The second season of Max‘s And Just Like That… literally opens with a full-on sex montage set to Elton John and Dua Lipa’s hit song “Cold Heart.” Later on in the first episode, Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon) gamely dons a strap-on and gracelessly flops out of a sensory deprivation tank. As the season goes on, both bad dates and glorious one night stands are had. Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) helps her man do kegels. Seema (Sarita Choudhury) entertains a lover who brings a surprising accoutrement into the bedroom: a penis enlarging pump. And Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is torn between the memories of Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Aidan Shaw (John Corbett).
And Just Like That… Season 2 finally gets that it’s a sequel series of Sex and the City, fully embracing the original show’s madcap exploration of sex and relationships, while prioritizing female friendships above all. There are still areas where the Max show wobbles — once again in how it handles diversity — but over all, And Just Like That… Season 2 is a delightful improvement over the first season. If you loved to hate And Just Like That... Season 1, there are still enough bonkers moments to fuel your hate-tweets. And if you’re a SATC diehard, you’ll find yourself swooning (and screaming) over where the decades-long saga takes Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda next.
The first season of Max’s And Just Like That… caught up with three of the four main characters from Sex and the City decades after we left them in the original series. Carrie’s happily ever after with Big turns into a nightmare when her husband dies from a Peloton-induced heart attack in Episode 1. Miranda struggles with both alcoholism and the realization that she is attracted to Carrie’s non-binary coworker Che Diaz (Sara Ramírez). And Charlotte was still Charlotte, albeit now the mother of two teenagers.
And Just Like That… Season 2 also attempted to correct the original series’s overly whitewashed portrait of New York City by introducing four new BIPOC characters, including the aforementioned Che Diaz, into the mix. There was Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), a Black documentarian, wife, mother, and fashion plate whom Charlotte was obsessed with befriending; Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman), a Columbia professor who had to teach Miranda extra lessons on racism; and Seema Patel, a chain-smoking realtor who seemingly filled the Samantha-shaped void in Carrie’s racier conversations. Because all four new characters were largely defined by how they educated, supported, or romanced the original white privileged leads, And Just Like That… rightfully came under fire for giving each main character “her own personal Diversity Girlfriend.”
Well, it seems that the writers of And Just Like That… paid attention to the show’s varied critiques, from the “Diversity Girlfriend” issue to the Che Diaz hate to the lack of Kim Cattrall. When And Just Like That… Season 2 premieres with two episodes tomorrow, viewers will find a season of TV where Lisa Todd Wexley, her husband Herman (Christopher Jackson), and Seema Patel fit seamlessly into the core friend group, Che Diaz has to sit through their own focus group, and Kim Cattrall will return for a single cameo as Samantha Jones. (The first seven episodes of And Just Like That… struggles the most finding a way to work Nya into the main plot, but a mid-season shift for Miranda teases that the newly single professor’s story might dovetail neater into the core group’s in the last four episodes of Season 2.)
And Just Like That… Season 2 picks up a few weeks where Season 1 left off. Carrie is hooking up with her dishy podcast producer Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez), Miranda is enjoying a honeymoon phase with Che in California, and Charlotte, Seema, Lisa, and Anthony (Mario Cantone) are buzzing about attending the Met Gala. It’s a rare blend of sex, romance, and luxury porn that recaptures the orgasmic rush of watching the original Sex and the City.
By and large, the performances of the ensemble are fabulous to behold. Sarah Jessica Parker continues to juggle the devastation of Carrie’s grief with her trademark plucky wit. Sara Ramírez is able to deepen our understanding of Che, giving the polarizing character key moments of unvarnished vulnerability. Nicole Ari Parker somehow makes the timeless struggle of having it all feel fresh and glamorous. Karen Pittman lends the underwritten Nya new shades of self-love and complexity. Sarita Choudhury manages to make Seema an even more devastatingly cool badass in Season 2, while Cynthia Nixon attacks the material with a gusto she never had in the original series. My personal favorite performance, though, might have been Kristin Davis’s. Charlotte York Goldenblatt somehow has changed the least from the original series, which speaks to Davis’s total possession of the character. No matter what the writers throw at Charlotte, Davis makes it ring true to the Park Avenue Princess we first met 25 years ago.
Of course, it’s not all perfection. As in Season 1 — and, let’s be honest, the original Sex and the City — many of the snappy lines of dialogue veer into corny parody. Unlike the original series, And Just Like That…’s episodes clock in at 45 minutes and, ahem, I couldn’t help but wonder if a half hour version of this show would be tighter, lighter, less self-indulgent. Some of the cameos, storylines, and design choices are so over-the-top that they defy reason. You have to either embrace the delightful camp of Carrie Bradshaw and her pals living these insanely privileged lives or you put something else on to watch.
The world of And Just Like That… and Sex and the City has always been about fantasy, though. It’s about fairy tale love, opulent lifestyles, and happily ever afters. But it’s also always been about deep, honest emotion. It’s about how we yearn for love, passion, and real connections with other people. Even if you can’t relate to the champagne problems of And Just Like That…‘s protagonists, you can always connect with the raw emotions of these characters. And Just Like That… Season 2 is what Sex and the City fans have always tuned in for.
The first two episodes of And Just Like That… Season 2 premiere tomorrow, Thursday, June 22 on Max.