Susan Granger’s review of “And Just Like That…” (HBO Max)
If you’ve spent any time channel-surfing, you’ll be inundated with re-runs of “Sex and the City,” the successful six-season franchise starring Sarah Jessica Parker as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw with her besties: pragmatic lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nison), WASPy Charlotte York-Greenblatt (Kristin Davis) and uninhibited publicist Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).
After two big-screen spin-offs, the cast – minus Samantha – reassembled for the sequel “And Just Like That…” in which the quest – finding/marrying the right man – was abandoned in favor of each of the admittedly middle-aged women finding/defining herself.
In the first episode of the new series, Carrie becomes a widow, selling her once-coveted Upper East Side brownstone. Her husband, known as Mr. Big (Chris Noth), collapsed from a heart attack while working out on his Peloton. At the urging of her publisher, Carrie then becomes the keynote speaker at WidowCon.
Self-righteous Miranda suddenly leaves her husband Steve for Che Diaz (Sara Ramiriz), a self-professed “queer, nonbinary Mexican Irish diva” who does stand-up comedy. And Charlotte’s marital relationship with Harry (Evan Handler) comes into question along with her now-teenage daughter Lily’s (Cathy Ang) sexuality.
So much controversy erupted about Samantha’s abrupt exit to London that actress Kim Cattrall was paid a fortune to appear in a highly-anticipated, admittedly antic-climactic 75-second cameo in the final episode of the second season.
Without Samantha, the second season was cluttered with superficial supporting characters, like Aidan (John Corbett), raising three sons in Virginia; Anthony (Mario Cantone) falling for an Italian studnik; unexpectedly pregnant Law professor Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker); divorcee Nya (Karen Pittman); and commitment-phobic, real estate agent Seema’s (Sarita Choudhury) involvement with a Marvel director.
Obsessively self-involved Carrie is still chirping…but now it’s about career frustration, breast cancer and – above all – existential disappointment and loneliness. Not much fun.
Perhaps Miranda puts it best as she ponders whether her relationship with Che was “a good train wreck” or just a train wreck.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “And Just Like That…” is a forced, frustrating 5, streaming on HBO Max (now simply called Max).
