In the Sex and the City sequel, Carrie Bradshaw and her pals are still showing New York City at its finest
And Just like That TWhursday 9.00pm, 10.00pm Sky Comedy
Lucy Thackray - 16 June 2023
W hen you love something, you can never have too much of it, right? That was surely the thinking behind And Just like That, the much-debated Sex and the City reboot that first hit screens in December 2021 and returns for a second outing this week. Though it’s never quite rekindled the magic of the trendsetting 1990s original, the show has delivered on the provoc- ative character we really wanted to catch up with ‒ not Samantha Jones (who will have a cameo in this latest series), but New York City.
Sex and the City creator Darren Star once said that the Big Apple was “the fifth character” alongside the main ensemble of four; and, whatever we might think of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte’s 50-some- thing antics, we’re always glad to see New York on our screens. Like the fashion (and plot- lines) of And Just like That, this city is reliably larger than life, stranger than fiction. We love it because it’s always a star, never a wallflower. This is a place where you can attend a drag brunch, shop in a department store you’ve seen in countless movies, spot a celebrity in the street, then go up the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, all in one day. Witnessing a yelling match on the street isn’t uncommon. Honking taxis and jostling crowds are all part of the fun.
And other than stringing out the question “What does Carrie see in Mr Big?” for nearly a quarter of a century, what the Sex and the City universe does beautifully is take us all over town. From brunches in the West Village, all leafy redbrick streets and zigzag fire escapes, to canopied apartment blocks on the Upper East Side; white-box SoHo galleries debuting edgy artists, to Central Park jogs and romantic nights at Little Italy trattorias – they all draw the eye. In its 90s heyday, in fact, SATC could make or break a new venue. Who could forget the girls lounging on the rooftop of “the Soho House” when the mega hotel brand was but a twinkle in the hospitality industry’s eye (nor them being directed there by Geri Halliwell in a deliciously hammy cameo?). Tao restaurant (taogroup.com), which featured as a hot new hangout in season four, is still rocking, as is Eleven Madison Park (eleven- madisonpark.com), where Mr Big told Carrie he was engaged, in a dramatic lunch scene.
You can drop in for a beer at Onieals Grand Street Bar (onieals.com), which stood in for Steve and Aidan’s bar, Scout, in the final three seasons. Onieals even appears on the rather camp Sex and the City Bus Tour (onlocationtours.com), still raking in the cash nearly 20 years after the show’s “finale” aired. But the real star of the show remains Carrie’s apartment. You’ll find its handsome brownstone stoop, graced by many a jaw-dropping Carrie outfit, at 66 Perry Street. The owners have reluc- tantly accepted that dressed-up fans will probably take selfies here until the end of time (though they do ask that you stay off the steps).
For fans, Carrie and co made New York more than a place in which to scale skyscrapers or photograph the Statue of Liberty. They made it a place to stroll, eat and shop; to dress up and be seen. The West Village restaurant patio, the rooftop bar Cosmopolitan, the Magnolia Bakery cupcake and the Manolo Blahnik stiletto hunt all became part of our NYC bucket list. Gay clubs, coffee shops, park picnics, speed dating, weddings at the Plaza ‒ the girls covered practi- cally every block, and we wanted to go, too.
A season two ups the ante in terms of fashion, locations and shock twists ‒ and the Carrie-curious will tune in to gawp, whatever the calibre of the writing. These days, Charlotte’s daughters attend prestigious music schools (filmed at the historic Lyceum Theater) and flash funerals are held in prestigious Meat- packing District galleries (greene-naftaligallery. com). The girls wear Valentino gowns, Gucci boots and flouncy Balenciaga skirts on a regular Tuesday; they meet for lunch at the Whitney Museum and play tennis at country clubs. The central characters’ And Just like That lives are so affluent and established that the new series feels a little too lacquered, any wrinkles smoothed out with big-budget filler. Those raised on the original show may find they miss the odd bargain-hunting scene, the bad dates, the flecks of grubby New York City detail ‒ it’s unlikely Carrie will have her shoes stolen at gunpoint or enjoy a “meet-cute” after having a cigarette flicked at her outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, for example. But Star and team’s ability to make NYC look good has never faded. They still have the magic touch when it comes to making it the star of the show. And just like that, we couldn’t help but wonder: should we book our trip for this summer or this autumn?
