Candace Bushnell, the author whose 1996 book anthology “Sex and the City” was adapted into the iconic HBO series of the same name, was left “really startled” by sequel series “And Just Like That.” Bushnell dropped her “And Just Like That” reaction during a recent interview with The New Yorker. “And Just Like That” polarized “Sex and the City” fans with storylines such as Big’s death and Miranda’s decision to divorce her husband Steve after falling in love with a nonbinary queer comedian.
“I’m really startled by a lot of the decisions made in the reboot,” Bushnell said. “You know, it’s a television product, done with Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker, who have both worked with HBO a lot in the past. HBO decided to put this franchise back into their hands for a variety of reasons, and this is what they came up with.”
Bushnell said she could not relate to how “And Just Like That” depicted Carrie, (Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixton) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) as being so out of touch with modern terms when it came to changing culture and gender norms. The author has long spoken about how she stopped relating to Carrie, whose based on her, during the original series.
“I’ve said this, but when the character of Carrie sleeps with Mr. Big after he’s married to somebody else — that’s when I felt like the character’s becoming something other [than myself],” Bushnell said.
Bushnell continued not to see herself in Carrie in “And Just Like That,” adding, “Not at all. I mean, Carrie Bradshaw ended up being a quirky woman who married a really rich guy. And that’s not my story, or any of my friends’ stories. But TV has its own logic.”
“And Just Like That” wrapped up its 10-episode debut run on Feb. 3. HBO Max has yet to announce a second season of the reboot, but HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys confirmed to Variety he’s interested.
“We’re thrilled with how the show did and [showrunner] Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker are talking to make sure there’s a creative direction that they’re excited by,” Bloys said. “They will come to us when they’re ready, but I hope they have something they’re excited by… I imagine they’re going to come up with something they’re excited by, but we’re just giving them their time.”
“And Just Like That” Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.