‘And Just Like That…’ Review: The ‘Sex And The City’ Reboot Vastly Improves In Season 2

Like a disastrous first date where there’s still something there (that zsa zsa zsu, perhaps), season two of “And Just Like That…” proves that everyone deserves a second chance. In its first ten episodes, back in 2021 and 2022, the “Sex and the City” reboot was grating and clumsy, full of cringe-inducing dialogue and misguided attempts at relevancy, absent everything that made the original series a must-watch for generations of women. The first season of “And Just Like That” was so bad that it made you question why — or even if — you liked these characters at all in the first place. Yet in round two, executive producer Michael Patrick King has largely gotten the show’s groove back. While Max’s “And Just Like That…” isn’t great television, its new season is frothy, filthy, and fun, a reminder of what made so many of us fall for HBO’s “Sex and the City” back in the ‘90s.

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It wasn’t just the change in tone (or even the absence of Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones) that made season one worthy of only a hate-watch. After the death of Chris Noth’s John aka Big, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) was rightfully consumed by mourning, and “And Just Like That” was equally unmoored. In trying to address criticism that “Sex and the City” was about four straight, cis white women in New York City, this update gave each of the remaining three principles — Carrie, Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) — their own new friend who was a person of color, while giving Miranda a love interest who was queer, nonbinary, and a person of color with Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez). Representation is good, but this approach felt like checking boxes, rather than striving for authenticity and inclusion. The reboot piled on subplots that seemed desperate to bring the show in line with social progress made in the years since the original show, while still poking fun at these changes with snide attempts at humor that were rarely funny.

By contrast, the seven episodes made available for the press (out of season two’s eleven total) find the characters and the show more settled. “And Just Like That” doesn’t swing — and miss — as big as the first season; it hews closer to the model established by “Sex and the City” in its heyday, while still acknowledging that these characters are 20 years older than when we first met them. They’re in a different place in their lives (as are many of the viewers), and the series does a solid job of acknowledging how relationships and dating in your 50s contrast with those in your 30s. It doesn’t try to shake these characters up too much, but it does champion the idea that it’s never too late to change and grow.

A year has passed since Big’s death, and grief still sometimes sucker punches Carrie. There’s also room for growth — and maybe for the return of old loves, as the appearance of John Corbett’s Aidan promises this season. For Carrie, these first seven episodes are about moving on, while still acknowledging the weight you’ll always carry; it just begins to feel a little lighter over time. The season premiere finds her having fun in bed with her podcast producer, Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez), but even more surprisingly, she is maybe finally using her stove for more than just shoe storage. Miranda and Che are still dating, navigating the challenges of a real relationship, Miranda’s sobriety, and Che’s ABC sitcom pilot. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Harry (Evan Handler) remain the only remaining couple standing from ‘SATC,’ as they parent two teenagers together.

The show still hasn’t figured out how to fully incorporate its newer POC characters. Their plot threads are left dangling: an episode gives them a problem, half-heartedly resolves it, and then it’s never brought up again — even if it’s something that should impact them in the future. Miranda’s former professor and current confidante Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman) is figuring out the single life after separating from her husband, but there’s not much happening for her character beyond that and her connection to Miranda. As Charlotte’s new BFF, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) may get the season’s best costumes and some giggle-inducing moments, but there’s not much depth there either. Sarita Choudhury’s Seema Patel gets the most development — perhaps because she’s largely filling the Samantha role and primarily hanging out with Carrie — but even she gets far less of a defined arc than the series’ original cast this season. It’s understandable that new characters would get less attention in a reboot because the audience hasn’t invested decades in them, but it’s troubling when they’re the only people of color with any real screen time. At least this season doesn’t have as many groan-worthy moments in how it handles race, but it’s a shame that it still doesn’t do these characters justice.

Yet, what has improved most this season is the writing; the comic and emotional beats start to hit their stride in the third episode and beyond. There are the expected puns, of course, but the humor isn’t just the dirty version of dad jokes. Davis gets some of the funniest lines, capitalizing on both the actress’s excellent delivery and the particulars of Charlotte’s prim, privileged character that fans know so well. Delightfully raunchy moments are reminiscent of some of the most riotous scenes of the original series, but the show somehow doesn’t feel solely like a retread. And while Carrie often behaved like a monster during ‘SATC,’ we’re still rooting for her happy ending here. There are hints that she just might get it — or at least have a lot of fun with some very hot men in the process.

The first season of “And Just Like That” couldn’t even qualify as a guilty pleasure; it was often so unpleasant and unfunny that it only aroused feelings of annoyance and disappointment. But for the fans who are willing to give it another shot, the second season rekindles the romance between these friends and their beloved city. [B-]

“And Just Like That” Season 2 debuts on Max on June 22.