Season two of And Just Like That premiered on Thursday with an homage to Willie Garson, the late star of Sex and the City.
The American actor, who played Stanford Blatch in the 1990s New York comedy-drama, died in 2021 at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer.
Stanford, Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) pal, appears in 27 episodes, frequently giving Carrie fashion or romance advise.
He returned for the two sequel films in 2008 and 2010, before appearing in three episodes of the reboot series And Just Like That in season one.
After season two premiered with two episodes on Thursday, fans of the show were rewarded to a fitting, heartfelt homage to the popular character.
Following his untimely demise, it was stated in season one that Stanford had been sent from New York to manage a social media celebrity.
He sent Carrie a letter after going to Tokyo, apologised for leaving without saying goodbye – a move that saddened Carrie and the show’s fans.
However, in the season two premiere, another homage to the famous character was made when it was revealed that Stanford was still doing well in Japan.
Fans were also informed that Carrie and Stanford had reconciled off-screen when a dress for Carrie to wear on the red carpet at the Met Gala arrived.
‘Oh, thank you. My friend Stanford sent it to me from Japan,’ she said in response to somebody who complimented the silk kimono she was wearing.
And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King acknowledged to fans in 2022 that he couldn’t bring himself to incorporate Garson’s death into the narrative.
‘I’m not gonna really lean into [Garson’s death]. It’s too sad. And it’s too tragic. It’s not a fictional death. It’s a real death,’ he told Vanity Fair at the time.
Another (largely) missing character from And Just Like That was series legend Samantha Jones, portrayed by Kim Cattrall, who did not return for the revival.
Kim, on the other hand, appears to be making a cameo appearance in the last episode of season two, with her character having left for London following Sex and the City.
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