boundaries.
- Season 1 Focus
- Sudden Loss & Shock
- Marital Breakdown
- Identity Struggles
- Season 2 Focus
- Healing & Exploration
- Reconnecting Old Love
- Career Realignment
Carrie and Aidan Shaw’s Reunion
After releasing her book and briefly experimenting with dating—including a short affair with her podcast producer, Franklyn—Carrie re-establishes contact with her famous ex-fiancé, Aidan Shaw, via an email invitation to dinner.
- Rekindling the Romance: Aidan (now living in Virginia, divorced, and father to three sons) meets Carrie in New York on Valentine's Day. The pair immediately fall back into a passionate relationship.
- Overcoming the Past: Because Aidan refuses to step foot inside Carrie’s Perry Street apartment due to the painful history of their past breakups in that space, Carrie rents neutral hotel rooms and eventually decides to sell her beloved brownstone apartment entirely.
- The Gramercy Park Home: Carrie purchases a massive, four-bedroom townhouse in Gramercy Park to accommodate Aidan and his visiting sons.
- The Five-Year Pause: The romance hits a major wall when Aidan's youngest son, Wyatt, crashes Aidan's truck into a tree in Virginia while under the influence. Realizing his son desperately needs his physical presence, Aidan asks Carrie for a five-year pause on their relationship until Wyatt finishes his teenage years. Carrie agrees to wait, accepting the long-term uncertainty.
Miranda’s Path to Independence
After moving to Los Angeles, Miranda finds herself living in Che’s shadow, acting as a supportive partner rather than pursuing her own goals.
- The Breakup: As Che’s sitcom pilot founders during focus group testing, Che suffers a professional crisis and grows emotionally distant. Miranda recognizes that the relationship has run its course, leading to a mutual breakup.
- Returning to NYC and the HRC: Returning to New York, Miranda stays temporarily in Nya Wallace’s spare room and secures a prestigious internship at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
- Finding Stability: Miranda works through her co-parenting dynamic with Steve, who opens a new clam bar on Coney Island. She establishes a comfortable, independent single life, regaining her intellectual confidence and professional momentum.
Charlotte’s Return to the Workforce
Feeling that her role as a full-time stay-at-home mother has led her family to take her labor for granted, Charlotte makes a decisive career pivot.
- Gallery Employment: Charlotte accepts a position at a high-end art gallery managed by gallery owner Mark Kasabian.
- Setting Domestic Boundaries: Struggling to manage her gallery responsibilities while her family continues to demand her domestic management, Charlotte reaches a boiling point. She clearly demands that Harry and her teenage children step up to manage their own household logistics, reclaiming her identity outside of motherhood.
Samantha Jones' Cameo Appearance
In the Season 2 finale episode ("The Last Supper Part Two: Entrée"), Kim Cattrall briefly reprises her role as Samantha Jones for a phone call scene. Calling from a cab in London, Samantha explains that her flight was delayed, preventing her from surprising Carrie for her farewell dinner at the Perry Street apartment. The brief, warm interaction confirms that the friendship between Carrie and Samantha endures despite the physical distance.
Complete Character Status & Trajectory Summary
The table below breaks down the evolution of the main and supporting characters across the original series baseline compared to their status at the end of And Just Like That... Season 2.
| Character | Original SATC Status | And Just Like That... Status | Key Narrative Turning Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrie Bradshaw | Newspaper columnist; married to Mr. Big | Wealthy author/podcaster; widow; single (on pause with Aidan) | Big’s death; selling her Perry Street apartment |
| Miranda Hobbes | Corporate attorney; married to Steve | Human Rights advocate; divorced; single | Leaving corporate law; affair with Che Diaz |
| Charlotte York | Art gallery director turned stay-at-home mother | Full-time art gallery associate; married to Harry | Re-entering workforce; parenting non-binary child |
| Aidan Shaw | Furniture designer; Carrie’s ex-fiancé | Divorced father living in Virginia; entrepreneur | Reconnecting with Carrie; 5-year pause request |
| Steve Brady | Bar owner; married to Miranda | Single venue owner (Coney Island bar); co-parent | Marital breakdown with Miranda |
| Che Diaz | N/A (New Character) | Stand-up comedian; veterinary clinic worker | Failed TV pilot; breakup with Miranda |
| Seema Patel | N/A (New Character) | High-end Manhattan real estate broker | Becoming Carrie’s close friend and confidante |
| Lisa Todd Wexley (LTW) | N/A (New Character) | Documentarian, mother of three, high-society figure | Balancing pregnancy scare with career growth |
| Dr. Nya Wallace | N/A (New Character) | Tenured law professor; newly single | Fertility struggles; divorce from husband Andre |
Detailed Analysis of New Ensemble Members
A major structural change in And Just Like That... is the intentional expansion of the main cast, bringing in new female leads who interact with the original trio.
