HBO Max’s “And Just Like That,” the sequel to “Sex and the City,” ended its three-season run on 15 August with a finale that has divided viewers and critics. The closing episode, “Party of One,” features a Thanksgiving dinner that culminates in an overflowing toilet—an extended visual gag that many online commentators labelled gratuitous and “disgusting.” The scene, along with Carrie Bradshaw’s choice to embrace single life, prompted fresh debate over whether the show had undermined the original series’ legacy. Star and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker rejected the criticism in interviews published on 18 August. “I guess I don’t really care,” she told the New York Times when asked about people who ‘hate-watch’ the series, adding that the production “worked incredibly hard to tell stories that were interesting or real” and forged meaningful connections with audiences. Parker said she is satisfied with where her character ends up, calling the finale an “honorable” conclusion. Showrunner Michael Patrick King told Variety the decision to end the programme was made part-way through filming this season because “this is where the story ended.” He defended the bathroom fiasco as a counterpoint to the show’s more glamorous moments, saying it reflected the messy realities of life and relationships. With no plans for a fourth season, the finale marks the definitive farewell for Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda 27 years after their television debut.