The hotly-anticipated Sex And The City reboot has finally hit our screens… with a mixed response. While many fans were thrilled to have Sarah Jessica Parker leading a cast with some new faces, others were upset at the shock plot and lack of Samantha. We couldn’t help but wonder how much the well-publicised feud with Kim Cattrall has influenced And Just Like That…
The much-awaited SATC reboot And Just Like That hit the nation’s screens, with fans of the iconic ’90s show reunited with their fictional best friends – Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes.
And Just Like That revisits three of SATC’s leading ladies – with the absence of Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall – exploring the ups and downs of life in their fifties, 23 years after the original TV series debuted and 11 years since the second movie.
Check out: Sex and the City cast - where are they now?
Sex and the City cast - where are they now? slider
1 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - aka Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie had a weekly column and managed to live in a New York City apartment - the dream. She chased Mr Big around NYC (even though he was trash) and she even cheated on Aidan Shaw with him - rude. The last time we saw Carrie she returned from Abu Dhabi after cheating on hubby Mr Big with Aidan - full circle, tbh.
2 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - now
Sarah Jessica Parker has since starred in The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Did You Hear About The Morgans and New Year's Eve. She's also starred on Glee, HBO show Divorce and she's produced her own independent drama. She's married to actor Matthew Broderick and they have three children; James and surrogate twins Marion and Tabitha.
3 of 20Kim Cattrall - aka Samantha Jones
Confident, outspoken and sexy AF - Samantha Jones is literally everything we want to be. She stayed away from long-term relationships but went on to fall for Richard Wright however he left her devo when she found him cheating on her. She then went on to date Jerrod and the pair moved to LA however she broke up with him in Sex and the City 2 and moved back to NYC.
4 of 20Kim Cattrall - now
Following SATC, Kim went on to continue acting in movies and Broadway productions. In 2018 she tweeted that her brother had gone missing and hours later it came to light that he had died by suicide. After SJP apparently wrote condolences on Kim's Instagram, Kim hit back and claimed Sarah was "exploiting" her brother's death.
5 of 20Cynthia Nixon - aka Miranda Hobbes
Miranda didn't trust men (classic) but after falling for Steve Brady (and having a few ups and downs) she fell pregnant with Brady. The pair co-parented their son and eventually gave in to their feelings and reunited. However, Miranda was left heartbroken during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated. Luckily they made it through their rough patch and she even bagged a new job at a law firm during the second movie.
6 of 20Cynthia Nixon - now
Cynthia has continued acting and in 2018 she announced she was running for governor. She's since Christine Marinoni. In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but she beat it.
7 of 20Kristin Davis - aka Charlotte York
The easiest way to describe Charlotte York is as a hopeless romantic. All she wanted was a husband and kids and it appeared that she found that in Trey MacDougal however when she found out he couldn't "get it up" it took a toll on their marriage and they split. She then fell for Harry Goldenblatt who was not her type but they eventually tied the knot and welcomed Lily (through adoption) and Rose into the world.
8 of 20Kristin Davis - now
Following her time in the Sex and the City series, Kristin continued to star in films and TV shows. She's also an ambassador for Oxfam and she adopted her daughter Gemma in 2011 and her son Wilson in 2018.
9 of 20Chris Noth - aka Big
We had a love/hate relationship with Big because he was Carrie's true love but he was also the ultimate f--kboy. However, when Carrie moved to Paris and was finally ready to forget all about him, he soon changed his tune and they made things work. In the final episode of SATC we finally discovered that his real name was John James Preston.
10 of 20Chris Noth - now
Chris has continued acting in theatre, TV and film. He's also a co-owner of a New York music venue and a tequila company. He's married to actress Tara Lynn Wilson and they're parents to two sons.
11 of 20John Corbett - aka Aidan Shaw
Aww Aidan; the one that got away, tbh. We still think Carrie should have stayed with Aidan - he treated her like a queen, built furniture (hashtag handy) and gave her a second chance after she cheated on him. Despite almost making it down the aisle; Aidan moved on, got married and had three children - although he did kiss Carrie in Sex and the City 2.
12 of 20John Corbett - now
Not only has John continued acting but he's also released two country albums. He has been in a long-term relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002.
13 of 20Evan Handler - aka Harry Goldenblatt
Harry is definitely the least problematic out of all the Sex and the City characters. He was 100 per cent himself and loved Charlotte despite the fact that she was going through a divorce. He remained faithful and the pair welcomed two daughters into the world.
14 of 20Evan Handler - now
Evan has continued acting and he's also released his own books and has written for magazines and The Huffington Post. He tied the knot with Elisa Atti in 2003 and four years later they welcomed her daughter Sofia into the world.
