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And like just that

The Sex & the City girls (well, three of them) are back, and fan Joe Bromley has his Cosmo at the ready

WHILE friends picked up Anna Karenina or took up running through lockdown, I found there was just one antidote to the deficit of fun, friends and frivolity. A glass of wine, and Sex and the City.

God, I’d forgotten how fabulous it was. Stuck in my childhood bedroom somewhere in Suffolk, I was reunited with the four women I had fallen in love with aged 15. Newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), loveable if a raging narcissist, and her mates Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall). The brainchild of author Candace Bushnell, and transposed to the screen by Darren Star, they still had New York and its men at their fingertips.

They went to art openings and fashion shows; to Hamptons pool parties and novelty club openings. And oh, did they do it in style — cigarette in hand. Vast furs and leopard kitten heels; Galliano newspaper dresses and Chanel’s enormous earrings; hats you wouldn’t even find at Ascot and that tutu. And then there was the sex! Some 94 episodes and two films full of hot sex, sweaty sex, shit sex, kinky sex, experimental sex, oral sex, anal sex and that kind of toe-curling, bed-frame gripping, screamingly great sex we’ve all missed.

Yes, I relapsed into the gateway drug that lead me to journalism and fashion in the first place. So when Nixon tweeted a teaser clip of New York’s skyline and bridges, horns honking with Carrie’s unmistakable voice whispering “and just like that” on January 10, I got goose bumps. Excited? In the words of Carrie’s infamously difficult partner, Mr Big (Chris Noth): abso-f***ing-lutley.

What are they doing… and how can I watch?

And Just Like That… will be available to stream from December 9 on Sky and Now. They’ve made 10 half-hour episodes but if you’re planning a binge, be patient. Two drop first, then you’ll have to wait until Thursdays. Michael Patrick King, who worked on the original series, is executive producer with the three leading ladies, and there’s an all-female writing team to structure storylines following Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte through their fifties. Think divorce, teenagers and, of course, new lovers.

Who’ll be back?

Paparazzi pictures and Instagram posts have left a trail of breadcrumbs. I’m frightened to find out how Carrie and Big’s tempestuous relationship has (or hasn’t) coped with years of marriage. She’s a podcaster now, too. Rumour is that Miranda will be with a woman.

What does that mean for sweet husband Steve (David Eigenberg), and their child Brady? And pictures of Charlotte and her husband Harry Goldenblatt’s (Evan Handler) children Lily (Cathy Ang) and Rose (Alexa Swinton) looking glamorous in Oscar De La Renta dresses caused hysteria online. Can they be a dream happy family? Then there is snarky wedding planner Anthony Marantino (Mario Cantone) who married the charming Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) in the second film. Devastatingly, while still filming And

Just Like That…, Garson died from pancreatic cancer on September 21 this year, but still appeared in the trailer with that cheeky chipmunk chuckle.

What’s the scandal, Samantha?

In January, Parker addressed gutted masses: “Samantha isn’t part of this story,” she said, “but she will always be part of us, no matter where we are or what we do.” The chances were always slim. A third film fell through amid rumours of tension that dates back years: Parker always got a higher wage, but Cattrall brought in the crowds. In 2009, New York Magazine reported the pair were no longer speaking, even on set. In 2019, Parker tweeted condolences after the death of Cattrall’s brother, and the latter severed ties. “You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona,” she wrote on Instagram. I don’t think we can expect a cameo.

Will it be weak or woke?

Nixon, an LGBTQI+ advocate who ran for governor of New York in 2018, told Vogue “the incredible lack of diversity was the Achilles’ heel of the show”. It’s the reason many dismiss the return, and a corner of TikTok is sectioned off to point out its most problematic moments. This time, a more diverse writing team includes authors Samantha Irby and Rachna Fruchbom, and producer Keli Goff, which means new characters! Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) is the series’ first non-binary role, while Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman will bring characters of colour with proper stories to the screen. Parker told Vanity Fair that the plot will navigate “life experience, political world views and social world views.” More than threesomes this time, then.

Fab fashion or frumpy flop?

I relapsed in lockdown into the show, the gateway drug that led me to journalism and fashion in the first place

If all else fails, the new season’s fashion could be a saving grace. The original series, costumed by Patricia Field, ushered in a new wave of high-low style (flat caps, hot pants and Hermès) and opened Seventh Avenue’s hallowed halls to the hordes. Carrie wore the Dior Saddle Bag and the purple sequin Fendi bag (“This is not a bag, it’s a Baguette!” as she told that mugger). Her voicemail was “It’s Carrie. I’m shoe shopping,” and her heels were Manolo Blahniks. If the @andjust likethatcloset Instagram is anything to go by, it looks like new costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago have nailed that eclecticism. The account reports on every garment and accessory spotted on set. We’ve seen Carrie in patent Celine platforms, Cynthia Rowley duvet jackets and… lilac washing up gloves. Charlotte was spotted in Carolina Herrera blouses and Emilia Wickstead A-line dresses, and Miranda in Dries Van Noten kaftans and wearing Loewe’s balloon bag. And the vintage! Jean Paul Gaultier suits from SS97 and Givenchy by Galliano ruffle tops from AW96 are only the tip of the stiletto. “I like my money where I can see it,” Carrie says. “Hanging in my closet.” • And Just Like That airs on Sky

Comedy and Now from December 9

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2021-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

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