Sarah Jessica Parker's epic throwback to '80s sitcom will blow your mind


The CBS show about two awkward teenage girls was cancelled after just one season, but its fans remember the sitcom fondly.


Sarah Jessica Parker attends the Closing Night Red Carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 on December 12, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia© Getty Images
Tess HillNews and Features Writer
October 10, 2025
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Sarah Jessica Parker's breakout role was as Patty Greene in the CBS sitcom Square Pegs. Since then, she's become a household name, starring in the iconic Sex and the City series, Hocus Pocus, and Divorce. But, her 20 episodes on Square Pegs launched her into stardom. The sitcom followed Sarah Jessica as Patty and her friend Lauren Hutchinson, who were two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at their high school. In 1983, Square Pegs was nominated for an Emmy and Sarah Jessica was nominated for a Young Artist Award.

While SJP is definitely the biggest name to come out of Square Pegs, the show tugs at many fans' nostalgia. So, where is the rest of the cast of the iconic '80s sitcom now? From Amy Linker to Jami Gertz, HELLO! dug into the past to find where each actor ended up.

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© CBS via Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica quickly bounced back after Square Pegs was cancelled. The actress starred in the 1984 movie Footloose, in the TV series A Year in the Life, and of course in HBO's comedy drama series Sex and the City. Sarah Jessica has become ubiquitous with Carrie Bradshaw – starring as her in two Sex and the City films and in the revival series And Just Like That

In 1997, the actress married fellow actor Matthew Broderick. The couple are parents to three children – son James Wilkie, 22, and twins Marion Loretta and Tabitha Hodge, 16. In 2014, Sarah Jessica opened a shoes and handbag line called SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker.


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Amy Linker

Amy Linker played Sarah Jessica's friend Lauren Hutchinson on Square Pegs. She wore fake braces and even a fat suit in order to appear less attractive than she actually was for the character. Like Sarah Jessica, Amy was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on the show. After the show was cancelled, Amy voiced an animated character on the Mister T series.

But, since the '80s, Amy has mainly stayed out of the entertainment industry. She studied French at Wellesley College and graduated in 1989 and in 2012, she got her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Amy now works as a psychotherapist."

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Merritt Butrick

Sarah Jessica's love interest in Square Pegs, Johnny Slash, was played by Merritt Butrick. The actor was born in Gainesville, Florida and starred in the science fiction films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Unfortunately, in March 1989, Merritt died at just 29-years-old from toxoplasmosis, complicated by an HIV/AIDS infection.

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Tracy Nelson

Unlike Sarah Jessica and Amy, Tracy Nelson played a cool girl on Square Pegs. She starred as Jennifer DiNuccio in the sitcom and was the quintessential shallow Valley girl. Tracy came from a family of performers, with everyone from her parents to her great-grandparents acting in some way. Throughout the '80s and '90s, she made regular guest appearances on TV series like Will & Grace, Seinfeld, and 7th Heaven.

Tracy has survived three kinds of cancer – stage two Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid cancer, and breast cancer. Her experiences led her to become active in the cancer research community. 

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© CBS via Getty Images

Jami Gertz

On Square Pegs, Jami Gertz played Muffy B. Tepperman, a very preppy student who also happened to be the chairwoman of the Pep Committee, head of the Morals Club, chair of the Science Fair Committee, and a member of the Future Nurses of America. While Peggy and Lauren desperately wanted to fit in, Muffy just wanted to be successful.

Jami went on to have small roles in TV shows throughout the '80s and '90s. In 2009, she starred as Marlo Klein, the wife of Ari Gold's business partner, in HBO's Entourage. And in 2011, Jami had a small part in Modern Family. The actress married private equity investor Tony Ressler in 1989. The couple has three sons.

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