Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Sex Lives of College Girls” Season 3, Episode 2.
It’s the end of the road for Reneé Rapp’s Leighton Murray on “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
News broke in 2023 that Rapp would be stepping down as a series regular in the Max series as she focuses on her music, and her departure was wrapped up in a two-episode arc at the start of Season 3.
After the Season 3 premiere saw Leighton commuting to an advanced math program at a not-so-nearby college, she gets word in Episode 2 that MIT is willing to admit her as a transfer student — the very next week. It turns out the location is pretty convenient as Leighton’s girlfriend Alicia (Midori Francis) told her in Episode 1 she would be leaving Essex to work for the mayor of Boston, and the pair agreed to stay together.
Showrunner Justin Noble, who co-created the series alongside Mindy Kaling, revealed the transfer storyline was the only exit for Leighton he and the writers explored, since it “felt natural right out of the gate.”
“I was excited to do this transfer story because, my first year, one of my best friends transferred, and … that’s part of college that I haven’t seen before — when someone who’s so important to this aspect of your life is just saying they’re gone,” Noble told TheWrap. “It’s really showing that Leighton kind of just figured college out faster than the others, and she’s ready to pursue what’s next.”
Noble also had no doubts about keeping Leighton and Alicia together, especially considering what Alicia meant to Leighton in the early parts of the relationship when Leighton was still closeted.
“Alicia was so consequential in Leighton’s life — we watched as Leighton became more comfortable with who she is by being around the women’s center,” Noble said. “I love the way that first season unfolded, and I love that they went their different ways in the second season and and eventually found their way back to each other. I don’t know that they’re end game, but I think it could work.”
The showrunner added that his “biggest cringe” is when fans continue to ship Leighton and her ex-girlfriend, Tatum (Gracie Dzienny), saying, “Why do we want the blonde femme girl to be with the blonde femme girl? This feels icky to me in some way.”
With the roommates — Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott), Bela (Amrit Kaur) and Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) — saying their goodbyes to Leighton at the end of Episode 2 with one last night out together, Noble confirmed Rapp will not appear in any additional episodes this season. Her exit is, however, cushioned by the introduction of two new characters this season: a freshman international student named Taylor (Mia Rodgers) and a transfer student named Kacey (Gracie Lawrence).
“She’s only in these two episodes of this season — I don’t want to mislead anyone and have an ‘And Just Like That…’ moment,” Noble said. “But I think that people will see the season at its end and feel like there’s so much more going on. Truly, there’s more characters to keep around than we find space for, so I think it’ll still feel very full and fun.”
New episodes of Season 3 drop every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET on Max.
