And just like that, the speculation is finally over. The next iteration of Sex and the City has revealed what exactly happened to Samantha Jones, following Kim Cattrall’s highly publicized—and dramatic—exit from the franchise. When Sarah Jessica Parker confirmed in January that Cattrall would not be part of the HBO Max series And Just Like That…, the most fervent fans have been wondering how the new show would explain her character’s absence.
Within minutes of the opening scene of the series, viewers learn the solution: Samantha has moved to London for work and no longer speaks with the other girls over a perceived slight. Carrie wanted to end her professional relationship with Samantha, who had been her book publicist; as a result, Samantha won’t return Carrie’s calls or text messages. She isn’t speaking to Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis, or Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) either.
“I’ll tell you, there were a lot of emotional qualities that went into addressing the absence of Samantha,” said writer-director-showrunner Michael Patrick King at the series’s premiere in New York on Wednesday. “I love Samantha. We love Samantha. We know the fans love Samantha. So when Kim didn’t want to do the show and didn’t want to play Samantha anymore because of her own reasons, I had to find a way through the storytelling to respect what the fans felt about Samantha—rather than ignore her, we still made her part of the story—and to honor Samantha.”
And Just Like That… picks up in post-pandemic New York City with Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda navigating the next chapter of their lives with a new set of friends. The 10-episode limited series begins streaming on December 9.
“It was so magical to play Carrie again. I absolutely loved it, but I will also say revisiting the character was not as easy as one might think. I found it to be really challenging and at times worrisome,” said Parker, who arrived at the premiere dressed in Oscar de la Renta with her husband, Matthew Broderick, and their son, James.
“To come back, I wanted it to be really good and not disappoint the devoted audience. A great deal of time has passed, and Michael Patrick King and I really wanted to approach Carrie and all the characters on who they are now, and ask: What is their life like? What has time given them? Who are they surrounded by? What matters to them? There were a lot of stories still to tell and worth telling,” added Parker. “We also felt it was appropriate to make the family larger and tell new stories from different perspectives.”
Joining Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte are four new characters. Former Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez plays Che Diaz, a nonbinary, queer, stand-up comedian who hosts a podcast on which Carrie is regularly featured. Karen Pittman, from The Morning Show, is Dr. Nya Wallace, a Columbia Law professor whom Miranda awkwardly tries to befriend. Sarita Choudhury portrays a powerhouse real estate broker who helps Carrie during a crisis. Nicole Ari Parker takes on the role of Lisa Todd Wexley, a very wealthy and super-stylish Upper East Side mom of three children, who connects with Charlotte.
“My character’s fashion is next-level fashion, literally from top to bottom,” said Ari Parker. “She has incredible taste. She’s strong and confident about her style and never self-conscious about what she wears. There are never missteps or mistakes. She is always well dressed with the best jewelry. I get to wear a lot of big, statement-piece jewelry—necklaces, bracelets, rings, everything. The costume designer Molly Rogers did a really great job making sure that my jewelry matched my character’s swagger and worldliness.”
Fashion remains a constant and supreme in this new Sex and the City universe. Even for Davis, dressing up once again in all the top designer dresses is a “surreal experience that doesn’t happen often on TV sets.”
“Seeing all the racks of clothes is always so much fun. There’s nothing really like it,” said Davis. “We are spoiled with all the endless bags, the clothes, the shoes, and the hats. It’s crazy. I don’t get to dress up like this in real life every day. So to go back and dress up again as Charlotte is so fun. Wearing the clothes really helps me get into character. You can expect Charlotte to dress the same and have the best style.”
Davis remained mum on specific details regarding Charlotte’s storyline in the new series. We know that the character is still raising her two daughters: Lily, a piano prodigy, and Rose, who is going through a rebellious stage.
“Charlotte is still the supportive and loving friend and mother and wife, but the purpose is to show the next chapter of Charlotte’s life and all the characters,” said Davis. “It’s about seeing her in this moment, this cultural and social moment. It’s a different show than the original. What Michael Patrick did so beautifully is that he has created a show that really speaks to now. People should have different expectations, but I would say friendship and the different expressions of love is still a theme of the show.”
At the end of the second Sex and the City movie, Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Carrie seemingly went to live happily ever after. Now that 11 years has passed, are the two still blissfully married?
“The only thing I will say,” Parker teased, “is Big and Carrie fully understand what love is.”
Parker admitted she’s experienced deep pain and loss with the death of Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch, Carrie’s stylish, gay best friend and confidante. Garson passed away unexpectedly at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer in September. Many of Garson’s scenes with Parker and his onscreen husband, Anthony Marentino, played by Mario Cantone, were not completed. Garson’s death will not be written into the show; Stanford’s story line was instead adjusted, and the character will appear in three episodes.
“My heart is still broken. We lost him far too soon,” said Parker, visibly emotional. “He was going to play a significant role, and you can’t fill in for him. He is irreplaceable, and he will never be forgotten.”
“It’s really bittersweet that Willie is not here tonight,” added Cantone, prior to the start of the screening. “First of all, I just miss him. I miss him terribly, and I’ve been thinking about him every day. It was very sad not to be able to complete the show together. We are all thrilled about the show, but it’s really hard. That’s hanging over all of our heads. It’s tough. It’s horrible. We honor and celebrate him even more tonight.”
— “Who the Fuck Cares About Adam McKay?” (We Do, and With Good Reason)
— The 10 Best Movies of 2021
— The Goldbergs Actor Jeff Garlin Responds to Talk of Misbehavior on Set
— We Still Love 30 Rock, but Its Foundation Is Shaky
— Our TV Critic’s Favorite Shows of the Year
— Mel Brooks Went Too Far—But Only Once
— Lady Gaga’s House of Gucci Character Is Even Wilder in Real Life
— From the Archive: Inside the Crazy Ride of Producing The Producers
— Sign up for the “HWD Daily” newsletter for must-read industry and awards coverage—plus a special weekly edition of “Awards Insider.”
