When Carrie Bradshaw first ran into Mr Big on the streets of the Big Apple in Sex and the City – nobody knew what a sensation it would be, even 25 years later. The same can’t be said for its sequel series, And Just Like That – which fans and critics alike believe is a mediocre attempt at reviving a classic.
Ever since And Just Like That premiered last year, fans have trashed the sequel series – for cringe-worthy plotlines and terrible character choices, failing to capture the charm of the original show. Season 1 of the show has a 27 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and you wouldn’t have to scroll past more than a few tweets to see how much everyone truly hates the show. Despite the hate, fans can’t seem to keep their eyes off it.
Running from 1998 to 2004, the original HBO hit show spanned six seasons, attracting millions of viewers from all over the globe and turning its cast into superstars. Sex and The City was so popular that Sarah Jessica Parker, who portrayed the central character Carrie Bradshaw, became the highest-paid actor on television at the time, making over $3 million per episode during the show’s later seasons. The spin-off, on the other hand, was a major disappointment and a mere caricature of its former self, infuriating many fans. So much so that hardly anybody expected a second season. Only few episodes into season 2, the fandom seems to be seething with hatred.
I hâte and just like that so much but I watch every episode and scream whenever it’s punishingly bad
— from a woman’s perspective (@femaleballer98) July 28, 2023
I hate 'carrie bradshaw' why do I still watch?
— Name (@Mizzkittie) January 18, 2009
Perhaps it’s the legacy of the original show and its characters that is keeping fans from losing hope. The latest episode of And Just Like That did give fans a glimmer of hope after a fairly dull two seasons. The series offered viewers a nostalgic tease ahead of Kim Cattrall’s anticipated appearance in the second season. The actress’s face was shown on the new show for the first time when her character appeared in a throwback friends’ photograph with Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes and Kristin Davis’ Charlotte York Goldenblatt.
Cattrall was an integral part of the original show and the films, but fans had ruled out her appearance after her very public fallout with the rest of the cast, especially with Sarah Jessica Parker. Up until last year, Parker herself had convinced fans that Cattrall would never make it onto the show, but it looks like the cast may have had to put their differences aside for the sake of the series.
But will Cattrall’s comeback save the show? Only time will tell.