- Carrie, Miranda, & Charlotte
- Seema Patel (Real Estate) - Carrie's Confidante
- Dr. Nya Wallace - Miranda's Confidante
- Lisa Todd Wexley - Charlotte's Confidante
Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury)
Seema is a glamorous, high-powered Manhattan real estate broker who enters Carrie’s life when tasked with selling the apartment Carrie shared with Big. Seema quickly becomes Carrie’s primary peer for navigating dating in their 50s. Seema is fiercely independent, smokes luxury cigarettes, and refuses to settle for sub-par romantic partners. By Season 2, Seema strikes up a deep romantic relationship with movie director Zed, before shifting her focus to balance personal independence with romance.
Lisa Todd Wexley / "LTW" (Nicole Ari Parker)
Lisa is a documentary filmmaker, fashion icon, and mother of three who lives in a sprawling Park Avenue apartment. She acts as a structural foil to Charlotte, sharing the pressures of maneuvering within Manhattan’s hyper-competitive private school parent circles. Throughout Season 2, Lisa struggles to balance a major film project commissioned by PBS with an unexpected late-in-life pregnancy, which ultimately ends in a miscarriage that she and her husband, Herbert Wexley, grieve together.
Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman)
Nya is a brilliant Columbia Law Professor who initial introduces Miranda to critical race theory and contemporary human rights law. Nya’s Season 1 storyline centers heavily on IVF treatments and the emotional strain fertility issues place on her marriage to her musician husband, Andre Rashad. In Season 2, following their separation and ultimate divorce, Nya embraces single life, moves into a new apartment, and receives a prestigious appointment to a major legal board.
Key Thematic Shifts: Sex and the City vs. And Just Like That...
The continuation departs from the original show in several key thematic ways:
- Grief and Mortality over Dating Drama: While Sex and the City treated heartbreaks as obstacles to be discussed over brunch, And Just Like That... treats loss as an enduring reality. Big’s death grounds the show in realistic midlife grief.
- Evolving Sexual and Gender Politics: The series actively retrofits the original show's late-90s perspective by integrating discussions of non-binary identity, microaggressions, modern gender pronouns, and racial dynamics in high society.
- Parenting Teenagers: Charlotte and Miranda’s plotlines shift from wanting children to managing young adults who are asserting their own independence, sexualities, and moral boundaries.
- Professional Reinvention: Rather than depicting established careers as fixed, the revival emphasizes that professional paths can be abandoned or completely restarted in one's 50s.
Production Timeline and Current Status (2026)
Following the airing of Season 1 (late 2021–early 2022) and Season 2 (summer 2023), HBO/Max officially renewed And Just Like That... for a third season.
- Season 3 Development: Production on Season 3 carried through 2024 and 2025 following industry-wide strike delays in Hollywood.
- Cast Changes: Sara Ramirez (Che Diaz) and Karen Pittman (Nya Wallace) departed as series regulars prior to Season 3 due to narrative restructuring and scheduling conflicts, while new cast members join the expanding Manhattan circle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Samantha Jones not in And Just Like That...?
Kim Cattrall chose not to return as a full-time series regular due to personal and professional decisions regarding her time on Sex and the City. Narratively, the show explains that Samantha moved to London for work after Carrie ended their business relationship as her publicist. Cattrall did, however, return for a short cameo phone call in the Season 2 finale.
How did Mr. Big die in And Just Like That...?
Mr. Big (John James Preston) dies in Season 1, Episode 1 ("Hello It's Me") after suffering a sudden heart attack immediately following a workout on a Peloton exercise bike. Carrie finds him collapsed in their bathroom upon returning home from Lily's piano recital.
Do Carrie and Aidan end up together in Season 2?
Carrie and Aidan reunite in Season 2 and rekindle their romance. However, in the season finale, Aidan asks Carrie for a "five-year pause" on their relationship so he can stay in Virginia full-time to focus on raising his troubled teenage son, Wyatt. Carrie agrees to wait for him while keeping her own life in New York.
What happens to Miranda and Steve's marriage?
Miranda and Steve divorce in Season 1. Miranda realizes she is unhappy in their routine-bound marriage and discovers new aspects of her sexuality after having an affair with Che Diaz. Steve and Miranda separate permanently, though they maintain a friendly co-parenting relationship by the end of Season 2.
Where can you watch And Just Like That...?
And Just Like That... is available to stream exclusively on Max (formerly HBO Max) and its affiliated international partner platforms (such as Sky Comedy in the UK or BINGE in Australia).
Next Steps for Viewers
If you are catching up on And Just Like That... or preparing for upcoming episodes:
- Watch the Essential Prequel Material: View the original six seasons of Sex and the City (1998–2004) along with Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) to fully understand the historical character callbacks, particularly regarding Aidan Shaw and Mr. Big.
- Stream Seasons 1 and 2 on Max: Ensure your subscription is active on Max to access all 21 available episodes across both seasons.
- Follow Official Max Announcements: Keep an eye on official press releases from Max for exact premiere dates and trailer releases regarding the series' ongoing season rollouts.
