Following news that Sex and the City spin-off will definitely be happening, ‘I couldn’t help but wonder’ whether it’s a good thing or not.
Like so many people on the planet, I’m a SATC superfan. Yep, that’s right. I’ve seen the series eight times, watched both films, bought the books and even did my university dissertation on SATC and its relation to feminism.
So, after 22 years, I didn’t think a reboot would happen. But HBO Max confirmed they are going ahead with ‘And Just Like That’, following the lives of three 50-something women in Manhattan. The big difference, you will notice, is that three out of four characters are making a comeback.
The ‘Awful Truth’ is that Samantha (Kim Cattrall) won’t be returning.
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) will be the ones to feature in the reboot. It’s well known that ‘Frenemies’ Cattrall and Parker have had a feud for many years, which is a shame because their chemistry in the show was brilliant.
What I hope is being ‘Carrie-d’ over…
Here are a few things I hope will be making an appearance in ‘And Just Like That’:
The bond (age) between the women
“They say nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style.” – Carrie Bradshaw
Their relationships were something that every person who watched the show wanted. A strong bond that stood the test of time, despite a few disagreements along the way. They all gelled together and had a funny, heartfelt and brilliant moments.
Their individualism
Like the Spice Girls, each woman had her own defined personality which was always a topic for discussion with friends. You’d take these online compatibility tests to discover which character you were most like.
For the purpose of this article, I did one of these and I was most like CHARLOTTE!
If you fancy giving it a go, click here.
‘All that glitters’ and is glamorous
The whole love affair with SATC was built on the fact that four bold, single women were living their lives at full speed and weren’t ashamed to do so. The Cosmopolitans, the glamourous parties, the great jobs and Carrie’s wardrobe were things to be envious of and lose yourself in. Watching SATC is like living a lifestyle you’ve always wanted from the comfort of your front room. This escapism is so important right now during a global pandemic. I say the more glitter the better!
The witty one-liners
One of my favourite lines is from Miranda who asks, “Do any of you have a completely unremarkable friend or maybe a houseplant I could go to dinner with on Saturday night?”. I’m getting all nostalgic, but they don’t write lines like that anymore! SATC fans loved the friendships, the fashion and the f…oxy men, but they also loved it because it was fun and guaranteed to make you laugh. Samantha, as a character, had some absolutely fantastic one-liners so I, like many others, will miss her presence in this follow-on. They were great because they were always full of pure, unadulterated filth which she owned.
What ‘Big’ changes need to be made?
And here are a few things the creators should think about:
Inclusion of principal characters of colour
During the late 90s and early 2000s, one of the only people of colour to make an appearance in SATC was Miranda’s football coach boyfriend, Robert. Other than that, it was centred around four, middle to upper class white women whose love interests were also predominantly white. The world has moved on so much since then. In the first SATC film, Jennifer Hudson made an appearance as Carrie’s personal assistant and she was fabulous. It would be great to see her and her flamboyant nature gracing our screens once more.
‘The Power of Female Sex’ and its evolution
When SATC was first on our screens, it was daring, sexually explicit and discussed topics that would make your Nan blush. However, since then, TV shows (like ‘Fleabag’ and ‘I May Destroy You’) have ‘come’ (sorry, not sorry!) a long way in terms of talking about sex and modern women’s attitudes to it. And in part, I think SATC paved the way for such things, so they need to be sure to embrace it and make sure they’re being ‘Politically Erect’.
‘And they lived happily ever after’?
The reason SATC worked back in the late 90s – early 00s was because these four fabulous, single women were ‘having sex like men’. Especially Samantha. The whole series focused on the friendships and the fun they were having being single. The only one who was desperate for the fairytale ending with the ‘perfect guy’ was Charlotte who even said ‘I’ve been dating since I was 15. I’m exhausted. Where is he?!’ But at the series end, all of the women were in relationships. 10 years on from the second film, will their relationships stay the same? Will some of them be single once more? Or will the creators fuel the fairytale that most people have of finding ‘The One’?
The verdict?
I say, if the creators do it justice and think about the elements above, then ‘Alrighty!’, I’m in! I can’t help but get excited.
As Carrie writes, “People come into your life and people go. But it’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart…” and Sex and the City will always have a special place in mine.
So, the question is, are you excited about ‘And Just Like That’?
I am… ‘Abso-f***ing-lutely’.