After ending its initial run on HBO back in 2004, Darren Star's beloved Sex and the City lived on in theatrical form for two features, though it never became a full trilogy as planned. Many thought The CW's Carrie Diaries prequel would be the final entry in the franchise, but HBO Max has confirmed that the previously rumored TV revival is definitely happening. Dubbed a "new chapter" that will go by the title And Just Like That..., the ten-episode limited series will feature returning SATC stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, but it's happening without Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones.
Considering how integral Kim Cattrall was to Sex and the City's appeal across its six seasons and beyond, the idea of following fifty-somethings Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda around without Samantha is not necessarily an ideal scenario. To be expected, the fan reaction online was all over the place after Sarah Jessica Parker dropped the strange teaser announcing the revival season. And just as expected, Cattrall's absence was a hot topic, and many people were. Not. Having. It.
The above tweet showcased the kind of confusion that many Sex and the City fans were feeling, not quite grasping why everyone involved would choose to return to the fictional universe without the entire core cast intact. Granted, Kim Cattrall has said for years now that she has no interest in returning to the screen as SATC's Samantha Jones, so it was already a given that she wasn't going to be involved. But instead of letting sleeping sexually active New York City women lie, executive producer Michael Patrick King roped in the other three stars for a new batch of Samantha-free episodes. And that's definitely a dealbreaker for some people.
With Samantha having played into many of Sex and the City's more salacious moments and relationships, one fan suggested another title for the limited series other than And Just Like That..., and it does at least start with the same word as the upcoming revival.
Rather than going into angry hysterics, some fans are emotional in a more tearful way. For instance, the fan below already seems to be mourning Kim Cattrall's absence from Sex and the City's streaming future.
Of course, there was definitely room for angry hysterics on Twitter, because Twitter without hysteria is like Sex and the City without Saman... Oh no. I see what I was about to do there.
On the flip side of that spectrum, fans also had jokes after Sex and the City's revival was announced. Several went with a reference to a very specific Christina Applegate network comedy. (No, not Married with Children.)
Frozen 2 may be a Disney project and not within the WarnerMedia library, but the person below joked about Josh Gad's Olaf being on the hunt for Kim Cattrall's Sex and the City character.
A few years ago, Kim Cattrall actually shared what she would want Sex and the City to do with Samantha if the franchise ever returned in some format, suggesting a more diverse recasting. And more than a few fans were eager to share their thoughts about how Samantha's absence should be explained in And Just Like That...
Now let's end things on a note that's both critical about Samantha's exclusion while still maintaining some positivity about what that change can mean.
At this time, Sex and the City's return for HBO Max doesn't yet have a release window planned, though production is reported to begin in New York in the spring. While waiting to hear more about the new limited series, rewatch old episodes of SATC on HBO Max and bookmark our Winter and Spring TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way soon.
