And Just Like That, the reboot of 90s and early noughties show Sex and the City, will come to a close after its third season, HBO has announced.
Showrunner Michael Patrick King explained on Instagram that as he wrote the last episode, “it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop”.
Named after its heroine Carrie Bradshaw’s signature catchphrase, the comedy-drama series follows the romances of three of the four original characters as they live out their 50s in New York.
A two-part finale is yet to air. King said cast and crew “held off announcing the news until now because we didn’t want the word ‘final’ to overshadow the fun of watching the season”.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Bradshaw, shared a photo montage from across both series, adding that the character had “dominated my professional heartbeat for 27 years” but now “this chapter [is] complete”.
She said And Just Like That “was all joy, adventure, the greatest kind of hard work alongside the most extraordinary talent”.
“It will be forever before I forget,” Parker wrote. “I hope you love these final two episodes as much as we all do.”
Her co-star Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte York, posted: “I am profoundly sad.”
The franchise, originally based on columns and books by Candace Bushnell, had already gone on to be made into two films and a prequel miniseries before And Just Like That aired.
As such, fans may have hoped another dramatisation or spin-off could be in the pipeline.
But King said that “the ongoing storytelling of the Sex and the City universe is coming to an end”.
Viewership of And Just Like That had progressively declined over the three seasons, according to Samba TV, a viewing data tracker. Its first episode saw 1.1 million US households tune in, with the latest generating less than half that initial figure.
Criticism has also plagued the reboot, with a particular focus on its attempts to diversify the cast. Elle magazine wrote that this “fell flat” while The Guardian called it a “heavy-handed overcompensation” that was “atoning for SATC’s history of racial cluelessness”.
Apparent plot holes have also been spotted by viewers – including the father of one of the main characters seemingly dying twice.
And Just Like That’s final season also saw the character Che Diaz – dubbed the “worst character on TV” by The Daily Beast – replaced by another who works at the BBC.
Fans have weighed in on the show’s end with comments beneath the cast and crew’s announcements.
“I wanted this show to run until all the characters were in assisted living and retirement communities in West Palm Beach,” wrote one.
“We don’t want it to end. We want it to be better,” posted another.