Warning: This article contains spoilers about the season finale of And Just Like That…
Ever since HBO announced that Sex And The City would be returning for a highly-anticipated revival, whispers began about which familiar faces would return.
But there was one fan-favourite in particular that And Just Like That… fans were eager to see—that was, Aidan Shaw.
One third of Carrie Bradshaw’s love triangle, Aidan often went head-to-head with Mr. Big over their love for the romance writer. Since their onscreen debut, fans quickly became divided over which ‘team’ they were on. And when the franchise’s reboot, And Just Like That… was first announced, those same viewers were desperate to know if John Corbett would reprise his role as the furniture designer.
On April 15, Corbett confirmed his character would return to the HBO Max revival. The actor told Page Six that he was “going to do the show”, telling the outlet the news was “very exciting” and that Aidan “might be in quite a few” episodes. But as the credits rolled on last night’s season finale, fans realised that Aidan never showed up, not even by name.
Turns out, showrunner Michael Patrick King claimed that there were never any plans to bring Aidan back, despite Corbett’s statement.
“The fact of the matter is, we never said anything about Aidan,” he said, as per IndieWire.
“We always try to be very restrained and look at the reality of what people are experiencing and it has nothing to do with Aidan coming or not coming,” King explained.
He continued, “It really just felt like this was a lot for Carrie. This season was a lot. We wanted to get her through this and into the light—the last episode is called, ‘Seeing the Light.’ We wanted to get her out.”
“[Aidan’s return] is a big storyline that everybody at home wrote that we had never intended.”
For those in need of a refresher, Aidan was last seen in the controversial Sex And The City 2 film. Carrie and the gang wind up on a trip to Abu Dhabi, where she serendipitously bumps into him at a souk. The pair decide to meet for an innocent dinner—which Charlotte blatantly disapproves of—and, as expected, end up sharing a kiss. The pair instantly regret it, Carrie runs off and we never see Aidan again.
Naturally, with such an open ending for Aidan and now that we know Carrie’s single, it would be interesting to have at least had them cross paths again. No, we’re not saying that they should have sparked another romance (because clearly, they’re not meant to be). But remember, he and Steve were business partners and best friends, so surely their paths would eventually cross over. Of course, fans believed that staying true to Steve’s storyline didn’t seem to a top priority in the reboot, as we saw in that upsetting divorce scene.
However, while Kim Cattrall didn’t return, we still got to enjoy Samantha through faceless texts—the same surely could have been done for Aidan.
For now, we can wait with bated breath that And Just Like That… will be confirmed for a second season and perhaps then, the writers will consider Corbett’s return. Who knows, maybe we’ll have yet another love triangle between Aidan and podcast producer Franklyn?
Either way, you can bet that we’ll be rewatching And Just Like That… season one for the foreseeable future.
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