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And while there’s been several Sex and the City films along the way, the cultural phenomenon that taught generations of women about sex, dating and the enduring power of female friendships is back.
Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte are 50 and thriving
Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP), Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon have teamed up with Sex and the City executive producer Michael Patrick King for a 10-episode revival called And Just Like That…
While Sex and the City was groundbreaking for its frank approach to women’s sexuality in the late 90s, And Just Like That could be just as radical for how it portrays middle-aged women.
Instead of rebooting the franchise with a bunch of up-and-coming twenty-somethings, or jumping back in time like the 2013 prequel The Carrie Diaries, And Just Like That will see the original cast navigate life and friendships in their 50s.
It’s an experience that’s rarely represented on screen – after all, a Nielsen study found women older than 50 only take up 8 per cent of screen time, and when they do, they’re hardly portrayed as multi-faceted characters with a sex life.
«When we announced And Just Like That, there were a lot of positive reactions,» King told Vogue, «but one bitchy response online was people sharing pictures of the Golden Girls. And I was like, ‘Wow, so it’s either you’re 35, or you’re retired and living in Florida. There’s a missing chapter here.'»
And Just Like That will join a growing list of shows that are – slowly but surely – breaking new ground.
Succession fans are in a constant state of thirsty anticipation over the ‘will-they-or-won’t-they’ dynamic between 64-year-old Waystar Royco General Counsel Gerri Kellman, played by J Smith-Cameron, and Roman Roy.
Meanwhile, Kate Winslet, 46, refused to let production airbrush «a bulgy bit of belly» from one of her sex scenes in Mare of Easttown.
«People are like, ‘Why should they come back?’ and it really bugs me,» Kristin Davis told Vogue. «Are women’s lives not interesting now? Nobody ever asks, ‘Why would you do this violent remake over and over again?'»
Samantha Jones will not appear in the reboot
While her absence seems sacrilegious, Cattrall’s lack of participation won’t come as a surprise to devoted Sex and the City fans.
She’s been (very) vocal in the past about her desire not to return to the franchise, telling the Guardian in 2019 she «went past the finish line playing Samantha Jones.»
Not only that, but Cattrall and SJP have been caught up in a decades-long «feud», with the media chronicling everything from early rumours of salary disputes to allegations of a toxic on-set culture.
With one vital member of the group missing, fans couldn’t help but wonder how the show would explain Samantha’s exit. Has she moved out of the city? Have the writers unashamedly killed her off? (After all, SJP confirmed there will be a COVID storyline.)
«Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave. Friendships fade, and new friendships start,» HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys told TVLine.
While she didn’t sign onto And Just Like That, Cattrall is set to appear in the How I Met Your Mother reboot How I Met Your Father, as well as the Queer as Folk reboot as a «martini-soaked socialite» with «trailer park roots.»
There’s a whole bunch of new characters to meet
While parts of Sex and the City were ahead of its time, other elements of the show are cringeworthy to revisit. Despite living in New York City, every main character was white, minority groups were regularly reduced to stereotypes, and for a sex columnist, Carrie was surprisingly narrow-minded and uneducated on LGBTQIA+ issues.
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Black actors Karen Pittman and Nicole http://www.hookupdate.net/social-media-dating Ari Parker have joined the cast, as has Sarita Choudhury, who is of English and Bengali Indian descent and Sara Ramirez, who is Mexican American and non-binary.
Samantha Irby, a new staff writer on the show, who is black, told Vogue she was «a huge fan of Sex and the City back in the day.»
«But there were some moments where I was like, if there had been a black writer in the room, this would have probably played differently.
Mr Big is back
Whether you loved their on-again-off-again relationship or loathed it, one thing is for sure: Chris Noth is back as the most emotionally unavailable man in Manhattan – Mr Big.
But things might not be as they appear. While the pair (finally!) got ong us noticed Carrie isn’t always wearing a wedding ring in the reboot’s trailer.
Carrie’s man isn’t the only one returning, though. David Eigenberg is reprising his role of Steve Brady, which is good news for Miranda, while Charlotte’s husband Harry Goldenblatt, played by Evan Handler, is also part of the reboot.
The fashion will be just as wild and wonderful as ever
Ask any Sex and the City fan to name their favourite Carrie Bradshaw outfit, and they’ll rattle off at least five examples.
There’s the classic tutu from the opening credits, the John Galliano newspaper dress, the «naked» dress, the white ball gown she nearly married Aidan in — and that’s not even listing all the times she wore a belt across her bare waist, or paired a cowboy hat with a boob tube.
The woman behind those unforgettable combinations is legendary costume designer Patricia Field, and fan accounts like are still documenting, dissecting and celebrating her creations to this day.
Unfortunately, Field didn’t work her magic on And Just Like That as she was busy pulling together looks for season 2 of Netflix’s Emily In Paris.
And it looks like Carrie’s wardrobe will continue to be just as stylish and wacky as ever, with paparazzi snapping more on-set fashion moments than you can poke a Manolo Blahnik at, including. whatever this outfit is.
It’s the last time we’ll see Willie Garson play Stanford Blatch
In September, fans were shocked to learn of the death of Willie Garson, who played Carrie’s best friend Stanford Blatch.
Garson’s performance in And Just Like That will no doubt be bittersweet, with the teaser trailer showing Carrie and Stanford still walking arm in arm down the streets of New York City all these years later.
Where can I watch And Just Like That in Australia?
The first two episodes will premiere on Foxtel and Binge on December 9, with the remaining eight to drop each Thursday until the finale airs on February 3.
If you’re looking to rewatch the entire series, all six seasons and the two films, Sex and the City: The Movie and Sex and the City 2, are available for streaming on Binge.