HBO Max Execs Consider ‘And Just Like That’ a ‘Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off’ Amid Series’ End

And just like that… it’s ending. On Aug. 1 news broke that season 3 of HBO Max’s And Just Like That…, the sequel to the era-defining Sex and the City, would be its last. “Carrie Bradshaw has dominated my professional heartbeat for 27 years,” star Sarah Jessica Parker wrote about her TV alter-ego. “I think I have loved her most of all. 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.”

The reaction was swift, with some fans shocked and others less surprised. After all, the buzz about the series was that it had become a hate-watch, with favorite characters, including Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda and John Corbett’s Aiden, unrecognizable from the earlier series as well as plot points that strained credulity. (Carrie, just take off your stilettos!)

One problem: SJP has said she and co-creator Michael Patrick King don’t pay attention to criticism of the show. “I’ve been an actor for 50 years,” the 60-year-old said in a June interview with The Guardian. “And I’ve almost never paid attention to peripheral chatter.” As a result, however, viewership declined over the three seasons.

Add to that that the series, which also stars Kristin Davis, was pricey to produce (as an exec producer, SJP made a deal that she gets to keep her extensive designer wardrobe!), and the decision to not renew was inevitable.

“Publicly, HBO Max said a lot of positive things about the show,” a source tells Star. “But behind the scenes, they’re saying it was a gamble that didn’t pay off.”

Sarah is choosing to see the ending as a natural one, posting, “MPK and I together recognized, as we have in the past, this chapter [is] complete.”