The Surprising Event That Convinced Sarah Jessica Parker to Reboot ‘Sex and the City’
When a group of thirty-something friends took New York City by storm in the 1998 groundbreaking HBO TV series Sex and the City, audiences didn’t know what hit them. The show that openly discussed sex, dating, and careers was an enormous hit that ran for six seasons, ending in 2004.
Nominated for 54 Emmy awards, and winning seven, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Sex and the City evolved into two movies that debuted in 2008 and 2010.
While a reboot of the original series was discussed over the years, it wasn’t until a surprising event convinced Sarah Jessica Parker to reprise her role as New York columnist Carrie Bradshaw.
‘And Just Like That…’ was born
In a recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter Awards Chatter podcast, Parker reflected on a conversation she had with Michael Patrick King, the showrunner of Sex and the City. It was in April 2020, shortly after New York City abruptly shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hocus Pocus star remembers calling King to suggest creating a podcast about the process of making the show, somewhat of an “all access” insider look at the popular television series. King was receptive to the idea, which quickly evolved into formal conversations with their agents about the possibility of making such a podcast.
As the project got closer to becoming a reality, King questioned, “Should we be actually thinking about the show?” The 58-year-old actor remembers saying adamantly, “YES!” The idea of a Sex and the City reboot was born, eventually becoming the hit 2021 HBO Max television series And Just Like That…
Sarah Jessica Parker says it felt good to be ‘home again’
In the podcast interview, Parker explained she and King came to the same conclusion at the same time, saying, “We both felt the time was right, for the first time in forever, that all the sudden it felt like what would feel best coming out of this very bleak chapter was to be home again.”
The Failure to Launch star recalled “watching the past” on television with her family, revisiting old shows such as Columbo, Mary Tyler Moore, and The Bob Newhart Show. She was ready to move forward.
Parker remembers having this feeling of comfort, even though they had no idea how they were going to make the reboot a reality. Determined to make the deal, they contacted HBO, knowing it was the right time to put their plan in motion.
It was difficult for Parker to reprise her role as Carrie Bradshaw
Parker admits she didn’t make it easy for herself when filming for And Just Like That… began. Being a perfectionist, she found it hard to return and do justice to the role of Bradshaw, who on the hit series is now well into her 50s.
The Honeymoon in Vegas actor said it was not easy returning, revealing that while it was familiar, “It was very hard!” Parker explained that while it looked like she had it all together, she couldn’t figure it out and said returning was “very scary!”
Parker said it felt like “walking back into a school building” and remembering your schedule and where you took your classes but not really being able to pull it all together. She confessed, “You would know it, but it would take time to have it be really in your bones in some way, or naturally there, that you can know what you’re going to say. It took time.”
For viewers, Parker portrayed Bradshaw brilliantly, with the reboot of Sex and the City becoming the most successful original content to date for HBO Max.
