CAUTION: Spoilers for And Just Like That... Season 1
In And Just Like That season 1, the show took some big swings with its plot, characters, and themes. From its premiere episode, in which Big, one of Sex and the City’s most memorable characters unceremoniously died in Carrie Bradshaw’s arms, to its open-ended, unresolved finale, And Just Like That never shied away from controversy. However, some of these artistically big swings often turned into big misses. As the show develops its second season, And Just Like That needs to reexamine some of its biggest problems.
Following up on the original Sex and the City series, And Just Like That continues to focus on New York columnist Carrie Bradshaw, as well as her close friends Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York-Goldenblatt. One noticeable exception marred the reboot series from the get-go, as Kim Cattrall, famous for playing larger-than-life public relations titan Samantha Jones, declined to return to the series. So, after Carrie’s husband John James Preston (née “Big”) died from a heart attack in the series’ first episode, And Just Like That decided to begin exploring what Carrie’s life would look like post-Big and post-Samantha.
However, in exploring Carrie’s life as a widow, and addressing the hole left by Samantha’s absence (mainly by filling it with a myriad of new additions to the series cast), And Just Like That often stumbled. Between rushed wrap-ups for previously beloved characters (Miranda’s husband Steve, for example), and an overall failure to embrace what made the original Sex and the City so great, And Just Like That could use some serious overhaul in its sophomore season. Here are four major problems that And Just Like That needs to address and fix as it goes into its second season.
And Just Like That... Season 2 Needs To Get Past Big
Originally a plot point for the third Sex and the City movie, And Just Like That season 1 began with Big’s sudden death after a heart attack. The majority of And Just Like That season 1 subsequently followed Carrie’s grief over the incident and the realities of dating again as a widow. While this led to many wonderful, nuanced scenes for Carrie, including during the And Just Like That season 1 finale which saw Carrie spread Big’s ashes into the Seine in Paris, Carrie's arc around Big now feels complete, and something that needs to be left behind going into And Just Like That season 2.
One of the best elements of the original Sex and the City series was watching Carrie Bradshaw date around, later using her experiences with bad dates to influence her column. As much of And Just Like That season 1 saw Carrie struggling to wrap her head around the idea of ever dating again, fans of the original series weren’t treated to the types of dating exploits typical of Sex and the City. Going forward into And Just Like That season 2, it would be a welcome change of pace to see Carrie date again, and with the And Just Like That season 1 finale showing Carrie hooking up with her podcast producer, it’s likely that And Just Like That is heading in that direction.
And Just Like That... Season 2 Needs To Fix Its Progressive Message
One of the original criticisms that befell Sex and the City was its lack of diversity. The central cast was all white women, and the supporting cast was mostly white as well. This valid criticism isn’t singular to Sex and the City (Friends and How I Met Your Mother saw similar critiques in the past). However, And Just Like That’s unique approach to diversity and addressing this criticism saw its ups and downs throughout the first season.
By the first season’s end, And Just Like That had given each of the core cast a new friend, singular to their orbit and personal life, all of whom were women of color. The show also gave Miranda a love interest in the form of nonbinary comedian Che Diaz (played by Sara Ramirez, themselves non-binary and using they/them pronouns). However, in many ways, Che Diaz’s progressive comedy stylings often read like parody, or like an older generation’s take on what modern progressivism looks like. And, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte’s new friends (Seema Patel, Dr. Nya Wallace, and Lisa Todd Wexley, respectively) only existed in a vacuum opposite their respective friends within the core cast, leaving their characterizations occasionally stymied and shallow.
Going forward, And Just Like That’s upcoming second season approach to creating diversity would be better served by including the new supporting cast in conversations with one another, not just Miranda, Charlotte, and Carrie. Also, while And Just Like That did give us hints into Dr. Nya’s personal life outside of Miranda; Seema and Lisa Todd Wexely (LTW) are almost never seen unless they’re talking to Carrie or Charlotte directly. Hopefully, each of these characters will receive more independent screentime going forward, as well as subplots of their own.
And Just Like That... Season 2 Needs Justice For Steve
So much of the original charm of Sex and the City was the thrill of watching thoughtfully constructed love stories play out over the course of several seasons. Steve and Miranda’s love story (though occasionally fraught) was just one example of this, but also one of the best. Miranda’s arc in Sex and the City saw her transform from closed off to caring, all the while never sacrificing her integrity as a working woman or identity as a charming cynic. Steve brought out a different side of her, but that side of her was explored over the course of several seasons, and subtly developed over many years of the character’s life.
However, in And Just Like That, in just one season, Miranda realizes she no longer loves Steve, asks him for a divorce, and leaves him for Che Diaz after having an extramarital affair with them for several months. Steve is painted as being none-the-wiser, unfeeling, and unsympathetic to Miranda’s needs. This arc flies in the face of years of character development between Steve and Miranda, leaves Miranda in an equally fraught relationship with Che, and rushes Steve as a character into an unceremonious fall from grace. Even if Miranda and Steve never got back together, painting Steve in this type of light, or writing Steve off the show entirely would be completely unfair to the character. Instead, And Just Like That season 2 would be better off exploring what Steve wants out of life and love now that Miranda’s left him, and in turn, giving Steve as a character some much-needed justice.
And Just Like That... Season 2 Needs To Remember What Made SATC Great
One throughline has permeated much of the critique surrounding And Just Like That: it fails to appreciate what made Sex and the City so great in the first place. The original series always made the ups-and-downs of dating in New York look glamorous and hilarious, and always put a focus on the central friendships of the series. However, And Just Like That takes too long to appreciate these fantastic elements of Sex and the City. Additionally, since Samantha Jones’s absence left an enormous hole in her wake, taking much of the show’s frank and comedic discussions about sex with her, much of Sex and the City’s comedic voice is missing in And Just Like That. Without Samantha, And Just Like That loses that which made the four central characters' friendships feel so real: humor, glamor, and levity in less than desirable circumstances.
With Samantha gone and the majority of the main cast now in long-term committed relationships (or, in Miranda’s case, exploring a new long-term relationship), And Just Like That has little room to tell stories about dating, sex, and the hilarity of early relationships, all narrated through Carrie’s now-absent voiceovers. Midway through And Just Like That season 1, Carrie even suggests she might resign herself to a life of celibacy post-Big. While it's natural for shows to grow and evolve, And Just Like That’s evolution on topics regarding sex and relationships doesn’t exude charm and fun in the way the original series used to. Instead, they paint an unglamorous, occasionally depressing portrait of life and love in your 50s. If, And Just Like That wants to truly embody Sex and the City, its second season should make every attempt possible to recapture some of the humor and charm that made Sex and the City so great to begin with.
Reboot and revival series are often difficult to pull off. This is particularly true when the revival series has to cater to a vastly different landscape from when the original series premiered (and avoid repeating mistakes made in other series, like HIMYM). Sex and the City rose to acclaim in the earlier days of HBO, with some of the show’s seasons containing nearly 20 episodes. And Just Like That, by contrast, is capped at 10 episodes a season, all the while attempting to age up their storytelling to mirror their original fans, and simultaneously pander to younger viewers with different perspectives on sex and relationships. With a taller order to execute, less time to do it, and an overall lack of faith in the series’ original conceit, it’s no wonder And Just Like That struggled in season 1 to hit all the marks. However, if the reboot series is able to address some of its freshman season’s major stumbling blocks, And Just Like That season 2 (much like Carrie Bradshaw in a pair of Manolos) might be able to find its footing again.