I have a confession to make and you’re probably not going to like it. The truth is, I think that Carrie Bradshaw is one of the worst female television characters of the last twenty years or so. It pains me to say this because I adore Sarah Jessica Parker, but Carrie? Ugh. The worst.
The exact moment I knew I truly wasn’t “team Carrie” was during the season six episode of Sex and the City titled “One”, in which Miranda laments to Carrie that she might have severe emotional issues and fears she may be on the brink of ruining her life.
Now, perhaps it’s just me, but if I were on the receiving end of a phone call like that from my best friend, I would be hailing a yellow cab quick smart to her apartment and calling social services on the way to have them meet me there.
Instead, here’s how the conversation between the two women goes:
Miranda: Is he the one? I don’t know. I don’t know. Because I am so f—d up. And I am gonna ruin my life.
Carrie: Stop. It’s too late to ruin your life. The only thing you’re gonna ruin tonight is your night and mine.
The worst!
Feelings about Miss Bradshaw aside, I was a fan of Sex and the City overall and — during the decade plus that I lived in New York myself — will admit to occasionally donning a tutu, and heels that make my sciatica flare up just thinking of them, and heading out to one of the many hotspots featured in the series.
SATC is undoubtedly an important cultural landmark that gave millions of women everywhere a voice when it came to owning their sexuality and refusing to settle. It was also a glorious celebration of fashion, friendship and the most fantastic city on the planet.
It was also basically a documentary in terms of how awful dating is in Manhattan and it kind of gives me what I call SATC-PTSD when I rewatch episodes that result in reliving my experiences of emotionally unavailable men, game playing and multi-dating.
Having acknowledged all of that, my immediate reaction upon hearing the news from Deadline that a SATC sequel could be in the works, was: “But why?”
Variety has sinced confirmed the revival, which will air on HBO Max and examine the lives, loves and friendships of the women as they navigate their 50’s. The new chapter will be called “And Just Like That…” and will begin production in New York City in the spring (Australian autumn.)
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Parker told Entertainment Tonight last year that she’d be keen to revisit the franchise in some way saying, “I’d like to see where all of them are. I’m curious, the world has changed even since the movie… technology and social media.”
Add to that, “sexual politics and the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up… I think Carrie Bradshaw would just be so greedy to share her feelings and thoughts.”
The project will go ahead without Kim Cattral a.k.a Samantha Jones. Cattral’s feud with Parker, which played out on social media, was one of the reasons that a third SATC film was never made — although the second one was so tone deaf I think that might have been a blessing — so it’s only natural that she would sit out any additional projects.
In a 2018 episode of the Origins podcast, host James Andrew Miller revealed that a version of the script for the ill-fated third film saw Chris Noth’s character Mr Big die of a heart attack, leading to the film exploring the concept of grief and moving on. If this was a theme the producers decided to delve into in a reboot of sorts, would fans still be keen to tune into a show that is now minus two of its main characters?
Also, why would Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda Hobbes, even want to return to the series? She was almost Governor of New York for crying out loud. Does she really want to go back to listening to Carrie complain about… everything? And will viewers still be able to see her as Miranda after witnessing her as a serious political candidate? Although Miranda is a lawyer so it’s not inconceivable that she might run for office like her real life counterpart. I’d watch that.
Then, there is the character of New York itself – a city that has suffered immensely in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The extreme lockdown measures enforced in March of 2020 saw thousands of bars and restaurants, many of which were already struggling due to exorbitant rent, close permanently.
With getting gussied up and going out for cocktails such a big part of Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda’s lives, how would this particular element play out? Because lord knows, I am not keen to watch an hour long episode of the three of them sipping homemade Cosmo’s over a damn Zoom call.
Ultimately, it is this last point that evokes a feeling of resistance when I think of further SATC episodes or specials. For me, personally, Sex and the City is about just that – the city. The place in which I lived and loved and learned for some of my twenties and almost all of my thirties. SATC-PTSD aside, watching those original episodes takes me back to a magical place and a different time, before COVID and closures, couture being replaced with comfort and chic being swapped out for casual.
The hit HBO series is like a time capsule – a perfectly preserved recollection of the glamorous metropolis I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to inhabit for so long and that I want to remember as it’s portayed in the show, not as it is now.
New York may be the city that never sleeps, but when it comes to Sex and The City — in my humble opinion — it’s time to let sleeping dogs lie.