Have you been watching And Just Like That on HBO? I have to admit that I was a little (very) hesitant about the idea of this show. It is not considered a reboot, as it is more like a continuation of the Sex and the City series that had a huge finale and two subsequent movies. Remember when Cosby (starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad) debuted four years after The Cosby Show concluded? Or when the series Kevin Can Wait (with Kevin James and Leah Remini) aired almost ten years after the King of Queens aired its final episode?
Fun fact – Kevin James had an appearance as his Kings of Queens character – Doug Heffernan on Cosby.
Anyway, I think I had the same hesitance to watch And Just Like That just like many other Sex and The City fans. I honestly thought it was going to be like watching women of the hot flash age (no shade intended) have hot girl summers. But this is not the case at all. The recurring theme of the second SATC movie was Samantha’s refusal to accept the aging process as we saw her swallow dozen of pills and vitamins on a daily basis, and slather herself in anti-aging cream. It was safe to say that age was a subject that was acknowledged and embraced in the writer’s room.
This brings us to AJLT. Seventeen years after the final episode of SATC aired, AJLT tells the story of the same group of women (minus one) as they navigate life in their 50s. Gone are the days of running through the streets of Manhattan in Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choo heels navigating dating and relationships in the 90s. AJLT shows the same women in their 50s navigating marriage, children, and the proper use of pronouns. AJLT debuted in the second week of December, and it is honestly one of the highlights of my week. A lot of shows focus on the growth of female friendships through the course of a few seasons, and that’s the end. What I love about AJLT is that it takes place during the after. After college, after all of the firsts – first job, first apartment, etc., and shows you what happens next. What happens when your marriage has become a boring routine, when your children start to express themselves in ways you couldn’t have imagined, and what happens when you lose your partner. There are also more brown and black faces this time around – almost as if one was assigned to each character.
It just refreshing to see all of the aspects of some of the most important relationships that you will have in your life – with your girlfriends. Check out And Just Like That on HBO – new episodes air on Thursdays. There is also an accompanying podcast that takes a deep dive into each episode.
Let me know what you think!