On Screen: “And Just Like That …”
And Just Like That …
Since Sarah Jessica Parker is the honored guest at the Westport Library’s BOOKED for the evening on September 10th, perhaps it’s time to examine the demise of “And Just Like That …,” her sequel to “Sex and the City.”
Revolving around iconic fictional fashionista Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City” began on HBO in 1998 and continued for six successful seasons, introducing an entire generation to high-powered female friendship and empowerment, along with Manolo Blahnik high heels and Cosmo cocktails.
The series spawned two movies (2008 and 2010) and a spinoff prequel, “The Carrie Diaries” on The CW from 2013 to 2014.
In 2021 “And Just Like That …” caught up with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) coping with the trials and tribulations of life and love as middle-aged Manhattanites.
The initial disappointment occurred during the premiere when Carrie’s husband, Big (Chris Noth), suffered a fatal Pelaton-induced heart attack, then her rekindled romance with Aidan (John Corbett) dragged on beyond its expiration date.
As episodes evolved, showrunner Michael Patrick King tried to tackle 2020s diversity issues by including women of color. Miranda’s pal Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) and lover Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) seemed like awkward caricatures. Later on, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) struck a more natural note.
As part of Charlotte’s storyline, she wrestled with the timely topic of having a non-binary adolescent named Rock (Alexa Swinton), but it never really developed.
Above all, the absence of sassy, adventurous sexpot Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) left a gaping hole. When the quartet became a trio, it lost a pivotal part.
Last — but certainly not least — the revival was extraordinarily expensive, not only filming in Manhattan but paying Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis $1 million per episode, or $10 million per season each — according to Variety.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “And Just Like That …” concludes with a stylishly shallow 6. Kudos to Ms. Parker for her avid support of literature and condolences for her underwhelming farewell to Carrie Bradshaw’s franchise.
Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.
As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.