(Spoiler alert: This article contains a major plot point from the premiere episode of the HBO Max series “And Just Like That…”)
Was the controversial death of a beloved character on the premiere of the “Sex and the City” revival, “And Just Like That…” a bad dream? A visit from beyond the grave? Nah, it was just a commercial to make it clear what DID NOT kill them.
And just like that, Mr. Big has returned from the grave. In a new ad for their machines, Peloton tapped “Sex and the City” star and “And Just Like That…” casualty Chris Noth to help encourage people to hop back on the stationary bike this season.
In the video, Noth is seen sitting on the couch in front of his fireplace — definitely not with Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw — toasting “to new beginnings.” As his ladyfriend coyly points out, Noth looks great, and he’s ready to “take another ride” — an obvious double entendre, as a nod to the sexual humor of “Sex and the City.” But no, he’s referring to taking a Peloton ride, not riding…anything else.
You can watch the full return of Big in the video above.
The ad comes in the wake of Noth being killed off in the first episode of HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” reboot, “And Just Like That…” On Thursday, immediately following the reveal that Mr. Big died of a heart attack while riding his Peloton, the company expressed their upset with the twist as well.
On Friday, executive producer Michael Patrick King reassured TheWrap that he had no ill intent in using Peloton on the show.
“Big was on a Peloton to prove that he was current and life-affirming. I put Peloton in the show the same way I would put Gucci in the show, because that’s what is happening right now in life.”
King added that he has a Peloton himself and reiterated the company’s statement that a Peloton can actually lengthen a person’s life.
“Mr. Big died because of his heart, which was established in the series, way back in the day,” King also noted. “He had a heart problem… and Carrie cried when she heard it. I even say in this first episode, ‘I thought you were reaching for your emergency nitroglycerin pill.’ The heart is the story, not the bike.”
As an added bonus for fans, Ryan Reynolds voiced the PSA in the new ad, touting the benefits of owning a Peloton. As he speeds through them, he makes sure to end on a definitive statement: “He’s alive.”