W hen you love something, you can never have too much of it, right? That was surely the thinking behind And Just like That, the much-debated Sex and the City reboot that first hit screens in December 2021 and returns for a second outing this week. Though it’s never quite rekindled the magic of the trendsetting 1990s original, the show has delivered on the provoc- ative character we really wanted to catch up with ‒ not Samantha Jones (who will have a cameo in this latest series), but New York City.
Sex and the City creator Darren Star once said that the Big Apple was “the fifth character” alongside the main ensemble of four; and, whatever we might think of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte’s 50-some- thing antics, we’re always glad to see New York on our screens. Like the fashion (and plot- lines) of And Just like That, this city is reliably larger than life, stranger than fiction. We love it because it’s always a star, never a wallflower. This is a place where you can attend a drag brunch, shop in a department store you’ve seen in countless movies, spot a celebrity in the street, then go up the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, all in one day. Witnessing a yelling match on the street isn’t uncommon. Honking taxis and jostling crowds are all part of the fun.
And other than stringing out the question “What does Carrie see in Mr Big?” for nearly a quarter of a century, what the Sex and the City universe does beautifully is take us all over town. From brunches in the West Village, all leafy redbrick streets and zigzag fire escapes, to canopied apartment blocks on the Upper East Side; white-box SoHo galleries debuting edgy artists, to Central Park jogs and romantic nights at Little Italy trattorias – they all draw the eye. In its 90s heyday, in fact, SATC could make or break a new venue. Who could forget the girls lounging on the rooftop of “the Soho House” when the mega hotel brand was but a twinkle in the hospitality industry’s eye (nor them being directed there by Geri Halliwell in a deliciously hammy cameo?). Tao restaurant (taogroup.com), which featured as a hot new hangout in season four, is still rocking, as is Eleven Madison Park (eleven- madisonpark.com), where Mr Big told Carrie he was engaged, in a dramatic lunch scene.
You can drop in for a beer at Onieals Grand Street Bar (onieals.com), which stood in for Steve and Aidan’s bar, Scout, in the final three seasons. Onieals even appears on the rather camp Sex and the City Bus Tour (onlocationtours.com), still raking in the cash nearly 20 years after the show’s “finale” aired. But the real star of the show remains Carrie’s apartment. You’ll find its handsome brownstone stoop, graced by many a jaw-dropping Carrie outfit, at 66 Perry Street. The owners have reluc- tantly accepted that dressed-up fans will probably take selfies here until the end of time (though they do ask that you stay off the steps).
For fans, Carrie and co made New York more than a place in which to scale skyscrapers or photograph the Statue of Liberty. They made it a place to stroll, eat and shop; to dress up and be seen. The West Village restaurant patio, the rooftop bar Cosmopolitan, the Magnolia Bakery cupcake and the Manolo Blahnik stiletto hunt all became part of our NYC bucket list. Gay clubs, coffee shops, park picnics, speed dating, weddings at the Plaza ‒ the girls covered practi- cally every block, and we wanted to go, too.
A season two ups the ante in terms of fashion, locations and shock twists ‒ and the Carrie-curious will tune in to gawp, whatever the calibre of the writing. These days, Charlotte’s daughters attend prestigious music schools (filmed at the historic Lyceum Theater) and flash funerals are held in prestigious Meat- packing District galleries (greene-naftaligallery. com). The girls wear Valentino gowns, Gucci boots and flouncy Balenciaga skirts on a regular Tuesday; they meet for lunch at the Whitney Museum and play tennis at country clubs. The central characters’ And Just like That lives are so affluent and established that the new series feels a little too lacquered, any wrinkles smoothed out with big-budget filler. Those raised on the original show may find they miss the odd bargain-hunting scene, the bad dates, the flecks of grubby New York City detail ‒ it’s unlikely Carrie will have her shoes stolen at gunpoint or enjoy a “meet-cute” after having a cigarette flicked at her outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, for example. But Star and team’s ability to make NYC look good has never faded. They still have the magic touch when it comes to making it the star of the show. And just like that, we couldn’t help but wonder: should we book our trip for this summer or this autumn?
LUCY THACKRAY