MEGHAN MCCAIN: I couldn’t bear the ‘And Just Like That’ wake-fest. But now Samantha is back… so am I!
And just like that… maybe just now changed my mind.
Last year I wrote that I was done with Sex and The City — or rather, the much-panned HBO reboot And Just Like That.
The new script was terrible. It had lost all its energy. It’s pith and pith. It’s sex!
Worst of all, the franchise I had loved so much as a young woman had descended into a waking party disaster! I couldn’t stand it.
Much of this was due to the fan favorite character Samantha – impeccably played by Kim Cattrall – not returning.
Samantha was outrageous, glamorous, hilarious. She brought sizzling sex to the city. And with her departure came an inevitable slump in dullness.
So how excited I was to hear the shocking announcement this week that Samantha will soon be back on our screens – returning for the second series of And Just Like That.
Do I dare to tune in again?
I was so happy to hear the shocking announcement this week that Samantha (played by Kim Cattrall) will soon be returning to our screens – returning for the second series of And Just Like That.
Last year I wrote that I was done with the HBO reboot. The new script was terrible. It had lost all its energy. It’s pith and pith. It’s sex! Much of this was due to the fact that Samantha had not returned. (Pictured: Sex and the City pals Miranda, Carrie, Samantha and Charlotte).
As far as we know, it’s not a full reprise of the role. Samantha will only appear in one scene: a phone conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker’s main character Carrie Bradshaw.
So I’m not holding my breath for radical improvements. But fans everywhere are already going wild over this welcome news.
Perhaps the HBO execs and hapless showrunners finally realized the error of their ways. Maybe it will be better this time.
Because the first series actually used to be horrible.
It was one assault on the senses after another.
Not only was the plot unimaginative and tired – much like Carrie’s husband Mr Big, who was inexplicably killed by a heart attack brought on by a powerful Platoon session – it was also chock-full of painfully modern clichés.
Of course, we had the obligatory non-binary character “Che Diaz” (Sara Ramirez), a queer podcaster who begins an affair with the married Miranda (Cynthia Nixon).
We also had Carrie’s awakening when she talked about herself as a “cisgender woman.”
Oh, and there was the made-up race feud, when a dignified history professor lectures Miranda about her unconscious biases and we learn about “white savior complexes.”
Do you think I’m just a grumpy hater? I certainly wasn’t the only one with my disgust. The first series received a pathetic “viewership score” of just 29 percent on rating website Rotten Tomatoes.
What a mess!
This was a global hit show that reveled in its rebellion — always most evident in Samantha, who dropped the F-word around the phrase, called women “b**ches,” and memorably once remarked, “I’m trying – sexually.” I’ll try everything once.’
Today’s waking police would have her charged!
The first series was really awful. It was one assault on the senses after another.
What a mess! This was a global hit show that reveled in its rebellion — always most evident in Samantha, who dropped the F-word around the phrase, called women “b**ches,” and memorably once remarked, “I’m trying – sexually.” I’ll try everything once.’
This was also a show that literally defined my childhood – now utterly ruined.
After launching in 1998, the original series – about four friends navigating life, love and work in bustling New York – reached its peak of fame just as I was beginning my formative years while attending Columbia University in the same city.
It taught me so much about female friendships, what it meant to be a young woman, navigating singledom – and ultimately relationships. And – yes – sex!
So many women felt the same.
This was the early 1990s, when such topics were still quite taboo. Then suddenly here was a show that talked unashamedly about orgasms, anal sex and vibrators!
This was groundbreaking, culture-resetting stuff.
So it’s no wonder producers reportedly shelled out the big bucks to get Cattrall back.
And I’m sure it’s a hefty salary! After all, Cattrall had almost completely cut ties.
She firmly told interviewers ‘that’s a no’ when asked if she would appear in the first series.
For her part, Parker stated that Cattrall was not even invited to come back. “It no longer felt comfortable for us,” she said last year, following a reportedly decades-long feud between the pair, which Kim once described as “toxic.”
According to an exclusive DailyMail.com report, Cattrall was tempted back with the promise of a “nice career boost and a great payday” by “best friend” and producer Darren Star.
So it’s no wonder producers reportedly shelled out the big bucks to get Cattrall back. And I’m sure it’s a hefty salary! After all, Cattrall had almost completely cut ties. (Pictured: Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker).
For her part, Parker stated that Cattrall was not even invited to come back. “It no longer felt comfortable for us,” she said last year, following a decades-long feud between the pair, which Kim once described as “toxic.”
It is also said that her cameo has already been filmed, “without seeing or speaking to the stars of the series.” Ouch!
But really – do we care if Kim and Sarah aren’t spare room buddies? It is clear that they are both professionals doing what they can to make the most of it.
And I am only too grateful.
Let’s all hope the overwhelmingly positive response to Cattrall’s return serves as a lesson to TV writers everywhere: waking up does NOT work!
Give us what we want on screen, and maybe we’ll all soon be quoting another vile sequel, The Godfather Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they’re pulling me back in!”