And Just Like That: David Eigenberg's Hearing Informed A Controversial Steve Story
Turns out, one of the least popular storylines from the "Sex and the City" revival "And Just Like That" — which is really saying something — was inspired by an actor's real life.
To say fans were put off when David Eigenberg's sweet, loving Steve Brady, husband to Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), became a doddering, hard-of-hearing dope in the revival is to put it lightly. According to two of the show's writers, though, it was inspired by Eigenberg's real-life struggle with ongoing hearing loss.
Writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky, who also worked on the original series, told Vanity Fair that Eigenberg spoke to showrunner Michael Patrick King about his hearing issues, and it all started there. "When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, 'I got hearing aids.' It was literally what he led with," Zuritsky revealed. "That actually wound up being Steve's tone about his aging [in the show]."
Zuritsky went on to confirm that it has nothing to do with how anyone feels about either Eigenberg or Steve as a character: "Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being," she said. "We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He's so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys."
Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky say the choice was more about Miranda's journey
Rottenberg and Zuritsky definitely faced backlash over the choice to sideline Steve in the revival, as was the rest of the crew — but as they told Vanity Fair, it's because the show is about Miranda's journey, which is taking her to a very different place.
"But Miranda's journey is representing another reality out there, which a lot of people go through—the reevaluations and transitions in life," Rottenberg told the outlet. "Grown couples grow apart, and people come to epiphanies about what their spouse is or isn't fulfilling for them. Miranda's story was very representative of a certain path that a lot of women find themselves on."
Wondering if the uproar over Steve's stoyline came from "lopsided gender issues" where viewers feel protective of Eigenberg's character, Zuritsky said, clearly referring to Miranda, "we didn't set out to make virtuous characters necessarily. Even beloved people have crises. Even moral, generally wonderful people make choices that aren't necessarily admirable or virtuous. But they do them anyway because they're going through something, or they're working through a crisis."
Miranda and Steve break up during And Just Like That — and it's awful
Of all the unpopular storylines in "And Just Like That," Miranda's is probably the most reviled. Sick of her perfectly nice husband and apparently developing a drinking problem (an issue which is abandoned after she simply rids her house of alcohol, presumably forever), Miranda starts an affair with the world's most grating stand-up comedian, Che Diaz (Sara Ramiréz), who does things like press a button that screams "woke moment!" as a punchline.
Miranda basically tosses the father of her child and husband of many years in the trash the second Che rolls into town, delivering bon mots like "I'm craving some Che" in the process. Eventually, she decides to give up her entire life and move to Los Angeles with Che when their pilot gets greenlit, leaving Steve even further in the rearview mirror. Working Eigenberg's real life hearing loss into the plotline is one thing, but how did the writers get here from Steve and Miranda's incredible origin story?!
Steve and Miranda once had the best love story on Sex and the City
The worst part about the immediate breakdown of Steve and Miranda's marriage is probably that it was such a great relationship in the original series. After meeting Steve while he's bartending, Miranda takes him home only to immediately dismiss him after their tryst. What she thinks is a one-night stand, though, turns into one of the show's most enduring relationships.
The two eventually have a son together, Brady, even when they're not together, and their reunion towards the end of the series is particularly touching as they admit that they've always been meant for each other, despite dating other people at the time. As the show draws to a close, Miranda shows Steve the ultimate form of love — she takes care of his ailing mother.
The first movie sets the couple on a downward spiral when Steve cheats on Miranda, but even then, the two overcome their marital problems. It's bad enough that Steve gets cast aside, but it also just kind of feels like both characters, after all they've been through, got personality transplants for the revival.
"And Just Like That" returns for Season 2 on June 22, 2023.