When we look back at the 1990s, it is clear that some things have aged well (grunge, Quentin Tarantino films, Zig and Zag on The Den), and others have not (Britpop, Kenny Live, Zig and Zag on Channel 4). Firmly in the middle is Sex in the City, which has been retroactively criticised for its lack of diversity and – nearly as egregiously – making cupcake mania a thing during its original run from 1998 to 2004. But it wasn’t all bad. In its portrayal of female friendship and its frankness about sexuality, SATC has weathered the years rather well: show it to a prurient Gen Z-er and watch them blush.
Given that legacy, there was an obvious risk in going back, as original cast members Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon do in And Just Like That ... – though without, as we shall see, last of the gang, Kim Cattrall.
It’s taken a while, but after a tentative first two seasons that went overboard in presenting Parker’s Carrie and chums as flailing in these “woke” new times (they’re supposed to be aged around 50, not 500), the series (Sky Comedy, Friday, 9pm) has found its groove. Granted, it does not have the spark of the original Sex and The City. But then, isn’t that the point? You reach a certain age, and you’re just not the same person any more and are much too tired even to pretend.
And Just Like That ... is at its best when the three leads are on screen, bantering as in the old days. Fans will note the continued absence of Cattrall, who cameoed from London in series two but remains absent (her real-life falling out with Parker seemingly unresolved). Oh, and Miranda (Nixon) is now gay and desperately seeking a girlfriend, which she gets in the form of a wide-eyed tourist – played by recent newcomer to Ireland, Rosie O’Donnell.
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The other storyline concerns Charlotte (Davis) and her misbehaving pooch, and it is a plot that could have parachuted in straight from Sex and The City. As could Carrie’s embarrassing Confession of having faked an intimate moment over the phone with former fiance Aidan (who speaks in the creepy rasp of a free-roaming serial killer).
Where the show falls down is in new characters. Three years on, they have yet to fully bed in. No matter how hard the writers try, we just don’t care about glamorous estate agent Seema (Sarita Choudhury) or trendy documentarian Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker).
Still, as nostalgia served up like a gift box of premium cupcakes, And Just Like That ... hits the spot. It doesn’t try to invent the wheel. Often, it doesn’t try to do much of anything beyond swirl around looking fabulous. But it does give us lots of Carrie and pals sharing zingy Manhattan gossip over brunch – and what is wrong with that? Sometimes, it’s okay to play the hits – and when it does And Just Like That ... makes for solid comfort viewing.
And Just Like That ... Sky Comedy, Friday, 9pm
