'And Just Like That' Creator Says the Show Will 'Potentially Age Well' — Here Is the Defense

'And Just Like That' showrunner Michael Patrick King told Deadline the show will 'potentially age well.' Here is the argument and why critics are unconvinced.

Michael Patrick King — the showrunner and creator of 'And Just Like That,' the HBO Max sequel series to 'Sex and the City' that premiered in 2021 and has now completed three seasons — told Deadline that he believes the show will 'potentially age well,' a statement that is simultaneously the most optimistic and most defensive possible characterisation of a series whose specific critical reception has been among the most divisive in prestige cable television history.

For the 'potentially age well' analysis: the specific critical complaint about 'And Just Like That' involves the particular quality of its treatment of its characters' aging — the accusation that the show sometimes punishes its characters for being older women, or alternatively that it sometimes overcorrects in ways that feel forced, or that Carrie Bradshaw's specific grief processing after Big's death was extended beyond what the narrative required, or that the diverse new characters were introduced in ways that felt like quota management rather than genuine storytelling interest. The 'potentially age well' defence suggests that King believes these specific criticisms reflect contemporary moment bias rather than permanent artistic assessment.

For the 'potentially' qualifier: the specific word choice — not 'will age well' but 'potentially age well' — is the particular hedge that acknowledges uncertainty while maintaining the specific optimism that a showrunner must express about their work. It is the precise formulation of someone who believes in their work while acknowledging the honest uncertainty of any prediction about future cultural reception.

For the show's actual cultural footprint: 'And Just Like That' has consistently generated the specific discourse whose volume — whatever its valence — confirms audience engagement. A show that nobody was watching wouldn't produce the specific passionate debates about whether Carrie should have moved to Paris or stayed in New York, whether the Miranda storyline was handled appropriately, or whether Charlotte's specific parenting moments worked.