{"id":162272,"date":"2025-08-20T23:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T23:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/162272\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T23:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T23:03:11","slug":"and-just-like-that-writers-defend-finale-compare-to-sex-and-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/162272\/","title":{"rendered":"And Just Like That Writers Defend Finale, Compare to Sex and the City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/and-just-like-that\/\" id=\"auto-tag_and-just-like-that_1\" data-tag=\"and-just-like-that\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">And Just Like That<\/a>, \u201cParty of One.\u201d]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThere\u2019s been a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu for the writers on And Just Like That who were there for the first series finale when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/sex-and-the-city\/\" id=\"auto-tag_sex-and-the-city_1\" data-tag=\"sex-and-the-city\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sex and the City<\/a> signed off back in 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tJulie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky joined the SATC writers room for season four and have remained on the iconic franchise through the Aug. 14 series finale of AJLT, now adding executive producers to their credits with the revival series that returned Carrie Bradshaw (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/sarah-jessica-parker\/\" id=\"auto-tag_sarah-jessica-parker_1\" data-tag=\"sarah-jessica-parker\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sarah Jessica Parker<\/a>), Miranda Hobbes (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/cynthia-nixon\/\" id=\"auto-tag_cynthia-nixon_1\" data-tag=\"cynthia-nixon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cynthia Nixon<\/a>) and Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/kristin-davis\/\" id=\"auto-tag_kristin-davis_1\" data-tag=\"kristin-davis\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kristin Davis<\/a>) into viewers\u2019 lives since late 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAfter three seasons, countless reviews and hot takes, and, most recently, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/sarah-jessica-parker-responds-and-just-like-that-hate-watching-1236346834\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/sarah-jessica-parker-responds-and-just-like-that-hate-watching-1236346834\/\">a \u201chate-watching\u201d movement<\/a> for the sequel series that picked up after the six-season original series and two movies, AJLT delivered what has become a somewhat <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/and-just-like-that-hbo-series-finale-review-1236345250\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/and-just-like-that-hbo-series-finale-review-1236345250\/\">divisive ending to Carrie\u2019s story<\/a>. After breaking up with longtime love Aidan Shaw (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/john-corbett\/\" id=\"auto-tag_john-corbett_1\" data-tag=\"john-corbett\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">John Corbett<\/a>) earlier in the season and sleeping with her writer-neighbor (Jonathan Cake), a satisfied Carrie ends up alone, singing to Barry White and eating spoonfuls of pie in her Gramercy Park apartment. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t alone. She was on her own,\u201d was the last line of the episode, \u201cParty of One,\u201d co-written by SATC writer-director and AJLT showrunner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/michael-patrick-king\/\" id=\"auto-tag_michael-patrick-king_1\" data-tag=\"michael-patrick-king\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Patrick King<\/a> along with Susan Fales-Hill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe final scene, which was capped with the original SATC credits song, was a coda to the original series\u2019 finale. That time, Carrie ended up with Big (Chris Noth), even though her girlfriends were her true soulmates, and people had things to say. \u201cPeople were\u00a0rabid\u00a0about how it would end,\u201d <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\">King recently recalled to The Hollywood Reporter <\/a>when discussing both finales. \u201cThere were people going through garbage cans looking for sides from the script.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe fans aren\u2019t any less rabid now, they\u2019re just more online. In the days since the finale released, Rottenberg and Zuritsky have been reading <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/on-television\/and-just-like-that-carrie-bradshaw-bids-an-unsatisfying-farewell\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/on-television\/and-just-like-that-carrie-bradshaw-bids-an-unsatisfying-farewell\">not-so-favorable reviews<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/story\/and-just-like-that-finale-review?srsltid=AfmBOoqyhtXDRn8xU478dUOsOF1hgO7L38to4ulsqk0RwDKvok9Qv0Xr\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/story\/and-just-like-that-finale-review?srsltid=AfmBOoqyhtXDRn8xU478dUOsOF1hgO7L38to4ulsqk0RwDKvok9Qv0Xr\">defensive columns<\/a> about an ending they and their fellow writers all agreed on. The first time around, there were \u201clively\u201d arguments between the writers about if Carrie should end up with Big or not. This time, \u201cIt was the opposite of a heated debate,\u201d says Zuritsky. \u201cAll these years later, like the characters, we\u2019ve evolved.\u201d Rottenberg adds, \u201cI think that thirst for Carrie to be happy, I hope, is greater than the thirst for her to just end coupled up. This is what we all felt made the most sense to end on \u2014 and come what may.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tStill, the writing pair were caught off guard by the reaction. \u201cShe represents so much for so many people so, of course, we\u2019re never going to please all the people all the time. I think that has been well documented!