Ron Livingston’s Jack Berger Was Considered for an Appearance on ‘And Just Like That…’
Sex and the City fans who made it through all three seasons of And Just Like That… didn’t get the satisfying ending they were hoping for. It’s been weeks since the series’ anticlimactic finale aired on Max, and the writers are sharing the show’s process and all the things they considered along the way. One writer revealed the team had toyed with the idea of bringing Ron Livingston back as Jack Berger, but ultimately passed on the idea.
Ron Livingston was considered to reprise his role
Carrie Bradshaw’s two great loves were Mr. Big and Aidan Shaw. Some may argue that Aleksandr Petrovsky was an important third love. None of them grabbed the title of her most unforgettable beau, though. That distinction goes to Jack Beger, portrayed by Ron Livingston. In season 6, Carrie dates the talented yet painfully insecure novelist. Their romance was dotted with odd moments, tension, and arguments, before he famously ended the relationship on a Post-It note before slipping off into the night.
Carrie never saw him again, but she almost did. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, And Just Like That… writer Julie Rottenberg revealed that the creative team seriously considered bringing back Ron Livingston’s Jack Berger. She said, at one point in the writers’ room, they toyed with the idea: “Do we wanna run into Berger all these years later? He probably has a family and kids.” They ultimately decided against the quick check-in, which makes us a bit sad.
Jack Berger is one of several characters fans would have liked to see
While And Just Like That… writers ultimately passed on bringing Ron Livingston back to reprise his role, fans would have liked to see it. In fact, as soon as the series was announced, fans began discussing the potential love interests they would like to check in with. Jack Berger was one of a few names tossed around.
In the end, the writer’s decision to pass on Livingstson feels oddly typical of the now-canceled, much-debated reboot. The production team seemed to have had really great ideas, but they just couldn’t get it over the finish line. Jack Berger was a near miss, but he wasn’t the only missed oppurtunity.
There is one other Sex and the City character fans were clamoring to see return, who almost made an appearance. Fans wanted to check in with Trey MacDougal, Charlotte York’s first husband. Kyle MacLachlan was initially interested in reprising the role, but ultimately passed because he didn’t like the storyline. Kristin Davis, who played Trey’s on-screen wife, made it clear she was bummed not to reconnect with her character’s first husband.
Ron Livingston’s wife did get a chance to appear in the reboot
While Livingston ultimately didn’t get the opportunity to appear in the Sex and the City reboot, someone in his family did. Rosemarie DeWitt, Livingston’s wife, took on the role of Kathy Shaw. Kathy was Aidan Shaw’s ex-wife, and while it didn’t look like she was going to factor heavily into the storyline, she was more involved than we anticipated.
DeWitt was also on Sex and the City years before she met Livingston. DeWitt previously portrayed Miranda Hobbes’ coworker, Fern. While it doesn’t appear that DeWitt and Livingston’s paths crossed on set, they did both appear in season 6. They met a few years later, on the set of Standoff in 2006. They married in 2009.
