And Just Like That...

And Just Like That... is an American comedy drama television series developed by Michael Patrick King for Max. It is a revival and a sequel of the HBO television series Sex and the City created by Darren Star, which is based on Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same title.

Development for the series began in December 2020, following the cancellation of a third film adaptation. It was given a straight-to-series order in January 2021 by HBO Max. Casting announcements were made throughout 2021 and filming started in July 2021 in New York City. And Just Like That... premiered on HBO Max on December 9, 2021.

The first season was billed as a one-off miniseries, and its finale was released on February 3, 2022. However, a second season was announced in March 2022; it premiered on June 22, 2023. In August 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, due to premiere on May 29, 2025.

The series received mixed reviews, with critics deeming it unnecessary and inferior to the original Sex and the City series. Audience reception to the series has been largely negative.

Overview

Set 11 years after the events of the 2010 film Sex and the City 2, the women of Sex and the City make their transition from a life of liberation and friendship in their 30s to a more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Sex and the City characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Guest characters from Sex and the City

Episodes

Season 1 (2021–22)

Season 2 (2023)

Season 3

The first episode of season 3, titled "Outlook Good", was written and directed by Michael Patrick King. Season 3 will consist of 12 episodes and is slated to run from May 29, 2025 to August 14, 2025.

Production

Development

In December 2016, Radar Online reported that a script for a third Sex and the City film had been approved. However, on September 28, 2017, Sarah Jessica Parker confirmed that the third film was not going to happen. She said, "We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story. It's not just disappointing that we don't get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie." It was reported in 2018 that Kim Cattrall did not want to return as Samantha Jones in the film due to disagreeing with its planned storylines, involving killing off Mr. Big and Samantha receiving sexting and nude pictures from Miranda's 14-year-old son, Brady. Cattrall later clarified in 2019 that she opted not to appear in a third film, explaining she "went past the finish line" portraying the character of Samantha because of her love for the franchise.

In December 2020, it was reported that the proposed third film's script had been redeveloped as a miniseries revival of the original Sex and the City television series in development at HBO Max, without Cattrall returning as Samantha, in line with her previous comments. In January 2021, And Just Like That... was confirmed by HBO Max as a series which would consist of 10 episodes. In February 2021, Samantha Irby, Rachna Fruchbom, Keli Goff, Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky joined the series as part of the writing team. Rotternberg and Zuritsky also serve as executive producers. It was also confirmed that long-time series costume designer and collaborator Patricia Field would not be returning to work on the revival. However, she recommended her friend and colleague Molly Rogers to the creative team for consultation. On March 22, 2022, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on June 22, 2023. On August 22, 2023, Max renewed the series for a third season.

Casting

Upon the series order announcement, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis were reprising their roles as close friends living in New York City. In May 2021, Sara Ramírez was cast as a series regular, while Chris Noth was cast to reprise his role in an undisclosed capacity. On June 9, 2021, Mario Cantone, Willie Garson, David Eigenberg, and Evan Handler all joined the cast to reprise their respective roles in undisclosed capacities. In July 2021, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman, and Isaac Cole Powell joined the cast in starring roles while Alexa Swinton, Cree Cicchino, Niall Cunningham, and Cathy Ang were cast in undisclosed capacities and Brenda Vaccaro and Ivan Hernandez were cast in recurring roles. In August 2021, Julie Halston was cast to reprise her role in a guest-starring capacity while Christopher Jackson and LeRoy McClain were cast in recurring roles. Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch throughout Sex And The City and reprised his role in the new series, died on September 21, only three months after his return, after filming his scenes for the series' first three episodes. The new series explained his absence via a letter to Carrie in episode four. On November 8, 2021, Bobby Lee announced on an Instagram post that he has a small role in the revival.

Despite Mr. Big dying in the first episode, Noth was set to appear as Big in a fantasy sequence in the season finale, but he was edited out after sexual assault allegations were brought against him.

On August 19, 2022, John Corbett was cast to reprise his role as Aidan Shaw in a recurring capacity for the second season. On October 18, 2022, Tony Danza joined the cast in a recurring role as Che's TV father for their new sitcom. On May 31, 2023, it was announced that Kim Cattrall would return as Samantha Jones for a cameo in the second-season finale despite her ongoing feud with Parker.

On February 26, 2024, it was announced that Ramírez would not be returning as Che Diaz for the third season. On March 22, 2024, it was reported that Pittman would not be returning as Dr. Nya Wallace for the third season. On May 1, 2024, it was announced that Rosie O'Donnell was cast as Mary in an undisclosed capacity. On June 27, 2024, Dolly Wells and Sebastiano Pigazzi were promoted to series regulars while Logan Marshall-Green, Mehcad Brooks, and Jonathan Cake were cast in recurring capacities.

