Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That unveiled its finale on Thursday—and you know what that means. Yes, like every other recent “limited series” that people actually watched, it stands an excellent chance of returning for an allegedly unplanned second season. In a recent interview with Variety, executive producer and star Sarah Jessica Parker said that she “definitely” wants to make more AJLT and is hoping to get the team into planning mode soon. “Because there’s a calendar and you don’t want to let too much time pass. There feels like there’s momentum.”
Alas, momentum isn’t quite the same thing as fresh material. For all the conversation it generated, AJLT also gave us some pretty cringe-worthy story lines, with characters like Miranda’s devoted husband Steve and Miranda’s queer love interest Che Diaz receiving particularly harsh scrutiny. So, in hopes of digging the show out of its rut—and to cleanse our office Slack of two months’ worth of half-serious brainstorming—TIME‘s culture staff is offering showrunner Michael Patrick King and his writers’ room some free ideas for season 2. You can thank us later.
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What’s next for Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte?
From Big’s death to Miranda’s sexual awakening to everyone learning about flash periods, And Just Like That showed that middle age is rich with complication and drama, and that things are certain to be eventful for the ladies at the center of the series. Here, we have some ideas on what comes next:
- In a Roseanne-finale-style twist, we learn that And Just Like That season 1 was actually a dramatization of Carrie Bradshaw’s debut novel, and what happened in her real life during the same period was somewhat different. While Miranda remained stuck in a holding pattern with Steve, Big divorced Carrie because he had fallen in love with Anthony. So who died? Charlotte, of toxic shock syndrome.
- Carrie discovers that her young new downstairs neighbor is Big’s love child from when he lived in California.
- A character on the show encounters—gasp—financial problems. Or, perhaps, Carrie makes a friend whose net worth is below seven figures.
- Just as Carrie is settling into a rhythm with a new love interest, Aidan returns, shaking everything up.
What will happen to all the new characters?
And Just Like That‘s inclusion of new characters and storylines not entirely centered on Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha (who doesn’t appear in the reboot but is frequently mentioned) had some hits and many misses in its attempt to address diversity, racism, and questions about gender identity. New characters such as Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) introduced storylines about infertility and the gripes that arise in all long-term relationships. Che Diaz, played by Sara Ramirez, quickly became one of the most controversial characters on TV. A queer and nonbinary stand-up comedian and podcast host, Che develops a relationship with Miranda, prompting her to reevaluate her marriage to Steve. The character of Che and their trajectory ignited a heated debate online, prompting show creator Michael Patrick King to come to their defense in a recent interview with Variety.
Meanwhile, Sarita Choudhury sparkled as Seema Patel, a glam and self-assured real estate agent who befriends Carrie and is open about her desire for love—but some critics argued that And Just Like That underutilized the character, often relegating her to the margins of the plot. It remains to be seen what will happen to Seema, Che, LTW, and Nya, but we have some ideas:
- Che Diaz goes on tour and we never have to see them again. Simplicity can be key.
- What went down in Cleveland? A crucial moment in season 1 finds Miranda on her way Che to Cleveland to say she is in love with them and dedicated to their relationship. The show never revisits this and we see Che and Miranda together in the following episode—having, apparently, ended things with Steve—as though nothing happened. Give us a flashback to Cleveland!
- At least one episode focuses on a day in Seema’s New York City, as we see her sell homes, flirt, and smoke her way around.
- Seema and Steve are roommates and serve as each other’s wingmen as they hit the dating scene.
- Seema, an Indian-American woman in her mid-50s, doesn’t have to defend her lifestyle choices to her parents.
- A show about the cutthroat world of Upper East Side New York families starring Lisa and Herbert Wexley. I suppose they can occasionally invite Charlotte and Harry over for dinner for the sake of continuity.
- Herbert Wexley and Miranda face off in a run for NYC mayor.
- Brady and Luisa get pregnant and Nya adopts the baby.
- Nya divorces her husband and starts dating Miranda, who was dumped by Che.
What to do with Steve
It’s possible to empathize with Miranda’s unhappiness with her life and marriage while still feeling bad for Steve, whose life changes completely when Miranda admits how she feels. Here, a few ideas on how And Just Like That can treat Steve better:
- Steve gets back together with acrylic nails Debbie (an ex from Sex and the City).
- Steve moves to Vermont, where the dating scene is much more his speed—and meets a lady lumberjack who likes Steve for Steve.
- Steve goes on Queer Eye, not for lifestyle reasons, but for confidence to get back out there on the dating scene.