And Just Like That… made quite the impression on viewers when it launched on HBO Max last week.
At the end of the series premiere, Chris Noth’s Mr. Big was killed off.
And while many viewers were left yelling at the screen for Carrie to call 9-1-1, many others were more concerned about him taking a heart attack after working out on his Peloton machine.
In the aftermath, Peloton came out to defend their device, all the while noting that Mr. Big lived life to the fullest, meaning there were various other factors going into his cardiac arrest.
Heck, Noth himself even appeared in a Peloton commercial over the weekend that Ryan Reynolds narrated.
The decision to kill off Mr. Big was understandably a big swing for the series, especially after fans spent so many years invested in his and Carrie’s relationship.
Series showrunner Michael Patrick King revealed in an interview with TV Line that he did not hesitate to pull the trigger on that big moment.
“Sex and the City has always been bold in its story choices,” King explained to the outlet.
“This just happens to be one about one of the main love interests of the show.”
King went on to say that the show was no different on HBO, citing big storytelling choices like Carrie having an affair and Samantha’s cancer.
“This show has always been a combination of dark and light,” King continued.
“Over the years, people have sort of remembered it because of syndication that it’s about cocktails and funny date stories.”
“But even the date stories were graphic, on the original show. So I was never daunted about the idea of doing it, because I knew that I had such a significant actress to play this.”
“I had Sarah Jessica [Parker], who could play this character, and people love Carrie.”
King said that And Just Like That… is a work of fiction, but “death is a part of life.”
He likened death on the show to “trial run.”
“And the fact of the matter is, this is fiction. And one of the great things to use fiction for is to make us feel things that aren’t real, that are scary, because in real life, when you feel them, it’s just devastating.”
“But in fiction when you feel them, it’s not real.”
“But you get to have a trial run. Everybody’s lost somebody, and why can’t Carrie?” the showrunner shared.
“And the fact of the matter is, it proves that it’s not television. Because television’s rule is: Don’t change anything that’s working.”
“Well, they were really working. That’s why we went for it, because I wanted to sort of have the show reflect a new reality.”
“And also, it’s interesting to discover: Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? It’s something I think about all the time. And I think it’s interesting that Carrie has to now figure that out.”
And Just Like That… continues Thursdays on HBO Max.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.