Sex and the City revival, titled “And Just Like That …” has been officially confirmed! The revival miniseries, which will air 10 episodes, will be launched on HBO Max. Three of the original four leading ladies, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, will be back to catch us up on what’s been going on in their lives since we last saw them.
What we know about the revival so far…
- The revival will follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate friendship in their 50s.
- Samantha will not be back for the revival.
- The revival will be introducing two new characters, strong and feisty women of colour, who will help introduce the show to a new generation of viewers and more accurately reflect the world we live in.
- And Just Like That is set to begin shooting in New York in late spring 2021.
- Ten episodes of the half-hour series will premiere exclusively on HBO Max. No expected date for release has been announced yet
SEX AND THE CITY
Meet the ladies
Carrie Bradshaw, portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker, s a New York City columnist and fashionista; her weekly column, “Sex and the City,” provides the narration for each episode. A member of the New York glitterati, she is a club/bar/restaurant staple known for her unique fashion sense and lives in a studio apartment in the Upper East Side. Carrie is notoriously led by her emotions. She is a relatable character due to the self-deprecating humor with which she tackles stereotypical issues within male–female relationships (commitment being the running theme).
Charlotte York, portrayed by Kristin Davis, has had a conventional, privileged upbringing and works in an art gallery. Charlotte is a classic over-achiever and perfectionist. She is optimistic, hopelessly romantic, and a believer in true love and soul mates. She is the most conservative and traditional of the group, placing more emphasis on emotional love than lust, believing in many romantic ideals, and always searching for her “knight in shining armor”.
Miranda Hobbes, portrayed by Cynthia Nixon, is a career-minded lawyer with cynical views on relationships and men. She is Carrie’s confidante and voice of reason. he birth of her son, Brady Hobbes, brings up new issues for her type A, workaholic personality, but she eventually finds a way to balance career, being single, and motherhood. Of the four women, she is the first to purchase an apartment (an indicator of her success).
Samantha Jones, portrayed by Kim Cattrall, is an independent businesswoman with a career in public relations (PR). She is the oldest and most sexually confident of the foursome. She is proud and extremely outspoken, and calls herself a “try-sexual” (meaning she’ll try anything once). Early on in the show, Samantha declares she has given up on relationships and has decided to just have sex “like a man”, that is: without emotions or feelings and purely for physical gratification.
How it all started …
Sex and the City, an American romantic comedy-drama TV is an adaptation of Candace Bushnell’s 1997 book of the same name. The series premiered in the US in 1998 and concluded in 2004, with 94 episodes broadcast over six seasons. Sex and the City defined an era with its group of smart and successful 30-something women talking frankly about sex and relationships.
Set and filmed in New York City, the series follows the lives of a group of four women – three in their mid-thirties and one in her forties – who, despite their different natures and ever-changing sex lives, remain inseparable and confide in each other. The series had multiple continuing storylines that tackled relevant and modern social issues such as sexuality, promiscuity and femininity, while exploring the difference between friendships and romantic relationships. The deliberate omission of the better part of the early lives of the four women was the writers’ way of exploring social life – from sex to relationships – through each of their four very different, individual perspectives.
How the series ended with its 6th season …
The season and the series concludes with the four girlfriends reunited in New York City. Carrie receives a phone call from Big, telling her that his Napa house is up for sale and he is headed back to New York, ready to finally commit to her being “the one”. Charlotte marries Harry and after their fertility treatments fail, they decide to adopt a child from China. Miranda proposes to Steve, with whom she has a son, and they marry. Samantha begins a relationship with a much younger struggling actor. Despite trying to keep their relationship as casual as her others, she develops true feelings for him. Smith supports her after she is diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sex and the City – the film (2008)
The film is set four years after the series finale. Carrie is now in a relationship with Mr. Big and they are viewing apartments with plans to move in together. Charlotte is happily married to Harry and they adopted a Chinese girl named Lily. Miranda has settled down in Brooklyn with Steve to raise their son Brady together. And Samantha has relocated her business to Los Angeles to be close to Smith, who is now a superstar, although she takes every opportunity to fly East to be with Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte.
The story of the film focuses on preparations of Carrie and Big’s wedding. The ensuing publicity of her engagement blows up her small wedding to a big affair, which makes Big uncomfortable. On the wedding day, a stressed-out Big cannot go through with the ceremony, which leaves Carrie devastated. To console her, the women take her on the honeymoon that she had booked to Mexico, where they de-stress and collect themselves.
Charlotte learns she is pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, named Rose. Miranda attends couples counseling with Steve and they eventually reconcile. Samantha goes back to Los Angeles, where she is lonely as Smith is constantly shooting films. She buys a dog and after finally admitting she misses her old single life even though she loves Smith, she breaks up with him and moves back to New York. Carrie and Big marry alone in a simple wedding.
The film ends with the four women sipping cosmopolitans, celebrating Samantha’s fiftieth birthday, with Carrie making a toast to the next fifty.
Sex and the City 2 (2010)
The film is set two years after the events of the first film. Three of the four women are now married, but Samantha, aged 52, is desperately trying to keep her libido alive as she enters menopause.
Samantha is to devise a PR campaign for an Arab sheikh’s business. He flies her and her friends on an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation to Abu Dhabi. Carrie is happy she will have time to think about Big’s suggestion to take two days off every week from their marriage. Charlotte is worried about leaving her husband alone with the nanny. But Miranda, unfettered by a job for the first time in her life, is especially excited.
The four women find their Western style and attitudes clash with Muslim customs. Samantha is arrested for public display of affection, so after being released from jail they quickly pack their bags and leave, but they need help from the Emirati women so they can escape and make it to the airport in time.
The film ends with Big and Carrie combining their interests; Charlotte’s nanny, Erin, turns out to be a lesbian and no threat to her marriage; Miranda finds a new job at a more laid-back and diverse law firm where she is appreciated; and Samantha remains unchanged, and even meets for sex on the beach with the Danish architect, this time in the Hamptons.
