And Just Like That, sequel to Sex and the City | A long awaited return

It is an expected return. Anticipated. And scrutinized under its every seam (scratched). And Just Like That, new series starring the most fabulous and glam girlfriends of New York (minus one), lands on our small screens as of Thursday. And expectations, for better but also for worse, are high. Here’s why.

Silvia galipeau
Press

An announced return (drop by drop)

More than twenty years, six seasons, two films (chess) later, the news fell last January: there would indeed be a sequel to Sex and the City (SATC), this time recounting the ups and downs of the life of legendary girlfriends, no longer at 30, but at 50 years old. Then came, and in a trickle, a series of “news” about the upcoming show: promotional video (and nostalgic little music, iconic skyscrapers included), appearance of new characters, alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon (including a non-binary person, played by Sara Ramirez, in addition to Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman), and confirmation of the disappearance of the Fourth Musketeer, Samantha (Kim Cattrall), who, it is knows, has drawn a line on the series (in addition to being more or less at open war with the team). Not to mention a first trailer, made public a few weeks ago, against the backdrop of a teeming city with the touching presence of the late Willie Garson, alias Stanford, who died this fall. Then a second, barely last week.

Tour in the greatest secrecy

During the last year, and even if the shooting (somewhere in a Brooklyn studio) took place in the utmost secrecy, various photos leaked on social networks, whether on the accounts of the main interested parties, of the paparazzi (who photographed extracts from the script) or simple fans. On TikTok, an excerpt from the filming watched more than 150,000 times has also caused a lot of talk: we see all the characters in mourning. Imagine the stir! Would it be a diversion?

Then, this month, the heroine of the series (Sarah Jessica Parker) makes the headlines of the chic Vogue, an appearance that led to its share of (dirty) comments, as to its wrinkles, or absence of, not to mention its regrowth. Since then, he has been shouted about the issue.

Return “candy”

It must be said, this announced return has a comforting je ne sais quoi. Even more given the ambient climate, while we are plunged into yet another wave facing yet another variant. Diane Pacom, emeritus sociologist, now retired in Toronto, revisited several episodes of the cult series for us, in order to capture the craze of the moment. “It’s a breeze of naivety in this dismal current!” she analyzes with hindsight. And we need a little lightness […], every day we are counting the dead! People need a lifeline! The same story goes for Sandrine Galand, professor of literature at Cégep Maisonneuve. “These are our slippers”, confirms the author of Pop feminism, released this fall. “They accompanied us, we know them inside and out. There is a feeling of tele-candy, which is badly needed, all the more since the pandemic, ”she argues.

Feminist touch

Especially since, with all due respect to its detractors, beyond the bling, there has always been something deeply feminist to the show. It has been said over and over again, SATC was one of the first shows to feature free and above all liberated women, who dared to tell and experience their sexuality in an uninhibited way. Imagine with women over 50! “Not only are we going to see 50-year-old women onscreen, but all of the main characters are going to be women over 50!” It’s not something that happens that much again, ”continues Sandrine Galand. Remember that several studies show it: after 50 years in Hollywood (and everywhere in the world, for that matter), women tend to take secondary roles, and especially never to have sexuality.

But a nuanced infatuation

But beware: this enthusiasm is not total. Neither blind. On the contrary, it is very nuanced. All observers (observers?) Have noted that while expectations are certainly high, the bet is all the more risky. “There is a craze that comes with relaunching something that has been very, very, very popular”, underlines in turn Line Grenier, professor of communication at the University of Montreal, specialist in popular culture and aging. “And it is symptomatic, we are not only in the positive expectation. There is a fear: will this remain relevant? »The questions, conversations and tribulations of these quinquas, will they still speak to us? As we know, several criticisms have been formulated with regard to the original series: the lack of diversity, the outdated quest for Prince Charming, not to mention the conservatism of several characters (hello, Charlotte?). Fans (and non-fans) are also waiting for this comeback. And several questions remain unanswered, notably: how the character of Samantha will disappear (an expatriation in London, it is said); if the events of 9/11 were barely hinted at, will it be the same with the pandemic? ; what about new technologies? (Will Carrie really host a podcast?); finally, and above all, will we still love Big (did we ever really love him?)? The answers: starting Thursday, on Crave and HBO Max.

All episodes of Sex and the City are available on Crave and HBO Max.