Though it's in the title, the "sex" part of Sex and the City hasn't been a big component of Carrie's life in the revival. But with Big out of the way (sorry not sorry), Carrie's ready for a new love interest in And Just Like That. And it seems that she may be shitting where she eats because a top contender for a new beau is the producer on Carrie's podcast, Franklyn.
Don't know who Franklyn is? Well, he's the silver fox played by Broadway actor (and once rejector of Dan Humphrey's book pitches) Ivan Hernandez, the producer who hangs around the recording studio when Carrie records her podcast. (According to Deadline when Hernandez was cast, Franklyn is a sound engineer.) He doesn't say much... he can sometimes be found in the control room chuckling at Che's outrageous statements while they record "X, Y, and Me." But in the third and fourth episodes, his presence — and his attention toward Carrie — have become more prominent.
In Episode 3, "When in Rome...," he agreed with Carrie on-air that Citi Bikes are triggering. Of course, Carrie thinks this. She doesn't even dare the subway! But I couldn't help but wonder: Was he boosting up Carrie because she was recently widowed? Or because (gasp!) he found Carrie's Citi Bike-related humor legitimately amusing?
In Episode 4, "Some of My Best Friends," Franklyn had to be the one to tell Chloe to rein in her death references related to social media in front of Carrie. So he's defending her now? Then, he had the "young love" exchange with Carrie and Che about Chloe and Jackie. Aw, these two are really becoming pals.
Why is this handsome man lingering around if not to become a love interest for Carrie? And if you need more proof, Franklyn was featured in the below trailer where he's smiling at Carrie from the control room. It's the CitiBike scene from Episode 3, but his appearance was noticed by some fans.
There were already leaked photos of Carrie kissing another suitor on the set of And Just Like That played by Jon Tenney. He — and another Handsome Man (another candidate for Carrie love interest?) — are also in the above trailer. So I'm not saying that Franklyn is Carrie's next suitor. In fact, I think it might be more of a slow burn with Franklyn since he works at the same place as she does and knows about her loss. But like Carrie's jokes, Sex and the City isn't subtle, so he's there for a reason. Plus, imagine how annoyed Carrie will be if while she's having a crush on the sound engineer, Miranda's having a crush her podcast cohost. So just like that... love seems to be in the recording studio air.
Images: HBO Max