And Just like That… HBO has announced season 2 of the Sex And The City spin-off.
Hooray. And bobbed tongues to all the critics.
“I am delighted and excited to tell more stories about these vibrant, bold characters – played by these powerful, amazing actors.” executive producer Michael Patrick King said in a statement.
“The fact is, we’re all thrilled. And Just like That… our Sex life is back.”
But where did season 1 leave us? And, crucially, what needs to happen with Carrie and co. in And Just like That season 2?
How did And Just Like That season 1 end?
Well, a grieving Carrie finally looked set to restart her dating life post-Mr Big with that hot podcast producer, Franklyn.
Miranda was off to LA to support her new amour Che and Charlotte was as dippy as ever as she dealt with a couple of angsty teenagers, one of whom has changed their name to Rock.
This much-anticipated series was always going to be controversial, due mainly to the fact Samantha would be a no-show, in the wake of actress Kim Cattrall’s bitter and very public fall-out with Sarah Jessica Parker.
But once the series landed, fans were not happy and slammed various aspects of the series.
Why was And Just Like That criticised?
For one, the writers’ attempts to rectify the lack of diversity in the original series was dealt with a very heavy hand and it seemed that each of our regulars were given their own POC to carry on their arm like a designer handbag.
In fairness, once they bedded in, these new characters – Lisa Todd Wexley, Charlotte’s school mom friend, Seema Patel, Carrie’s estate agent, and Miranda’s college lecturer Nya Wallace – became riveting.
There was some criticism that they’d been given tokenistic storylines, but let’s be real – fans tuning in to the show were only ever going to be interested in what the original three were up to after so long, so side characters would always be on the periphery.
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But once the show got going, and the writers took their foot off the box-ticking pedal, it became a lot more familiar and back to focusing on every day issues.
Even if we did have Charlotte dealing with a rebellious non-binary child and Miranda leaving hubby Steve for non-binary comedian Che.
Looking back, this debut season felt like a difficult transitional series.
It was setting out what it had to offer.
And while it was a bit muddled and a little too try hard, by the end of we were back in old skool territory which promised good things from a potential next series.
What must happen in And Just Like That season 2
Well, for one, let’s go back to the half-hour episodes of yesteryear.
As enjoyable as the series became, the episodes did feel a bit too long.
That way, a lot of the new characters’ introductions could have been spread across various 30-minute episodes so that we wouldn’t have felt like they were being squeezed into one episode all at once.
1. Let’s see Carrie find her groove again
It always seemed weird that a woman as worldly-wise and current as she is finding the idea of a podcast alien.
The writers seemed to age her considerably as if she was unaware of the world she was living in.
If she’d been forced to do Tik Tok, then maybe I’d understand.
But podcasts are pretty fuddy duddy, so it seemed odd when she and Miranda found the concept so strange.
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Now Carrie’s sprinkled Mr Big into the Seine, we want to see Carrie back on the dating scene.
But first, let’s see how this relationship with her podcast producer Franklyn fares after their finale elevator snog.
Where did he suddenly spring from?
He’s Hot! With a capital ‘H’.
Why the writers had kept him in the shadows for so long is anyone’s guess.
2. Let Miranda continue on her journey of discovery
While many fans of the original series found the Miranda and Che storyline tough to handle (let’s not even mention that kitchen scene!), I really hope we explore Miranda’s burgeoning sexuality some more.
Perhaps we can do without Che eventually, but it would be fascinating to watch Miranda continue to see where life takes her.
After all, this life switch happens to many women and men in real life so it’s an interesting character development for a series to tackle and it works.
3. Charlotte… just as she is
Well, she was pretty much the same as usual in this first season, so let’s see her continue to be a nag and a goof and a prude.
Her desperation to maintain her social standing was hilarious, and watching her deal with mummy duties is very recognisable for many viewers.
So let’s keep her just the way she is.
4. More of the new
Controversially, I would like to see the three main new characters flourish in the next series.
In fact, I would actually like them to become part of the original three’s immediate circle.
Lisa could definitely be a campy hoot – that sparkly turban she wore to the ‘theymitzvah’ in the final episode was astonishing and I’d love to see her sashay along the streets of NYC looking like a catwalk model.
Arm her with Joan Collins-standard barbs and she could become the series’ edgy put-down queen it is currently desperately lacking.
Naya, on the other hand, is the lovely warm one who we can all identify with.
She’s tender but strong and has clearly had to live through ups and downs.
It’d be interesting to see if she and her partner can sort out their relationship in And Just Like That season 2 or if, like many women who can’t give the man in their lives a baby, carry on on her own.
And then we have Seema, who for me, is the natural successor to Samantha.
She’s sassy, beautiful and despite starting the series finding it hard to find a man, ended it by landing a hot stud who owned a nightclub.
While I’d like to see more of this club owner (played by William Abadie who was Antoine Lambert in Darren Star’s other show Emily In Paris), I want to see Seema on the prowl looking for more men in the next series.
She has the sass, the style and the seductive looks, not to mention the one-liners.
5. Leave Samatha in London
I didn’t even notice her not being there.
There was enough chaos going on in the series for viewers not to notice the lack of Samantha.
And Seema seemed to inherit her allure so I was happy with that.
Samantha became a little stale by the end of series, not to mention those two films.
When is And Just Like That season 2 on?
Well, as the new season has literally just been confirmed it’s going to be a good while before fans get chance to watch.
But same time next year – January 2023 – wouldn’t be too enthusiastic a hope. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more details.
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