\u201d says Rottenberg. \u201c[But] why are people so angry? I think it comes back to the double-edged sword of these characters who have been around for decades who are so deeply ingrained in people\u2019s lives and imaginations and their feelings. So any choices we made, I think, become incredibly personal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tBelow, Rottenberg and Zuritsky try to make sense of the reaction as they bring THR behind the process of plotting Carrie\u2019s decades-in-the-making ending and saying goodbye to the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/lists\/best-sex-and-the-city-episodes-of-all-time-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/lists\/best-sex-and-the-city-episodes-of-all-time-ranked\/\">beloved franchise<\/a> after 27 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t***<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>When<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> we spoke after the Aidan breakup earlier this season<\/a>, you had told me Aidan wasn\u2019t Carrie\u2019s \u201cforever guy\u201d because you weren\u2019t ready for Carrie to ride off into the sunset with anyone just yet, with an emphasis on \u201cyet.\u201d Now that we know the ending and that Carrie ends up on her own, can you elaborate on that feeling?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ELISA ZURITSKY <\/strong>The original series ending, we were very much a part of. We both remember really lively debates in the room about how it should end, and should Big come to her rescue? Does a guy like that come around one day, and should he? And what happened if he didn\u2019t? What would it say if she was alone?<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>JULIE ROTTENBERG<\/strong> There were a lot of arguments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> It was a heated debate among the writers. Ultimately, everybody knows what we chose. For all kinds of reasons at the time, the majority of us felt that leaning into the fantasy was going to be the most satisfying end to the series and for Carrie\u2019s character then. All these years later, like the characters, we\u2019ve evolved. We all know a lot of women who are not partnered, and are pretty happily not partnered, and felt like it was the most authentic version to give that version life. I can think of so many women who are widowed or divorced who are actually really enjoying their independence and their solitude. I feel like that\u2019s something that is even more celebrated, or should be more celebrated now, than it ever was. So this was not heated. It was the opposite of a heated debate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> I\u2019ve really been impressed by the number of people who have reached out to me in my life who were so relieved [by the ending], and I\u2019m talking about women who are not partnered and women who are. That is meaningful. I feel like, maybe, were we all rooting for Carrie to be at peace, whether she\u2019s with someone or not? People were a little bit on tenterhooks of: How is this going to land?<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tA friend of mine who is a big fan of the show after season two ended was like, \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Carrie and Aidan just have been happy? Why couldn\u2019t you have ended with them happy?\u201d She was really exercised about it. I know that after season three, people have different feelings about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-moves-on-carrie-aidan-1236335130\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-moves-on-carrie-aidan-1236335130\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Aidan and that relationship<\/a>\u2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> We took care of that! (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG <\/strong>(Laughs.)<strong> <\/strong>But I think that thirst for her to be happy, I hope, is greater than the thirst for her to just end coupled up. The idea that she\u2019s going to be OK \u2014 more than OK \u2014 was the hope. She represents so much for so many people so, of course, we\u2019re never going to please all the people all the time. I think that has been well documented!<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> I think she represents too much. It\u2019s clear that, yeah, I don\u2019t think there was one answer or one version that would satisfy everybody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Hearing you say that does make me think that, at least in my life, whenever people say, \u201cI\u2019m a Miranda\u2026 I\u2019m a Charlotte\u2026 I\u2019m a Samantha,\u201d people hesitate to say, \u201cI\u2019m Carrie.\u201d It\u2019s almost too big to declare yourself a Carrie, and that speaks to what you just said about everything she represents. She\u2019s everyone but also, no one?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY <\/strong>It\u2019s too much to say you\u2019re the star.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> Or maybe, she\u2019s the most complicated. She isn\u2019t one thing. You think she\u2019s one thing, but she\u2019s a different thing for everyone. But that is a big, tall burden and a lot to carry \u2014 so to speak!<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sarah-jessica-parker_13.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tThe final image of Sarah Jessica Parker in the AJLT finale.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO Max<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>I spoke with <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\">Michael Patrick King about the AJLT finale <\/a>and he said this ending was a coda to the original finale and the last line Carrie spoke, but then Big called her. So And Just Like That was always about getting Carrie to the place where she\u2019s OK if no one\u2019s calling. He said they knew it was the ending when they wrote it; they talked to the writers room and he went to Sarah Jessica Parker. He said he remained open for something to change his mind, but nothing did. The official decision wasn\u2019t <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-ending-season-3-1236335772\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-ending-season-3-1236335772\/\">announced<\/a> until after the Aidan break up, and with only two episodes left [the finale was split into two]. He said he didn\u2019t want \u201cfinal season\u201d hanging over the episodes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> We always wrote every every season in the writers room as if the show could end. Then there\u2019s so much that happens in his mind and with Sarah Jessica that we\u2019re not privy to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> We never thought we\u2019d have the chance to come back after all these years. So the fact that it came back at all was like getting to see a friend of yours who you thought you\u2019d never see again. We got to take out all these characters and places and live in that universe again with the first season. After the first season, we were all like, \u201cWe did it. We came back. That was fun. Do we go on?