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And just like that, the “Sex and the City” reboot killed off a main character in its series premiere — which has Peloton backpedaling like crazy, since this beloved character suffered a heart attack after riding one of the exercise company’s $1,500-plus bikes.
The rest of this story contains major spoilers for the HBO Max series “And Just Like That…” — so viewers who haven’t tuned in yet should read on at their own risk.
The long-awaited “Sex and the City” reboot, which catches up with the now 50-something characters from HBO’s
T,
hit NSFW franchise, shocked fans by destroying the leading on-again, off-again couple’s hard-earned happily ever after.
Yes, after six seasons and two films’ worth of drama, the new series gave fans a glimpse of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie and Chris Noth’s “Mr. Big” (aka John James Preston) enjoying their early golden years together — before ending the episode with Big dying in Carrie’s arms after suffering a heart attack while taking a Peloton
PTON,
class in their penthouse.
And fans couldn’t help but wonder: what were the showrunners thinking?! Plenty took to Twitter
TWTR,
to vent, or to take digs at the show.
Reps from the show and HBO Max were not immediately available for comment.
Peloton also found itself spinning damage control on Thursday night and Friday morning. The company was not immediately available for comment. But it released a statement through cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a member of Peloton’s Health & Wellness Advisory Council, that spins Big’s untimely demise as a result of his extravagant lifestyle — and not from riding a Peloton bike.
““Riding his Peloton bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.””
“I’m sure SATC fans, like me, are saddened by the news that Mr. Big dies of a heart attack. Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle—including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks—and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6,” she said in a statement to news outlets including the Los Angeles Times.
“These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death,” she continued. “Riding his Peloton bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.”
And Peloton spokesperson Denise Kelly told BuzzFeed that the company was blindsided by how the bike was used in relation to Big’s death in the episode.
“HBO procured the Peloton Bike on their own. Peloton was aware that a Bike would be used in the episode, and that Jess King would be portraying a fictional Peloton instructor,” Kelly said. “Due to confidentiality reasons, HBO did not disclose the larger context surrounding the scene to Peloton in advance.”
Crock-Pot can certainly sympathize. The slow cooker brand was burned by the NBC
CMCSA,
drama “This Is Us” in 2018, when a heart-wrenching episode saw a slow cooker spark a kitchen fire that burned down the family’s home, resulting in the death of that show’s beloved leading man Jack (Milo Ventimiglia.)
Devastated viewers initially reacted on social media by threatening to throw away their own Crock-Pots.
But Crock-Pot managed to put out the PR fire by launching a @crockpotcares Twitter account that responded to many viewers’ tweets, as well as publishing a lengthy Facebook post to try to reassure customers that its signature appliance isn’t going to roast them in their sleep.
They also rolled out a “very special message” apology ad during the Super Bowl that showed Ventimiglia dishing himself a bowl of chili from a Crock-Pot with the hashtag #CrockPotIsInnocent popping up on the screen.
Read more: How that devastating ‘This Is Us’ fire actually boosted Crock-Pot sales
A month later, Ad Age reported that Crock-Pot sales actually increased $300,892. Maybe Peloton can take a page from Crock-Pot’s playbook?
It’s been a year of ups and downs for Peloton, and the “Sex and the City” plot twist certainly didn’t help. On Friday, its stock was downgraded to neutral from outperform at Credit Suisse, after shares skidded 11% to $40.70 on Thursday, the day the episode aired.
And in May, the company voluntarily recalled 125,000 treadmills after more than 29 reports of injuries to children, and one death. It also recalled 1,050 Tread treadmills, saying the touch screen can detach and fall and pose a risk of injury.
