After 27 years, some of TV’s most beloved characters have left our screens forever. In Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw documented her love life, flings, heartbreaks, friendships, fashion, homes, career, and more—often over a cocktail or two. In what turned out to be the final season of its spin-off, And Just Like That, she finally ended her on-again, off-again 20-year relationship with Aidan, a character revived for the series with a mean streak and all the subtlety of Elmer Fudd, while slowly furnishing her massive new home.
In many ways, the entire series felt like an awkward farewell. When And Just Like That premiered in 2021, fans of the original held onto a faint hope that revisiting these characters in their 50s might recapture some of the old magic. Instead, it began with a shock—killing off Carrie’s husband, Mr. Big, with a heart attack after overexerting himself on a Peloton. Some saw this as disrespectful to the show’s legacy, but at least it signaled the series wouldn’t shy away from bold moves.
The absence of Samantha was glaring. Kim Cattrall, who played her, has been vocal about her strained relationship with the cast and her lack of interest in returning. The show tried to fill the void with new characters—Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) as the ambitious documentary-maker and Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) as the sexually confident real estate agent—but neither truly replaced Samantha. Cattrall did make a brief 71-second cameo in the season two finale, calling Carrie to say she wouldn’t make it to a party. The moment was sharp and stylish, but only highlighted how much the character was missed.
From the start, And Just Like That became a magnet for hate-watching. The low point was Miranda’s divorce from Steve and her affair with Che Diaz, a non-binary comedian who quickly became one of the internet’s most despised characters. Che’s poor writing reflected the show’s clumsy handling of aging—often reducing it to the characters being baffled by modern life, like podcasts or digital menus. While Sex and the City tackled big questions (some of which haven’t aged well), And Just Like That just seemed to admit nobody knew what was going on anymore.
The finale doubled down on its worst tendencies, focusing oddly on Charlotte’s friend Brady, his pregnant girlfriend, and her gratingly obnoxious genderqueer friends. It felt like a shrug of a storyline, abandoning what once made these characters compelling.
For much of the season, Carrie drifted through life in designer clothes, too wealthy to have real ambitions beyond vague romantic notions. It’s not tragic that she ended the series single, but it lacked the emotional weight the writers likely intended.No one seems convinced by it either. It’s bland, existing in an awkward middle ground—very much in keeping with And Just Like That‘s overall vibe of settling for “good enough.” After a particularly cringe-worthy clogged-toilet scene, Carrie delivered the punchline the whole moment had been building toward: “Shit happens.” It was a lackluster way to say goodbye.
The show’s team clearly saw the end coming. Back in August, when announcing the series’ cancellation, showrunner Michael Patrick King admitted that while writing the finale, “it became clear to me that this might be a perfect place to stop.”
“Perfect” might be stretching it. These past four years have been strange—filled with unnecessary fluff, not terrible, but nowhere near as sharp as the original series. That overflowing toilet was doing a lot of metaphorical work. It’s hard to argue And Just Like That should have continued when it was so obvious it had run out of ideas.
FAQS
### **FAQs About *”Carrie Had Nothing Better to Do Than Wander Around in Designer Clothes”: How *Sex and the City*’s Characters Deserved Better**
#### **Beginner-Level Questions**
**1. What does the phrase *”Carrie had nothing better to do than wander around in designer clothes”* mean?**
It’s a criticism of how *Sex and the City* often portrayed Carrie Bradshaw as shallow—prioritizing fashion and romance over deeper personal growth or meaningful career struggles.
**2. Why do people say the *SATC* characters “deserved better”?**
Fans believe the show could have given the women more well-rounded storylines—like stronger career arcs, healthier relationships, or personal development—instead of focusing so much on fashion and dating drama.
**3. Was Carrie Bradshaw really that bad?**
Not *bad*, but flawed. She made questionable choices and often seemed self-absorbed, which made fans wish she had more depth.
**4. Did the other characters also deserve better?**
Yes! Miranda’s cynicism was often overplayed, Charlotte’s traditionalism wasn’t always explored thoughtfully, and Samantha’s growth was sometimes reduced to just sex jokes.
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#### **Advanced-Level Questions**
**5. How did *SATC*’s focus on fashion and luxury hurt its characters’ development?**
It made their struggles seem unrealistic—how could she afford $400 shoes while freelancing? It also overshadowed deeper storytelling.
**6. Were there moments when the show *did* give the characters depth?**
Yes—Miranda’s single motherhood, Charlotte’s infertility struggles, and Samantha’s cancer storyline showed complexity, but these were often sidelined for drama.
**7. How does the reboot address these criticisms?**
It tries by tackling aging, grief, and race—but some fans feel it overcorrects, losing the original’s fun while still mishandling character arcs.
**8. What could *SATC* have done differently to give its characters better stories?**
More focus on career growth, healthier relationships (less toxic back-and
