After a season of ups and downs, The SEX AND THE CITY REBOOT finished better than it started, but it was still just OKAY. My initial critiques of the show, especially the very cringey dialogue around Miranda’s character were mostly put to rest by mid-season, but after that things became a bit ho-hum. Most likely, you have to be a person of a particular age to have enjoyed it at all. While the series made some very necessary changes to bring in a more diverse cast and create more inclusive stories, I still can’t imagine that many folks who weren’t fans of the original enjoyed AND JUST LIKE THAT…
I’m glad they didn’t keep the original series title, as with a few exceptions, the “sex” was mostly left out of the new show. With Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte well into their 50’s and all settled down into married life as the show began, sexy date escapades were taken over by mid-life crises, the deaths of loved ones, and raising kids. Many of my favorite scenes featured the ladies’ families, whether it was Miranda and Steve’s sex-obsessed teenager Brady, or Charlotte & Harry’s young teens Lily & Rock (formerly Rose) growing into their own. I’d been disappointed that earlier episodes felt like they left Charlotte as an afterthought, but she and her family get to shine in episodes 9 & 10.
After a shaky start, Miranda and Che’s new relationship was aspirational. I felt empathy for Steve, and yet am reminded the first SEX AND THE CITY movie featured a storyline of him cheating on Miranda. As the show started to focus more on Miranda and Che together, it sadly dropped the storyline of Miranda going back to school. Yes, there were some mentions, and she did become friendly with her professor Nya, but outside of that, nothing. I guess going back to school in your late 50’s isn’t even sexy enough for a show that used to be about sex.
EP 10 delivered one of Carrie’s most outrageous outfits of the reboot, and it was both amazing and terrible. Amazing because no one but Carrie Bradshaw can walk through the streets of Paris in a gown like that, but terrible in every other way. As of this writing, a second season of the show has yet to be announced, and I’d be fine either way. Sure it feels like there are some things left unsaid, but again, does this brand need another series? Maybe we should have left SEX AND THE CITY alone, no movies, no reboots at all.
If you’re still catching up, the entire season of AND JUST LIKE THAT… is now streaming on HBOMax.