\u201d I remember having that conversation with Michael and making the decision, \u201cYeah, OK, let\u2019s do it. Let\u2019s do it again. We have more stories to tell. And we\u2019re learning about this new show,\u201d because we were both reviving an old thing and also creating a new thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThen at the end of season two, we got another chance to do this thing we love and learn more about these characters, and how to write these characters and these stories in this new way. That felt like a win. We got another chance. And then the third season was like, \u201cOh my God, we get to do it again.\u201d It always felt like another chance at this impossible dream, so the fact that this time it really was the end was both something we knew was very much a possibility and also something we weren\u2019t completely sure about. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>He also <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\">spoke<\/a> about how it was a conscious decision to hold back the decision from the public. He felt like people wouldn\u2019t have engaged with the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\">Carrie and Aidan storyline<\/a> in the same way that they did, if they knew it was the end. And boy, did people engage with that. Looking back, do you feel it was right to hold back the news that this was the final season?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to know what the psychology is with people watching a series. In my own case, when I hear \u201cfinal season,\u201d like with Homeland, I remember that last season where you know [something big is going to happen]. It\u2019s like spending time with a friend you love and aren\u2019t sure if they are going to be around. But I guess there is a poignancy once you know this is it. Even watching it as a viewer with my family, I experienced it differently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> Over my recent vacation, I read Nora Ephron\u2019s book Heartburn, which I highly recommend. It\u2019s actually a very funny book, really well written. I\u2019m sure there are other people, even more recently, who knew they were terminal and didn\u2019t tell anyone. [Ephron died in 2012 of acute myeloid leukemia that led to pneumonia after keeping her diagnosis quiet.] That\u2019s a very specific choice to make and in a way, it\u2019s similar. She didn\u2019t want to be seen as a sick person. She didn\u2019t want to be seen as a dying person. She didn\u2019t even want to write about that. And it also makes some people mad to find out late. Like, \u201cHow could she have not told us?\u201d But there\u2019s a certain dignity to keeping such information to yourself and letting people experience it in real time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Not knowing the series was ending made it harder for me to predict along the way. Because you have been playing with so much of Carrie\u2019s narration via the fiction novel she\u2019s been writing and this epilogue she\u2019s working on in the finale, do you view this AJLT ending almost as an epilogue to the Sex and the City ending? She had an ending in the original series. Then a lot happened, and here is another ending. But also, she\u2019s not dead. Carrie lives on in our fan fiction. Do you view this as the end-end?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> I like that idea. I think I might say it\u2019s the end of this chapter. When we first announced that the show was coming out at all, I remember so many of the responses were like, \u201cSo what\u2019s that going to be, menopause?\u201d It was so staggering to us. Wow, is that what people think a show about women in their 50s is? Then, of course, we had a zillion stories to tell that we were living and witnessing and sharing in and laughing about and crying about. Once it was on the air, it never ceased to provoke conversation and strong feelings. So in a way, I feel like the response by Carrie\u2019s publisher [in And Just Like That], who was played by Ashley Atkinson, and her outrage at the book\u2019s ending could also be read as a stand in for the outrage of some viewers. But Carrie\u2019s decision to go with what she wanted to do was I think our decision to say, \u201cThis is what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d This is what we all felt made the most sense to end on\u2014 and come what may.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> The answer to your question of, \u201cIs this final, final, final, final? Like, are you sure? Are you signing on the dotted line that you will we will never see these characters again?\u201d I think the best news that I can take away from the last three seasons is: Love it or hate it, those characters were extremely alive. They are extremely alive in the minds of the viewers. So much so that the feelings were passionate. I know other shows have tried to come back and have not provoked the same connection and have not stuck around more than a season because the moment is over. I think as long as the actors are alive, then who knows? People might still want to check in with them at some point. It could happen one day. I\u2019m loathe to even say that\u2026 I\u2019m speaking maybe as a fan, as someone who has witnessed the connection that people have to it more than anything else.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Sarah Jessica Parker spoke with the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/15\/arts\/television\/sarah-jessica-parker-and-just-like-that-finale.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/15\/arts\/television\/sarah-jessica-parker-and-just-like-that-finale.html\">New York Times<\/a> after the finale and was asked about the \u201chate-watching\u201d trend. Her response was basically, \u201cI don\u2019t really care.