The latest iconic series to get a revival has been announced: Sex And The City! Following on the heels of other hugely popular revivals like Gilmore Girls and Will and Grace, Sex and the City will return for a ten-episode series titled '...And Just Like That' (a callout to the voiceover monologs of the show). The revival will follow on from the second movie, Sex And The City 2, and will look at how these stylish women's lives have continued to evolve in their 40s and beyond.
However, the revival will be missing something big (and it's not Big): Samantha Jones. Kim Cattrall, who has played Samantha since the first episode and through both films, will not be returning to reprise the role this time. The actress has previously made no secret of the fact that she is done with the character and thinks that story is complete, so it's no surprise that she won't be back - but will this be a good thing for And Just Like That, or will it make it impossible to recapture the SATC magic?
Won't Be The Same: She Is The 'Sex' In 'Sex And The City'
For a show with 'Sex' in the title, about a sex columnist, three of the four main characters were never that sexually adventurous - at least by modern standards. Of the four, only Samantha was really sexually adventurous or with a very large number of partners, and she has always been the really sex-driven member of the group. While there was a lot more talk of casual sex in the early seasons, when all four women were single, Samantha is the standout who is blunt, blatant, and utterly unashamed of her desires. Especially now that the other three have settled down, it's hard to imaging that a Samantha-free Sex and the City will really have anything to do with sex, which is a shame.
Good For The Series: Her Storyline In SATC2 Was Unredeemable
While the first Sex and the City movie was reasonably well-received as a pleasant return to favorite characters, the sequel was a disaster. Sex and the City 2 takes place largely in Abu Dhabi, and has been roundly criticized for being inaccurate and tone-deaf, and Samantha's story arc was, by far, the worst. In the film, she spends essentially the entire time panicking about menopause and sex drive, and behaving wildly inappropriately for the culture she is in. While Samantha has always followed her desire, she is also a PR woman and incredibly intelligent, and her ridiculous behavior here didn't make any sense. It would be hard to bring her back now, having made such a mess of her character in the last film.
Won't Be The Same: She Is The Only Unmarried Main Character
At the end of the first movie, three of the four women are married, and two have children. For a show that originally revolved around dating, sex, and relationships, this left only Samantha able to actually date (unless SATC becomes progressive enough to have one of the other couples ditch monogamy in the revival). Not only was this helpful in terms of continuing storylines about dating, but it's necessary to show that not all women's stories need to end in marriage and motherhood.
Good For The Series: Space To Add A Diverse 4th Character
One of the biggest criticisms that the show has received in recent years is how incredibly white it is. Every main character (not just the four women, but their husbands, and most of the major secondary characters) is white, which is not just inappropriate, but wildly unrealistic (especially for a series set in New York City).
The first film added one Black character in the form of Louise, Carrie's new assistant, but she didn't reappear in the second film. Now, with Samantha missing, it is likely that a new 'fourth member' of the group will appear, or even more than one, - and hopefully, new characters will be BIPOC.
Won't Be The Same: She Was The Only Queer Main Character
More diversity issues, as unfortunately, Samantha was the only one of the four women who had any kind of queer relationship. She has a brief romance with a female artist, but ultimately leaves, because she decides that she just misses being with a man. That has its own set of (huge) issues as a storyline, but the fact remains that it's as close as the women get to LGBTQ representation - even if this is then never mentioned again. The gay male characters have also been roundly criticized as being two-dimensional stereotypes, existing purely as 'the gay BFF', and not as well-developed people in and of themselves. While Samantha's leaving does create space for Anthony and Stanford to step up and get some much-needed character development, it's still a shame to see the only queer woman leave the series.
Good For The Series: Can Be Used To Address Character Growth
While Samantha does leave New York, for a time, and head to LA, she ends up right back where she started, in Manhattan. Hopefully, in explaining why she is no longer part of the group, the revival will take the opportunity to show some real character growth.
It would be easy to imaging Samantha continuing to travel the globe (hopefully with more cultural sensitivity than in Sex And The City 2, of course), or simply to open up a discussion about how sometimes, friendships can be outgrown.
Won't Be The Same: The Group Needs Her Bluntness
The core group of Sex and the City definitely gives each woman a clearly defined 'role': Miranda is the career woman, Charlotte is the fairytale princess, Carrie is the creative romantic, and Samantha is the blunt sexually-driven one. Without Samantha, the group is missing some key balance, as she helps to call out the other women on their occasional prudishness, to remind them to stand up for themselves, and to hold a mirror up to them when they need it. It's hard to imagine their interactions being anywhere near as complex and valuable without that tough love to balance things out.
Good For The Series: More Time To Focus On Other Secondary Characters
For the most part, the husbands, children, and friends of the core-four aren't particularly well-explored. In many ways, this is a good thing: it's part of the charm of the show that the husbands are essentially left in the background. However, with only ten episodes in the revival, if Samantha is not outright replaced, it will definitely be nice to see some more space to really get into the secondary characters. It would be fantastic to catch up with Louise, but also to get some more development on Stanford and Anthony, and on some of the other people who have been around for a long time, but never really in the spotlight.
Won't Be The Same: She's An Integral Part Of The Show
At the end of the day, the biggest issue is that even if Samantha's exit is done perfectly, used to address changing friendships and growing lives, even if it creates space for other characters to shine and for the show to add a little more diversity in new characters... it just won't feel like Sex and the City without Samantha Jones. She has been a key part of the series from day one, and it's hard to imagine this series without any of the four women who are its heart and soul.
Good For The Series: Allows A Revival To Happen!
Of course, the best thing about this is that a Samantha-less revival is still a revival - and it would never have happened if the decision was to hold out for Kim Cattral to join in. Cattral has made it abundantly clear that she is done with the character of Samantha Jones, but it's clear that fans still want to return to this world and catch up with their favorite characters. If the choice is between a revival without Samantha, and no revival at all, we'd rather have it this way.