Filming

Production began in June 2021 in New York City. The first table read was held on June 11, 2021, at the show's studio in Manhattan. Filming had commenced on location in New York City by July 9, 2021, and was commemorated by the release of a promotional photo of Parker, Nixon and Davis on the streets of Manhattan. To mislead speculation about a major plot line, Noth arrived on location the day his character's funeral was filmed. On October 11, 2021, it was reported that filming had taken place on location in Paris, France. Filming for the first season concluded on December 6, 2021. Filming for the second season began on October 4, 2022, and concluded on April 14, 2023, in New York City. The third season began filming on May 1, 2024, and wrapped on October 28, 2024.

Pittman had a smaller role in season two due to the simultaneous filming of And Just Like That... and Apple's The Morning Show.

Release

The series premiered on December 9, 2021, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis until the season finale on February 3, 2022. The 11-episode second season was released on June 22, 2023, with two new episodes and the rest debuting on a weekly basis. The third season is scheduled to premiere on May 29, 2025.

The series airs on Sky Comedy, in the UK.

Home media

The first season was released on DVD on December 13, 2022. The complete second season was released on DVD on July 29, 2024.

Reception

Audience viewership

And Just Like That... was HBO Max's most-watched series debut, including both HBO and HBO Max Originals premiered on the service, until it was surpassed by the premiere of House of the Dragon. The first season placed within the service's top 10 most-watched premieres including film debuts. The series was the most-watched first viewing in the service's history at the time of its premiere, implying that new subscribers enlisted to watch the series.

The second season debuted to 59% lower viewership. Approximately 463,000 households watched the premiere over a live-plus-three-day viewing period, down from the previous season's 1.1 million households. Viewership for the following episodes fell an additional 13%, suggesting that most viewers had lost interest and abandoned the series. Despite a steep ratings drop, the second season of And Just Like That... ended its run as the number-one returning Max original series, until it was dethroned by the second season of Our Flag Means Death.

Critical response

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 48% approval rating based on 80 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "And Just Like That... fails to recapture Sex and the City's heady fizz, but like a fine wine, these characters have developed subtler depths with age." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".The New York Times review recognized the show's strengths, noting its "very good" moments; while also offered a nuanced perspective, characterizing it as both "painful" and "part dramedy about heartbreak, part clumsy attempt at relevance.", citing the complexity of reviving a show, offering a thoughtful perspective on maintaining relevance and connection with viewers. This challenge, in essence, reflects the intricate nature of "And Just Like That."

The themes of diversity and social justice were criticized. The Telegraph described it as "tediously woke", and the Radio Times wrote: "The main three's newfound social and cultural awareness is shoe-horned into such a degree the whole endeavor feels often cloying.'" Deadline Hollywood wrote that "far too many 2021 cultural touchstones and new characters are awkwardly parachuted into [the show] ... as if to check a box". EmpireOnline added: "the attempts to paint a rich, real, diverse world are ham-fisted, inauthentic and riddled with self-consciousness, awkwardness and moments of self-congratulation." Specifically, the character of Che Díaz was derided online and was described as one of the worst characters in television history. Kristin Corry of Vice Media criticized the tokenization of Black characters, writing "The 'Sex and the City' reboot wants to undo its colorblind legacy by including Black characters. Unfortunately, they're treated as luxury accessories."

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 64% approval rating for the second season based on 70 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "And Just Like That... still stumbles where Sex and the City once confidently strutted, but this much-improved second season comes a lot closer to offering fans their favorite cosmopolitan with a twist." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 56 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Although critics acknowledged the second season was an improvement from the first, many still considered it to be one of the worst shows of the year.

Response from Peloton

After the first-season episode in which Chris Noth's character dies following a Peloton bike workout, the stock for the company dropped significantly. The company issued a statement through Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist and member of the company's health and wellness advisory, saying that they agreed to the product placement but were not aware of how it would be used in the pivotal scene. The statement also said not to blame the company for the character's death, and cited some contributing factors, such as his lifestyle (e.g., his consumption of steaks and cigars) and a cardiac surgery in a previous season. Three days after the episode aired, the company released an ad, featuring Chris Noth and narrated by Ryan Reynolds, with Reynolds quickly citing the benefits of cycling and ending with "He's alive." Four days later, the ad was removed after sexual assault allegations were reported against Chris Noth.

Accolades

The series was given the Seal of Authentic Representation from the Ruderman Family Foundation for the portrayal of Steve Brady by David Eigenberg, and Chloe by Ali Stroker, as actors with disabilities and at least five lines of dialogue. The series was also recognized with The ReFrame Stamp for hiring underrepresented gender identities and people of color.

The second season was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Comedy Series category.

Other media

A documentary that serves as a behind-the-scenes look of the series titled as And Just Like That... The Documentary was released on February 3, 2022.

Notes

References

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Uses material from the Wikipedia article And Just Like That..., released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.