In defence of And Just Like That’s Miranda and Che

However, from Charlotte’s efforts to make Black friends, which involved a case of mistaken identity insinuating Black women look the same, to Miranda’s surprise at her Black professor's braids, they came across as awkward, murky bids at relevance.

But despite the original characters’ clumsy makeovers, it was new character Che Diaz – a “queer, non-binary, Mexican Irish diva” (in their own words) – who appeared to take most of the flak for the show’s evolution.

“Hey! It’s Che Diaz,” the character says via the intercom to Miranda when they visit Carrie’s flat in episode 5. And just like that, a meme emerged on Twitter from their greeting – and the terror fans claimed they would feel if they showed up unannounced on their doorstep.

Che isn’t actually particularly fear-inducing. OK, their comedy isn’t particularly funny, they always seem to be smoking weed, they push a button during their podcast recordings that goes “woke moment!”, and in one scene in season 1 tell Miranda to “DM me if you wanna chill again soon”, but the level of vitriol they've received from fans seems a bit extreme.

So why are they so widely despised? Fans’ dislike of Che appears to stem in part from the idea that the character, who always references "wokeness", is masculine-presenting and verges on promiscuous, is inauthentic – a clichéd take on non-binary representation created by the cisgender writers of the show.

But does this picture not ignore the involvement of Che actor Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy), who identifies as non-binary and has the same description their character uses in their Instagram bio, and also injects a great deal of personality into the role (though Ramirez has said they don't really relate to Che)?

Read more

• And Just Like That season 2 review: Sex is back on the menu
• And Just Like That star says Carrie and Aidan "are ready" to be together now

Other fans seem just to dislike Che, and have labelled them as obnoxious, rude and irritatingly self-assured. But are queer characters not allowed to be those things?

LGBTQ+ characters on TV have long been crafted to be more palatable than their straight counterparts, and are often inoffensive and sexless, overly-nice, suffering and self-hating, or wind up dead.

Che certainly challenges these tropes, and it seems refreshing to see an over-the-top, confident and powerful non-binary character on screen, even if they’re unlikeable at times.

Of course, the backlash against Che also stems from their hold over Miranda in And Just Like That, who is all over the place around Che and cheats on long-time husband Steve without really batting an eyelid – whilst also neglecting bed-bound Carrie next door.

It's a storyline that fans have claimed is at odds with the Miranda from the original series, who was one of the more rational characters, and was also fiercely loyal, both to her friends and to Steve, who devastated her with his infidelity.

But this take fails to acknowledge the simple fact that people do change, especially upon discovering their true identity, and especially upon doing that later in life.

As Miranda actress Cynthia Nixon said in an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, when responding to the criticism that And Just Like That's Miranda is at odds with her former self: "I think some people are not loving seeing these characters maybe off-kilter, but I love that.

"Whatever age you are, you haven't figured everything out. If you think you've figured everything out, you're kidding yourself."

What's more, suggesting that Miranda should have to continue representing level-headed and sensible women – and owes that to fans – seems ridiculous.

In another interview with Vogue, Nixon pointed out: "A feminist show shouldn’t be agitprop, it shouldn’t be propaganda showing women as these sensible, wise, kind, attractive people. First of all, who wants to watch that? I don’t want to watch that."

Creator Michael Patrick King, responding to the complaints, has promised there’ll be more of Che in season 2, rather than less. He said: "I want to show the dimension of Che that people didn’t see, for whatever reason – because they were blinded, out of fear or terror."

Fingers crossed, then, that the character becomes more rounded in the second season and manages to win over fans.

But if not, fans better get over it because, let's be honest, nothing is going to quieten their “Hey! It’s Che Diaz” (or their sex with Miranda next door).

For a recap on how the original series ended, see here.

And Just Like That... season 2 airs on Sky Comedy and NOW in the UK and on HBO Max in the US – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.

Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.