‘Sex and the City’: Fans React to Samantha’s Absence in Spinoff Show
News dropped on Jan. 10 that a long-awaited Sex and the City spinoff show, And Just Like That…, will air on streaming service HBO Max. However, the announcement, which came via a new Instagram account for the show promoted by leads Sarah Jessica Parker (who plays Carrie Bradshaw), Kristin Davis (Charlotte York-Goldenblatt), and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes), indicated that the story following SATC women would exclude fan-favorite Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones.
And despite rumors swirling around about Parker and Cattrall’s alleged long-running feud, fans expressed their disappointment with the seeming end to Samantha Jones’ story after six seasons of the television show and two feature films.
Samantha’s character is loved by audiences due to her casual attitude toward sex and sexuality, bold support for her friends, and ambitious career goals. Without her as part of the show, the core characters will be missing a key component to the group that made the initial television series a smash hit.
Some fans pointed out that without Samantha, ‘Sex and the City’ feels incomplete
One fan joked, referencing the coronavirus pandemic: “It’s not a coincidence that at the height of the pandemic they’re deciding to release the SATC reboot without Samantha,” the commenter tweeted. “The two are linked. The reboot is just a mutation of the virus.”
Other fans compared what a Samantha-less SATC is like through analogies.
“Having Sex and the City without Samantha is like Destiny’s Child reuniting without Beyoncé,” a fan said.
“Sex and the City without Samantha is just ‘Women and the City,'” a fan remarked.
Other fans suggested alternative reboot shows including Samantha
“Don’t kill off Samantha […], give Kim Cattrall her own [spinoff] show called Sex and the Other City set in London,” a fan suggested. “She plays an agent for British movie stars, getting pissed in Soho with the gays and sleeping with corrupt politicians.”
Another fan threw out an idea: “A Sex and the City reboot that’s just Samantha venting to her new friends about her old toxic friend group is way more New York.”
Many fans said they’ll still happily watch the spinoff, though
Popular singer Sam Smith, who uses they/them pronouns, weighed in on the reboot news. “Sex and the City is coming back,” they said. “I’m freaking out. So excited.”
A different fan said his group chats are popping off at the news: “All my group chats are, ‘F*ck sake without Samantha?! No way! Will obviously watch the entire thing but [ugh] so annoyed.'”
Another fan said on Twitter: “It definitely won’t be the same without Samantha but at least we’re getting new [Sex and the City] tbh.”
It will definitely be interesting to see how the reboot addresses Samantha’s absence — and how the main characters, now in their 50s, live in New York City in 2021. It remains to be seen if the show will include the coronavirus pandemic in the plot-line as other shows, like Grey’s Anatomy, have. But we’re sure there will be plenty of drama, comedy, and of course, sex — even without Samantha.
