And just like that, we’ve officially entered a new era of the Sex and the City franchise! The premiere episodes of …And Just Like That, HBO Max’s new reboot series, arrived on Dec. 9 and there are some BIG changes happening in the show (pun intended). From the get-go, the biggest concern fans had with the show returning was: will it reflect what today’s world looks like? Well, the good news is the revival series is on a mission to be as relevant as its predecessor. Which means …And Just Like That has plenty of current references that try to keep up with the times.
For one thing, the show wastes no time addressing the two biggest elephants in the room: COVID-19 and Samantha’s (Kim Catrall) exit. …And Just Like That gives a small nod to the former with the first punchline of the premiere episode – which seems to set the series after the pandemic. “Remember when we had to legally stand six feet apart?” Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) asks in the opener. Shortly after, we also find out Samantha has started a new life for herself in London and doesn’t keep us with the rest of the girls anymore.
But that’s not all that’s different: Carrie has joined Instagram and the ever-expanding world of podcasts (talk about aging down); Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is vigorously dying her gray hair to avoid her 50s, and Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) son, Brady, is all grown up – and having sex under her roof! More than that, the show attempts to address its diversity issues and finally adds a host of fresh faces to the cast – including podcast host and nonbinary comedian Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez); Miranda’s college professor Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman); and newcomer Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) as the fourth member of the friend group.
The reboot is trying to find its footing in this new day and age (as you can clearly tell from its many Peleton references), but it still has a ways to go to prove how it’s adapted to the year 2021. We still have many lingering questions about the series – like how …And Just Like That will address Stanford’s (played by the late Willie Garson) future on the show – so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
