By Susan Granger
Since Sarah Jessica Parker is the honored guest at the Westport Library’s BOOKED for the evening on Sept. 10, perhaps it’s time to examine the demise of “And Just Like That…,” her sequel to “Sex and the City.”
Revolving around iconic fictional fashionista Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City” began on HBO in 1998 and continued for six successful seasons, introducing an entire generation to high-powered female friendship and empowerment, along with Manolo Blahnik high-heels and the Cosmopolitan cocktail.
The series spawned two movies (2008 & 2010) and a spinoff prequel, “The Carrie Diaries” on The CW from 2013 to 2014.
In 2021 “And Just Like That…” caught up with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) coping with the trials and tribulations of life and love as middle-aged Manhattanites.
The initial disappointment occurred during the premiere when Carrie’s husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth), suffered a fatal Pelaton-induced heart attack, then her rekindled romance with Aidan (John Corbett) dragged on beyond its expiration date.
As episodes evolved, showrunner Michael Patrick King tried to tackle 2020s ‘diversity’ issues by including women of color. Miranda’s pal Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) and lover Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) seemed like awkward caricatures. Later on, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) struck a more natural note.
As part of Charlotte’s storyline, she wrestled with the timely topic of having a non-binary adolescent named Rock (Alexa Swinton), but it never really developed.
Above all, the absence of sassy, adventurous sexpot Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) left a gaping hole. When the quartet became a trio, it lost a pivotal part.
Last – but certainly not least – the revival was extraordinarily expensive, not only filming in Manhattan but paying Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis $1 million per episode, or $10 million per season each – according to Variety.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “And Just Like That…” concludes with a stylishly shallow 6. Kudos to Ms. Parker for her avid support of literature and condolences for her underwhelming farewell to Carrie Bradshaw’s franchise.
Catch up on Susan’s recent reviews:
Susan Granger
Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in Journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has appeared on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie critic for many years. Read all her reviews at susangranger.com.
Recent Comments