Say goodbye Rosie and hello to Mary. Legendary comedian and gay rights advocate Rosie O’Donnell is making her return to scripted television by joining the iconic Sex and the City franchise.
On May 1, O’Donnell shared a screenshot of the script for the season three premiere of And Just Like That…, titled “Outlook Good” and written by showrunner Michael Patrick King. Above the script is a card bearing the name “Mary” over O’Donnell’s name.
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“Here comes Mary,” O’Donnell wrote in the caption, confirming the new character’s identity. Along with the script, O’Donnell posted a photo of herself rocking near shoulder-length hair and an olive blazer, and it’s reasonable to assume she’s in costume for the character.
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These two details are all we know so far. But other recent And Just Like That… news might give some insight into how Mary will fit into the story. Two characters closely connected to the storyline for Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) have announced departures ahead of the third season.
Sara Ramírez, who played divisive nonbinary comedian and love interest to Miranda, Che Diaz, revealed that the character would not be returning. In an Instagram post, Ramírez strongly hinted their firing was connected to their speaking out against the genocide in Palestine. Anonymous producers for the series claimed the character was axed due to their unpopularity. Either way, this leaves the recently out Miranda single and ready to mingle with a new queer love interest for the upcoming season.
Karen Pittman, who played Miranda’s former law school professor Nya Wallace, also announced she would not be returning. Pittman, who stars in Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and was recently cast in the Netflix adaptation of Judy Blume’s Forever, released a statement through a Max spokesperson, saying “that filming three shows at once isn’t possible.”
Over the course of the series, Miranda and Nya developed a close and sometimes complicated friendship. With Nya’s departure, Miranda might be on the lookout for a new confidant.
While a Miranda connection seems likely, we’ll just have to wait and see how O’Donnell’s character manifests. Along with O’Donnell’s post, Sarah Jessica Parker posted photos indicating that table reads are currently underway. Season 3 of And Just Like That… is tentatively scheduled for 2025.