Chris Noth Defends And Just Like That Episode 1 Killing Off Big

Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That… episode 1’s twist had to happen, according to Chris Noth. Premiering in June 1998 on HBO, Sex and the City became a huge hit, and is widely regarded as a landmark show for the network, as well as for female-led comedy-dramas. Sex and the City ran six seasons and 94 episodes, with the finale airing in February 2004. The show spawned two feature films, 2008’s Sex and the City and 2010’s Sex and the City 2, whilst a third movie was also planned but never materialized.

In January 2021, it was announced that a reboot show titled And Just Like That… would be made, and all of the original cast, except Kim Cattrall, would return. Noth also returned to the role of Mr. Big, Carrie’s on-again/off-again love interest who appeared in the pilot of the show. With anticipation high for the revival, audiences were shocked when episode 1, which premiered last week, ended with a hugely unexpected twist that raised many questions about the future of the story.

At the end of episode 1, Noth’s character has a heart attack and dies after an intensive workout session on a Peloton bike. And, despite the shock of many elements of the fanbase, Noth believes the move was necessary to advance the story. Speaking in an interview with Vogue, the actor discusses the aftermath of the twist:

No, I haven’t really tuned in. I’m dressed in black. [Laughs.] I’ve got my rosary beads and I’m saying all my Hail Marys. No, I feel good. Michael Patrick King is such a wonderful craftsman, and I thought it could have gone wrong easily, you know? He was on a tight rope in terms of not being over-sentimental or morbid. I was really happy with how it came together and how the show looked and how it has reinvented itself. All things end, and it was time for him to go, unless we’re gonna be doing Scenes From a Marriage, Sex and the City style. There was nowhere to go with it but six feet under.

Killing off a major character is always a risk for TV shows, but it is a move that can be very effective if done well. The reboot deciding to kill off Big in the way it did was certainly a risk, especially with him being such a beloved legacy character. However, sometimes character deaths are necessary to advance the plot of a show or franchise, and there will now be keen interest in seeing how the characters process this as the show progresses.

By taking the decision to kill a major character in the premiere, And Just Like That… is likely showing that it wants to stand out from Sex and the City, whilst also maintaining its legacy. The characters are older, wiser, and more world-weary, and the reboot is likely trying to show that life (and death) can often happen in unexpected ways; Noth touches on this when he talks about the show reinventing itself, and how all things must end. How this impacts the rest of And Just Like That… remains to be seen, but there is no doubting that this was a bold, unexpected move from creator Michael Patrick King.

Source: Vogue

About The Author