‘And Just Like That…’: 3 Characters Who Were No-Shows in Season 1
And Just Like That… aired its season finale on February 3. Now that fans have had time to digest the action-packed, 10-episode run, they have some questions. Namely, many fans want to know why some characters didn’t manage to make an appearance. Three highly-anticipated characters never physically made it into the HBO Max original.
Aidan Shaw was inexplicably absent
In April 2021, John Corbett, the actor who portrayed Aidan Shaw during seasons 3 and 4 of Sex and the City, told Page Six that he would be appearing in the HBO Max reboot. He went so far as to note that he would be in “several” episodes. The news set the internet ablaze, with many fans wondering if Aidan and Carrie Bradshaw would rekindle their romance.
It never happened. Aidan fans waited until the last episode hoping to see the dreamy furniture designer appear. To be fair, Corbett might have confirmed his involvement, but no one else ever did. Parker was cagey about Corbett potentially appearing when questioned about it during production. More recently, Julie Rottenberg, a writer for the series, told TV Line that Aidan’s appearance was “never in the works.” She was quick to add that the entire team loves Corbett and that it was “nothing personal.” Could he show up in season 2 if it were to happen? It’s anyone’s guess.
A new character was officially announced then wiped from the ‘And Just Like That…’ storyline
Aidan wasn’t the only character who was somewhat confirmed before being completely stripped from the series. In July 2021, Deadline reported that Isaac Powell had joined the cast of And Just Like That… as a new character named George. HBO Max announced the casting on the show’s Instagram, too.
HBO removed the casting announcement from Instagram several weeks later, and Powell never appeared in the series. George was slated to appear as a brand new character, and no one attached to the project has mentioned what the planned storyline was. When Powell was cast, rumors swirled that he would play Mr. Big’s secret child. The storyline would have been compelling, but it never happened.
Samantha Jones only appeared in the series via text messages
Sex and the City fans were distressed when they learned Kim Cattrall would not appear in the HBO Max reboot. Cattrall has made her feelings about the franchise, her time on the series, and potentially reprising the role known. In fact, she made herself clear years before And Just Like That… was even announced.
Still, fans were hopeful that Samantha would appear on camera. That never happened, and Michael Patrick King has made it clear that it is unlikely ever to happen. Sarah Jessica Parker recently shared her feelings, too. During an interview with Variety, Parker was questioned about the potential of Cattrall returning and whether she’d like it to happen. Parker said, “I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared.”
The character of Samantha hasn’t been entirely dropped, though. Samantha was mentioned repeatedly during the show’s 10-episode first season. Samantha and Carrie had a running text chain that appeared throughout the season. Whether that would continue into a potential second season remains unknown, though.
