Che Diaz was the most polarising character in 2021’s SATC reboot And Just Like That..., with ‘Hey, it’s Che Diaz’becoming four of the most horrifying (and hilarious) words in TV history. The non-binary comedian character divided fans and generated hundreds of thousands of memes – so, naturally, given that AJLT leans into the cringe, you’re about to be hearing a lot more from Che Diaz when season two kicks off.
Speaking to Variety, Sara Ramírez, who plays Che, says that season two will pick up three weeks after the AJLT finale, which saw a lovestruck, newly queer-identifying Miranda head for Los Angeles with Che.
AJLT showrunner Michael Patrick King says: ‘One of my burning passions about season two is Che. 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. I want to show more of Che rather than less of Che. Like, really.’
Ramírez says that they’re ‘aware that Che made waves’ but hasn’t followed the online reaction to the character too closely, pointing out that it wouldn’t be helpful to their performance: ‘Other people’s opinions of a character – that’s not something I can allow into my process… And this is Michael’s baby. He created this role. He wrote it. Those are his and his writing team’s jokes.’
Some fans simply objected that Che’s ‘jokes’ simply weren’t funny but others may have found a proudly queer Che ‘threatening and frightening’ says Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda.
Ramírez acknowledges that some (especially Steve fans) might find Che irritating – ‘Che is complicated and messy and human’ – but says that ‘Che is a great reminder that even when we don’t like someone in our community, they still deserve love, safety and joy, like everyone else.’
And hey, Ramírez is right: even if the sound of ‘Hey, it’s Che Diaz’ terrifies you to your very core, surely Che deserves a chance at finding love and joy with Miranda in a little Venice Beach bungalow.