15 of 20David Eigenberg - aka Steve Brady
Steve and Miranda's relationship started as a one-night stand but they ended up actually dating. It didn't last and the pair split. When Steve discovered he has testicular cancer he ended up sleeping with Miranda and she fell pregnant. They planed to co-parent their son but eventually reunited as a coupe. In the first Sex and the City movie, Steve cheated on Miranda but by the end of the film they got back together.
16 of 20David Eigenberg - now
Just like the rest of the cast, Steve has continued acting. He's married to Chrysti and they're parents to son Louie and daughter Myrna.
17 of 20Willie Garson - aka Stanford Blatch
We always loved Stanford. He was Carrie's BFF and always had her back. He did not get on with Charlotte's pal Anthony but the pair went on to get married in Sex and the City 2.
18 of 20Willie Garson - now
Willie has continued acting in films and TV shows - including Wizard of Waverly Places. Despite playing Carrie's gay best friend, Willie is actually heterosexual and in 2009 he adopted son Nathan.
19 of 20Mario Cantone - aka Anthony Marentino
Anthony was actually Charlotte's wedding planner for her marriage to Trey MacDougal and despite that relationship not working out, Anthony and Charlotte stayed pals. Anthony went on to marry Stanford despite them not getting along for years.
20 of 20Mario Cantone - now
Mario has continued his acting career on Broadway and in 2011 he married musical theater director Jerry Dixon after dating for 20 years.
However, despite months of teasers and pics of Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, Kristin Davis, 56, and Cynthia Nixon, 55, filming in New York creating hysteria around the show, there was a mixed reaction as the first two episodes finally aired.
Many fans were elated, with one posting, “It’s amazing to have the girls back!!” Others praised writers for bringing the show bang up to date, with the introduction of Carrie’s non-binary podcast producer and a more diverse cast.
SATC superfan and columnist Liz Jones said it felt like having her “best friends back” and hailed it “the best TV programme of all time”.
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Others took to social media to share their disappointment, suggesting new “wokeness” had ruined the fun, particularly without man-eater Samantha’s sassy one-liners.
And there was widespread fury about the surprise death of Mr Big – played by Chris Noth – the love of Carrie’s life who shockingly dies in the first episode. One furious fan posted, “No way can they kill off Big!!!” while others referenced the “depressing” nature of the episode, saying, “Are you kidding me? Really… After the year everyone has had.”
Big’s tragic death also seemed at odds with the idea behind bringing back the show.
Speaking just weeks ago, Sarah revealed details of conversations she’d had with the show’s writer Michael King last year and said, “We spoke about what we were missing in the pandemic: joy, community, the experience of being together. The world of Carrie and her friends has always been about coming home, and I felt like we needed that right now.”
Another major sticking point for fans was the hole left by Kim Cattrall, 65 – with whom SJP has had a notoriously fraught relationship.
Speaking of the feud, Sarah has previously said, “There are times when all of us have been sensitive and sometimes feelings get hurt. But I don’t have any regrets about how I’ve treated people.”
And coyly dodging the question of Kim’s absence on the reboot – which is put down to Samantha being in London with Miranda revealing she’s sent lots of unanswered texts to her – Sarah said last month, “We have some new people, and we have some people who aren’t back any more… There’s a lot of magic here, but also a lot of really hard work. Sex And The City has always been about the friendships that sustain you.”
In 2017, a third SATC movie was reportedly cancelled due to Warner Bros not being able to “meet Kim’s demands” – to which Kim later said, “My only ‘demand’ was never to make another movie.” She said later that year that Sarah “could have been nicer” and that they “were never friends.”
Then when news broke that there’d be a reunion series without Kim, Sarah said, “Samantha isn’t part of this story. But she will always be part of us.”
As Closer went to press, Kim hadn’t mentioned the show, apart from “liking” a tweet that seemed to throw shade, saying, “And just like that… I find myself only wanting to watch anything @KimCattrall is in.”
But it seemed producers may have left the door open to Samantha potentially returning, by her offering an olive branch – a bunch of flowers for Carrie – upon Big’s death.
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In a case of life imitating art, the actress’ feud had exploded after SJP sent Kim flowers following the death of her brother. Kim publicly slated her, angrily posting, “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time”.
In another nod to their real life issues, which were alleged to have been inflamed by SJP being paid more than Kim, Carrie referred to Samantha as having treated her “like an ATM”.
Meanwhile, there was more real-life agony as the show featured Willie Garson, who played Carrie’s BFF Stanford Blatch. The actor tragically passed away from cancer in September, so only appears in three episodes.
“It’s such a loss,” said SJP last month. “I think about Willie and the show and how much we laughed. And I guess despite everything, that’s the headline: There’s so much good in the world, and we were all so lucky to be together, doing something we loved.”