After almost 20 years away from our screens, Carrie and co are back for a Sex and the City sequel: And Just Like That. But as the fiftysomething women grapple with the modern era of dating apps and teenage children in the long-anticipated reboot, fans are divided.
Warning: these opinions contain spoilers from the first episode of And Just Like That.
‘It seems realistic to me, despite all the cringe it brings’
I was shocked by how much I loved it. It was fantastic to see these characters back on the small screen, a setting which suits the Sex and the City universe much better than the Hollywood missteps. I think there will be mixed reviews about the way the show has brought its social commentary up-to-date: the first episode is packed with dialogue on everything from modern sexual expression and gender identity to white privilege. In some ways, this is a clear effort to directly address the criticisms of the original series and films, but I think it’s authentic to see the main characters in a “woke” world and how they navigate new norms. This is realistic to me, despite all the cringe it brings. I’ve been rewatching Sex and the City over the past few months so my emotional reaction to the end of the first episode was intense.
Seeing the central three back at lunch together was a moment of such happiness for me, but I am excited to find out more about the new characters, particularly Che, who I think is going to be an amazing addition to the formula of sharp-tongued, hilarious explorations into life, love and struggles. I’m hooked all over again.
Katie, 31, event producer, Manchester
‘It was badly missing Samantha’
I used to love the original series, which I watched while living in a city in my 30s. I really related to some of their relationship experiences. But I thought this was dire. There was no humour at all – well, besides the unintentional. The scenes with Miranda and her tutor were embarrassing. It was right to update the series in terms of diversity and sex; I’ll never forget Carrie saying in the original series that she didn’t believe bisexuality really existed. But the attempts were cringe-worthy. Charlotte didn’t have anything to do apart from being a bossy mum/wife and friend. It was badly missing Samantha and humour, but maybe that will come in later episodes after the death of Mr Big.
Claire, 48, housing association worker, Scotland
‘It is exactly what I wanted the spin-off to do’
I was nervous when the sequel was announced. Would it work without Samantha? Would it compound the sins of the second film? The leaked script in July allayed many of my fears. It finally gave Stanford his seat at the brunch table and revealed trouble for Carrie and Big’s relationship. Based on the first two episodes, I am delighted with it.
And Just Like That is not a continuation of Sex and the City. It shows a remarkable evolution. Samantha’s absence – deftly dealt with (we laugh at Bitsy, not Samantha) in the first episode and sweetly acknowledged in the second – was far less significant than I expected. The new characters are well drawn. Given many of the best lines, non-binary Che will change people’s perceptions of gender and sexuality for the better. Lisa Todd Wexley, or LTW, shows us a side of New York rarely seen: affluent black society. And Just Like That seeks to start dialogue about societal change, yet the characters remain as un-PC as they want: we see Anthony cruising hot guys for his bread delivery service at a piano recital, and referring to LTW as “black Charlotte”. Without spoiling the twist at the end of episode one, it is exactly what I wanted the spin-off to do. Take the Carrie character and put her back where she belongs: looking, questioning, striving and yearning. This mature and savvy show has so much to offer – just don’t tune in expecting Sex and the City.
Tom, 34, London
‘There was heartbreak, humour and friendship – all I want’
SATC always had something to say, wrapping each episode around a theme or relationship/friendship lesson. But episode one had none of this and was instead packed with surface-level dialogue and expensive lifestyles. I was unable to relate to my girls, who had always been so relatable! But then episode two happened and things changed. They became real characters with real connections to the people I remembered them to be. There was heartbreak and humour and friendship: all the things I want from SATC. The second episode did have something to say – a lesson about life and friendship – told through my old friends, the gal pals.
Perry Seymour, 56, humanitarian training consultant, London
‘It’s really nice to see women over 50 at the centre of a show’
I thought this show showed a lot of potential. It stayed true to the characters in a way other revivals do not. I would really like Samantha to return, but I will still watch it if she doesn’t. It’s really nice to see women over 50 onscreen and at the centre of a show, with the focus on their friendships. I loved Carrie’s fashion and how it doesn’t really relate to a specific age. It simply shows a unique sense of style and personality. I found the initial twist sad, but a brave storytelling move that makes me feel invested in where the story will go next. I hope they keep the momentum going.
Emily, 30s, administrator, Ireland
‘It felt too forced and tired’
The ending to the first episode felt cheap and I’m just unable to connect to Carrie’s response to it. She was so muted that even the Samantha mention in the second episode has more emotional heft. The first two episodes still brought no sensible argument as to why they should revive this series. It just felt too forced and honestly too tired.
In the first episode, it’s a running gag that Che would honk a button that blares “woke moment!” every time they bring up something woke in the podcast. I think these two episodes we have seen so far are exactly that – a barrage of forced woke moments to compensate for the lack of diversity in the original series.
Fadhil Ramadhani, 24, teacher, Indonesia
