Perhaps inevitably, the new characters initially exist to elicit reactions and bring out different sides of the central trio, who - even with their extended circle of family and friends, among them Carrie's pal Stanford, played by the late Willie Garson - are where the show's focus lies.
Ditto for the complications related to parenting older kids in the case of Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), who basically approximate the cliché of well-intentioned liberals who constantly say the wrong things.Īs for Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), her latest professional hurdle involves taking her sex-columnist cred to the world of podcasting, though she doesn't know quite how to handle her outspoken co-host ("Grey's Anatomy's" Ramirez). Yet even allowing for that, there's an art to writing cringe-inducing scenes, and the show's approach to them generally feels clunky. The introduction of greater diversity into their orbit is welcome, and as devised by producer-writer-director Michael Patrick King, those relationships are intended to be awkward. That character's absence also allows for shaking up the cast's makeup, adding several women of color (Nicole Ari Parker, Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury, Karen Pittman) as well as issues of race and gender identity, but not, it's worth noting, class distinctions. Setting aside the off-screen drama, the series explains Samantha's absence by reporting that she's moved to London, which is the TV equivalent of telling kids that the family pet has gone to live on a farm upstate.
The name surely carries plenty of equity, but like the movies, this HBO Max show yields diminishing returns.Ī few things shouldn't be spoiled about the initial episodes, but since Kim Cattrall's departure is well known, that's a good place to start for multiple reasons. CNN - After a successful series and two not-so-great movies (the last coming in 2010), "And Just Like That." revives "Sex and the City" minus one of its fab four, with the remaining trio entering a new phase of life that brings fresh challenges.