Spoilers below for the first episode of The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 3, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched with a Max subscription.
One of Max’s best original comedies finally gave the 2024 TV schedule a much-needed dose of collegiate frivolity with the Season 3 return of The Sex Lives of College Girls. Thankfully, the show didn’t miss a beat with "Welcome Back to Essex," which marked the first of Sex Lives cast member Reneé Rapp’s final episodes before her big exit. Indeed that impending departure loomed large over the premiere, with each of Leighton’s scenes filled with narrative exposition.
As happy as I am to know that Leighton will be going off to M.I.T. to show off her brains, while also being able to stay in her loving relationship with Alicia, it obviously sucks to lose a major talent like Rapp, even if it just means we’ll be getting a lot more music from her going forward. But despite any and all sad feelings, co-showrunner Justin Noble invoked some pure glee by dishing out details about the two new characters sliding into Leighton’s void.
Mia Rodgers As Taylor
Justin Noble first addressed Mia Rodgers' new character who was introduced in the Season 3 premiere, though without much of the context that'll make her a unique joy for the rest of the season. Audiences will at least see her as a joy, even if it may take Amrit Kaur's Bela a little longer than others to find reasons for appreciation. As Noble puts it, Rodgers' freshman Taylor doesn't adhere to upperclassmen tropes, and thus doesn't humor Bela's attempts to incite subordination. In his words:
Taylor is absolutely going to be a complicated thorn in Bela’s side for a good bulk of the season. It’s just so fun and delicious for me because Bela is like the thirstiest character in television history. No one is more dehydrated than Bela Malhotra.
It's hard to think about Bela knowing anyone that isn't an obstacle for her at once point or ten others. (Usually a mess of her own making, but still.) Not that Taylor's story paths will only cross with the former (for now) stand-up comedian. Noble teases an expanding backstory on the way, and points to her UK background being a beath of dryly comedic air, saying:
It’s just a fun, interesting dynamic for them to have comedically. Taylor will have a lot of vulnerability that we’ll learn a little bit more about very soon, and we’ll get a sense of what her dating life looks like and her past. And she’s just performed so well and funny, and she’s an interesting flavor to the show that we haven’t had before. She’s very British dry, which I just love, too. I love British comedy, so it’s fun to have an actual funny British girl on the show.
I can't wait to see Bela, Kimberly and Whitney's attempts at pulling off stellar British accents, as I imagine they'll be anything but impressive. Or from this century.
Gracie Lawrence As...A Girly Girl
A lead vocalist and tambourine player for the pop-soul group Lawrence, singer and actress Gracie Lawrence is heading to The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 3 as a series regular named Kacey who transferred to Essex from a different school.
Justin Noble explained that the creative team wanted another new character who was in the same year as the other leads, and that the transfer student arc was ideal for that route. And not only will Kacey be a new face, but she'll also bring a new kind of vibe to the group dynamic. As he put it:
Gracie’s character started as a card that said 'girly girl,' because that’s not a flavor that we’ve had on the show before, and it prompted a super interesting convo with the writers, where they were like, 'Would Kimberly be friends with a girly girl?' And then we’re like, 'Would Whitney be friends with a girly girl?' Then we’d be like, “But it’s not bad. It’s not a bad thing to be a girly girl. It’s just a different thing than we had on the show.” So she kind of feels like a lot of people that we, in the writers room, knew in college, or our friends, or frankly, some of the writers were in college.
Girly-girl stereotypes can tap into everything from Saved by the Bell to The Real Housewives franchise, with all kinds of ways for that kind of persona to be viewed and accepted (or rejected) by characters like Kimberly, Whitney and Bela.
And yes, it sounds like fans can readily expect for Gracie Lawrence to show off her other key talent beyond acting during Kacey's arc. According to Noble:
But she’ll be around our girls quite a bit. She’ll have a lot of interesting events in her romantic world, and we’ll see Gracie Lawrence — who is an incredible, stunning singer in real life — have a little bit of a musical theater, girly journey.
After the first two seasons of awkward shenanigans on Sex Lives of College Girls, I am so down for this show to embrace the musical theater community, especially if one of the main trio gets invested. Get 'em, Kimberly!
The Sex Lives of College Girls streams new episodes on Thursdays on Max. Check out everything heading to TV in 2025 while waiting.