\u201d She wasn\u2019t engaging with that, but I know the two of you do. How have you been engaging with the response to the finale? Is there anything in particular that you felt like isn\u2019t fair that you want to respond to?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> I don\u2019t know if you listened to this, but Wesley Morris and Taffy Brodesser-Akner did a podcast on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/14\/podcasts\/and-just-like-that-finale-cannonball.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Times<\/a> that I recommend. Taffy so eloquently laid out this idea of like, the audacity of these middle-aged women living their lives, having adventures, embarrassing themselves, supporting each other, arguing with each other. Like, how dare they? And what that provoked.<strong> <\/strong>That was helpful to hear because I think we also look for like, \u201cWow, what? Why are people so angry?\u201d And I think it comes back to what Elisa was saying, which is the double-edged sword of these characters who have been around for decades who are so deeply ingrained in people\u2019s lives and imaginations and their feelings. So any choices we made, I think, become incredibly personal. And then I guess there\u2019s just the aspect of social media today. Elisa had the perfect analogy about gladiators and the Colosseum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> A lot of it jumps out at me on Instagram, mostly. I do feel like we\u2019re living in a really vicious moment in public life, especially electronically. People are upset about a lot of things, and I am, too. I go through my day with so much more frustration and outrage about so many things than I ever did in my life. So I think to have a safe scapegoat and a safe place to put all of your frustration and rage and outrage \u2026 I do understand it. I don\u2019t love that our show fills that void for people! And I think it\u2019s a shame, and I hope \u2026 I don\u2019t know. I hope that with time [that will change]. I even felt this way with the old show, believe it or not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAt the time, Sex and the City was not an agreed upon good show. I remember walking through the world and being cream pied, as we say, fairly regularly for this job that I loved and for a show I knew people were tuning into. There were a lot of haters back then, too. Then there was a lot of love. Then before the pandemic, there was a lot of hate again. I remember stumbling on pieces that were pulling it apart in 2017, 2018, 2019: Was this a good show? I thought it was, but I watched it again. And then, now, so much love for it. So much affection, so much adoration. So many articles about what an incredible, groundbreaking show it is. So I feel in a way like, \u201cOh, well, this is the way press goes.\u201d People jump on different bandwagons at different times. I\u2019m watching the Billy Joel documentary right now and they talk a lot about the savage reviews he got. The critics just hated him. Maybe sometimes that\u2019s just what it has to be while others are enjoying it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> He was selling out stadiums. The fans loved him and the critics hated him, and it is helpful to see that. Elisa is right in saying that we kind of lived through a version of this on the original series, but people forget about that. People forget that the show was infuriating to many people and that it was \u201chow dare they?\u201d on many fronts. Now over time, in retrospect, it has gained validation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> For years after Sex and the City ended, I would meet older people who would say, \u201cOh, you worked on Sex and the City? I never watched it. I thought it was not going to be for me, but it\u2019s really quite good.\u201d That\u2019s so nice to hear it. That would be lovely here, too. And that has happened, actually, even since the beginning of And Just Like That.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/kristin-davis-sarah-jessica-parker-cynthia-nixon_0.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"653\" width=\"980\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tKristin Davis as Charlotte, Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda in And Just Like That.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO Max<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Michael Patrick had also <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/and-just-like-that-finale-michael-patrick-king-satc-ending-interview-1236345204\/\">reflected<\/a> on ending Sex and the City and said that even after the Aidan break up this season, he was surprised fans were still speculating how Carrie could end up with someone with only two episodes left and get that fairytale ending. Meanwhile, if Carrie ended up with her neighbor Duncan (Jonathan Cake), people would have taken to the streets! You gave everybody the ending they maybe wanted for decades for Carrie. How do you compare the experiences of ending the show then to now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> I think I\u2019ve gotten better at being able to hold both reactions \u2014 that people are going to be really happy and people are going to be really unhappy. And to remind myself that means they care. That means they watch. That means they were invested enough. You asked how we engage with the response. I\u2019m not on social media. Elisa is sort of my proxy social media concierge. She helps me keep up with the macro, if not the micro. I also now have two teenagers who are definitely more plugged in, so they also help share the good, bad and the ugly. One great thing about getting older is you do have a little more perspective, and I am more able to look at this moment as a moment and be grateful that as many people watched and cared enough to take to the streets with their pitchforks in anger. I\u2019ll take that as a compliment every time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Were you both on set when filming the final episode?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>Did everybody know when you were filming the final episode that it was the final episode? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> No. We don\u2019t know when the official decision was made.