Watch out: spoilers for And Just Like That and Sex and the City below
Sarah Jessica Parker seems to have announced that Aidan Shaw, Carrie’s long-haired hunky carpenter ex, will feature on the next season of And Just Like That.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight this week, Parker said: “Could be, could be. Well, you know, I can’t be like, cryptic about it anymore” when asked about Aidan. That definitely sounds like a confirmation to us.
Corbett had previously joked about his appearance on the sequel show, telling US magazine Page Six, “I’m going to do the show. I like all those people, they’ve been very nice to me.”
However it wasn’t true: speaking on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Parker later explained, “He actually reached out very kindly, because he’s nothing if not a gentleman, and apologized for doing that as a joke. And then I was like, ‘No, no, no, I mean, it’s a free country, first of all, and second of all, I thought it was kind of delightful and fun.’”
For those new to Sex and the City, Aidan and Mr Big were Carrie’s two big loves. For a long time, it was Mr Big, then it was Aidan, and eventually, it was Mr Big. From the beginning there’s been a big divide between Aidan and Big fans: usually, you loved one of the boyfriends and loathed the other.
“You’re either a mr big girl or an aidan shaw girl and if it’s the latter, you’re entitled to your wrong opinion,” Tweeted one fan last year.
“I believe un Aidan Shaw supremacy. Mr. Big belongs to the trashhh (!),” said another.
One of the most shocking moments of And Just Like That Season 1 was Mr Big’s post-Peloton workout heart attack (which made Peloton’s stock drop momentarily). As he was dying in the shower Carrie stared at him and did not call an ambulance. The internet was understandably apoplectic and many fans still haven’t been able to forgive Parker and creator Darren Star.
The news that Aidan is now actually returning, then, has shocked fans and has birthed a mountain of questions. Isn’t it a bit soon? Or is that judgemental? Carrie deserves to move on, but with Aidan? Hang on, is Aidan even going to be a love interest?
And Just Like That, the Sex and the City follow-up series, premiered on December 2021. Picking up with Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte’s lives 17 years later (Kim Cattrall said she would not be returning to play Samantha) the series faced the issue of how to stay relevant while still appealing to their loyal audiences. Some said they managed to pull it off (”Dare I whisper it? I’m really enjoying And Just Like That,” said The Guardian) while most found issues (”And Just Like That,’ It All Went Wrong,” said The New York Times; “Carrie’s big comeback is often wincingly awkward,” said The Standard).
It also was mired in drama: at the same time the series was released, sexual assault allegations surfaced against Chris Noth (Mr Big) and the actor has reportedly been cut from all subsequent Sex and the City and And Just Like That spin-offs.
At the time Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis shared a statement on their Instagrams, which said: “We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”
There was also a tonne of drama around the relationship between Parker and Cattrall. In a Piers Morgan interview in 2017, Cattrall said: “This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker. In that, I think she could have been nicer,” then later saying in the interview: “I don’t know what her issue is, I never have.”
When Cattrall’s brother died and Parker responded with a comment on Instagram, Cattrall made a post on Instagram that said, “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend.”
However, despite all the drama, And Just Like That did incredibly well. At the time it was HBO Max’s strongest series debut, and that included both HBO and HBO Max originals that had premiered on the service. A second series was renewed in March 2022.
