A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…

By Watercooler Staff
May 29, 2025

It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be the glamorous soap you’ll want to escape into – especially if the onslaught of teen and 20-something shows leave you craving more mature central characters.

Sex and the fifty something woman — c. HBO

What the reviews are saying

The takes on the third season share a common theme: And Just Like That keeps the stories “lightweight” (some have added “shallow”), but the reboot has found its groove in its third act, returning to what made the original such a hit while moving the characters’ lives into new territory.

Swirling romantic drama, new loves, shifting friendship dynamics, the ridiculousness of ostentatious wealth, and modern day parenting trials are the continued themes of the third season, but this time the characters also experience more growth and reinvention.

The cultural weight of the show

It can be easy to dismiss with all of its focus on sex and dating, fashion and fancy people, but Sex and the City has played an outsized role in the zeitgeist since its arrival over a quarter of a century ago. As a love letter to New York City, it has been credited with spiking tourism and helping New York recover from 9/11. And according to The New York Times, the show inspired multiple generations of women to move to the Big Apple.

But its biggest impact has been to redefine the image of single women in popular culture, even landing its four heroines on the cover of Time magazine. As the Watercooler’s Kanene Ayo Holder explained it, “Sex and the City put the ticking-clock damsels in distress troupe in time out and the world has drastically changed — for the better and, arguably in some respects, for the worse.”

Most of all, the show and its characters have been conversation drivers across generations and geographies in an increasingly fragmented world. So its worth considering a visit into its latest incarnation.

Can you jump into Season 3 of And Just Like That?

You can, but it would help to have a quick refresher (see below). Ideally you’ll want to play catch up with a few key earlier episodes (also below) to understand the dynamics and earn the payoffs. The show has been building its character arcs over the previous two seasons.

The (Very) Quick Catch Up

At its heart, And Just Like That… is about Carrie’s new life as a widow after Big (Chris Noth) dies in the first episode of Season 1. In the aftermath, she reconnects with her old love, Aidan. Miranda’s life has undergone a huge pivot since she realized she was gay and split with Steve, started a new relationship, and ultimately ended up single again. And Charlotte is still with Harry, surrounded by the top 1% and trying to return to work while juggling life as a prep school mom. Two new friends joined the trio (after Samantha left them all behind for greener pastures overseas): Seema and Lisa Todd Wexley.

They may be less well known, but Seema and “LTW” are getting their own significant arcs this season, so you’ll need to know their back stories. Seema (Sarita Choudhury) is a big deal real estate broker who helped Carrie sell her apartment after Big died. Self-assured, proudly single, and brutally honest, she’s not shy about telling Carrie and her friends what they need to hear sometimes. In Season 3, she faces some turmoil with her movie producer beau.

Lisa Todd Wesley (Nicole Ari Parker), is a celebrated documentary filmmaker, mom of three, and wife to Herbert, a hedge fund banker. In the new season, she develops an attraction to her new work colleague, and her husband discovers a selfie of them together. Trouble in Park Avenue paradise?

The Key Episode Catch Up: What to Watch from Seasons 1 and 2

HBO and Max will only release one episode a week, so you have some time to go back and watch the core episodes that set up the characters and their latest. We’ve singled out nine in particular:

Season 1:

“Hello It’s Me” (S1E1) – The set up of the series brings us up to date and sets up the big twist.
“Little Black Dress” (S1E2) – Important reveals and new characters pave the way for this new chapter.
“Diwali” (S1E6) – A turning point for Carrie and the friend group.
“Sex and the Widow” (S1E7) – We see how Carrie is able to start letting go and move forward.
“Seeing the Light” (S1E10) – The season finale and Charlotte’s epic celebration – with an emotional payoff for Carrie.

Season 2:

“Met Cute” (S2E1) – This one sets up the new dynamics.
“February 14th” (S2E7) – A key moment as Carrie has dinner with Aidan and Miranda explores dating again.
“A Hundred Years Ago” (S2E8) – Carrie and Aidan embrace a new relationship as everyone else faces big changes.
“The Last Supper Part One & Two” (S2E10-11) – Rated as one of the best episodes, Carrie hosts a dinner party and Miranda and Steve have a meaningful reconnection. This one sets up Season 3

The teasers for Season 3

The show has zoomed in on just five main characters this season: Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Lisa Todd Wexley, and Seema Patel. Each of them get their own big arcs, but at the center of it all is still Carrie, and her relationship with Aidan has entered a new phase as they try to figure out if long-distance can work. (He returned to Virginia for a family crisis.) Much like so many mid-lifers today, Carrie is also trying to reinvent her career; she’s now trying her hand at writing fiction for the first time.

As for Charlotte, she’s facing some very Upper East Side drama, which includes Ivy League college applications and attempts at going back to work, while Harry is struggling with some new “life phase” issues. And Miranda has a potential new romance brewing with a British TV producer.