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>I asked Michael Patrick if Sarah Jessica knew when filming Carrie\u2019s final scene if she knew it was her final scene, and he said yes. But that was also only a scene with herself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> Keep in mind, the final scene is also not necessarily the final scene. It\u2019s shot all out of order based on scheduling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> As we did at the end of every season, we knew it could be the end, even if we didn\u2019t know officially. Definitely after the last table read when people read that last scene, there was the feeling of, \u201cOh my God, is this the end? Please say it\u2019s not the end.\u201d We would have crew members and department heads coming up to us saying that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> We had plausible deniability because we actually didn\u2019t know, in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-carrie-aidan-breakup-season-3-reaction-1236327030\/\">speaking with you<\/a> as well [weeks ago]. We always went through every season with the same mentality: \u201cThis could end. And I\u2019m going to write down all of my ideas in my phone in case there\u2019s a season four.\u201d Both tracks were in motion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>So it wasn\u2019t official until it was official official, even for you guys.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> Yeah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>How much of you was hoping along the way that another idea would spark for Michael Patrick, or did you feel that this ending was right?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> Mixed feelings. I really did feel we were leaving Carrie, especially, in a beautiful place. Really all of them, in good hands. They all felt safe and different versions of happy, which felt lovely to me. But the professional in me, I loved the job. I loved working on the show. When you love working on a show, you know that\u2019s rare. That doesn\u2019t happen all the time. So for sure, there was both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> It\u2019s true. There\u2019s the professional, writer-producer in me who agreed that was going to be hard to top. Carrie is in a really good place. Let\u2019s leave her in a really good place<strong>.<\/strong> It\u2019s sort of like dropping off your kids at camp or college, which I haven\u2019t done yet. But like, \u201cLet\u2019s quietly back away while Carrie is still singing to Barry White and eating her pumpkin pie, and feeling like she\u2019s going to be OK. Let\u2019s leave her in that in that place.\u201d Could we have done another season? Sure. As Elisa said, we keep lists of ideas. We\u2019re still living our lives and having insane experiences in New York as 50 something women, but once we knew it was official and could start wrapping our minds around that, it felt like, \u201cAll right, this is as good a place as any to leave them. They are all in good hands. They\u2019ll be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>I also asked Michael Patrick if any part of him thought it might be the wrong call, given how buzzy the season was. But he said no, because of the ending. The writing dictated it. But I imagine it\u2019s not easy when everyone\u2019s talking about your show to end it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> Also, what\u2019s interesting about the hate-watchers is that there was something sort of funny, I guess, in the outrage that we were getting \u2014 which has become kind of the norm \u2014 that when it was then announced that it was ending, it was like, \u201cHow dare you take away this thing I\u2019m so upset about!\u201d (Laughs.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-hate-watch-season-3-explained-1236318418\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/and-just-like-that-hate-watch-season-3-explained-1236318418\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">hate-watchers never said they weren\u2019t watching<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> Michael Patrick King is always the first to leave a party, and I think that was definitely his approach. And that was the same on the original series. It had reached a really insane level of popularity and he was like, \u201cWe\u2019re going to quit while we\u2019re ahead.\u201d So that was also the thinking this time around. We serve at the pleasure of the king! We\u2019re happy to have put on our uniforms and now we\u2019re just grateful we had the chance to do it again, and to work again with that cast and crew. So many of us were on the original series. That is an impossible thing, for things to strike twice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>What will you two do next, will you work together again?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ROTTENBERG<\/strong> Yes, that part is easy. We have a number of projects we\u2019re working on. So that is that is the upside, I guess, that we can now get back to our own stuff. We have a movie we\u2019re working on. We have a couple TV series we\u2019re developing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<strong>ZURITSKY<\/strong> I am doing something very Carrie-esque right now. I\u2019m working on my first novel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t***<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAnd Just Like That and Sex and the City are now streaming on HBO Max. See <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/lists\/best-sex-and-the-city-episodes-of-all-time-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/lists\/best-sex-and-the-city-episodes-of-all-time-ranked\/\">THR\u2019s ranking of our top Sex and the City episodes.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of And Just Like That, \u201cParty of One.\u201d] There\u2019s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":162273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[30334,51257,171,1094,58351,1097,1096,46533,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-162272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-and-just-like-that","9":"tag-cynthia-nixon","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-john-corbett","12":"tag-kristin-davis","13":"tag-michael-patrick-king","14":"tag-sarah-jessica-parker","15":"tag-sex-and-the-city","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115063593558142543","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}