Ever since the Samantha-less Sex And the City reboot, And Just Like That..., was confirmed in December, we've been wondering how could a Sex And The City revival write out Samantha? I've speculated everything from death by cancer to an off-screen California career, but it turns out the Sex And The City reboot will explain Samantha's absence in a much simpler way. "Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave," teased HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys in an interview with TV Line. "Friendships fade, and new friendships start."
It's unclear how much writing on And Just Like That has actually been done, so it's possible plans for Samantha's exit will change before the series actually makes it to air. But I, personally, love the idea of Samantha's absence being just a case of friends growing older and growing apart. There doesn't need to be some big fallout with Carrie — a storyline that would undoubtedly do nothing other than fuel the flames of rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions between Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) and Kim Cattrall (Samantha). And Samantha does not need to be recast in some strange attempt at maintaining friendship continuity. She can just go live her life free of New York City's most outrageously dressed women who lunch.
Just because Samantha won't be recast doesn't mean she won't be replaced. Bloys specifically mentioned "new friendships," which suggests the threesome of Miranda, Carrie, and Charlotte, could be getting a forth body, or maybe even more. Even more exciting? These new friends might not be straight white women. Per Bloys, Sex and the City showrunner Michael Patrick King, who is returning for the revival, "didn't want to tell a story with all-white writers or an all-white cast." The And Just Like That writers room has already been announced, and is much more diverse and inclusive than the original, something Bloys told TV Line they hope will translate into a show that would "reflect the way New York looks today."
Should the writers decide that they need a forth lead to balance out the show, And Just Like That should consider casting a woman of color for the role. And, if they do, the writers better make sure they give this new character some juicy storylines. And I don't just mean dramatic. If this new character is going to replace Samantha in the group, then it better be hot. Let there be sex!
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