Back in the heyday, Sex and the City consisted mainly of an all-white female cast living a higher end, middle-class existence in the Big Apple. Even with these specific category boxes checked, the HBO series was able to garner a diverse fanbase that included various ages, races, and backgrounds. It could’ve been because at the time of release, female audiences were starving for witty and comedic content that spoke to the human experience from a woman’s point of view.
Since then, many four-person, women-circle shows and movies have attempted to recapture the magic of Sex and the City. Those retellings of sisterhood have been tweaked to represent college students, divorcees, siblings, business peers, newcomers to adulting, and more. And while the faces of the characters and their environments change, the foundation of the story stays the same.
It’s a very lucrative plot, so it makes since that after 18 years Sex and the City is making its return back to television with the Max Original mini series And just Like That…, an exploration of the friends’ evolution in love, life, and friendship in their 50s. Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, and Cynthia Nixon are all returning for the 10-episode season, along with fan-favorites Mr. Big and Stanford Batch played by the late actor Willie Garson, who appears in one episode. Newcomers include Nicole Ari Parker, Brenda Vaccaro, and Sarita Choudhury.
Missing from the cast is one-fourth of the acting quartet, the unforgettable Samantha Jones played by the one and only Kim Cattrall. If fans recall, Cattrall dropped out of talks of being in any new Sex and the City projects mostly because of a conflict she had with fellow actor Sarah Jessica Parker. While viewers were falling in love with the bond between the women on the series, it was disappointing to discover that they were not friends in real life. With the excitement of the new series, fans can’t help but to wonder if the absence of Samantha will leave a void and taint the magic.
The new series also presents a perspective from a more mature stance as the women are now in their 50s. It’s a double-edged sword because society doesn’t necessarily embrace aging and people are rather dismissive about the undeniable reality of life. At the same time, it’s refreshing that viewers will be able to touch base with their favorite characters down a real time line that makes sense for the continuation of the series. One thing that is obvious this time around, there’s certainly more diversity, more gray hair, and more stories to tell.
And Just Like That… premieres Dec. 9 on HBO Max.
