Why Isn't Samantha in 'And Just Like That…'?
The ladies of Sex and the City are returning as a trio.
The HBO Max revival And Just Like That… is finally set to air, but without Samantha Jones. When HBO announced the reboot, fans were surprised that the sex-positive PR maven, played by Kim Cattrall in the original series and two films, wouldn't be part of the miniseries.
Though Cattrall hasn't directly addressed her absence from And Just Like That…, she did state in the past that she would rather not reprise the role she played for more than two decades. After news broke that there wouldn't be a third SATC film in 2017, Cattrall said in an interview with Piers Morgan that her choice not to participate in the film was "an empowered decision in my life to end one chapter and start another."
Over the years, Cattrall has also implied a long-simmering feud between herself and Sarah Jessica Parker, suggesting that Parker prevented her from forming bonds with costars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. She even called Parker "cruel" in a 2018 Instagram post, linking to a 2017 New York Post story that spelled out the drama in great detail. (Vox has a more current—and more measured—rundown.) Parker, for her part, has always maintained that she and Cattrall have a friendly relationship.
One month after the miniseries announcement, HBO's chief content officer, Casey Bloys, confirmed that Samantha's absence will be part of the show's overall storyline. During a presentation as part of the Television Critics Association press tour, Bloys revealed that the script will address the reality of female friendships, including the fact that they don't always last forever.
Bloys said that the showrunners aren't "trying to re-do 'Sex and the City.' They're not trying to say that these characters are reliving their 30s. It is very much a story about women in their 50s, and they are dealing with things that people deal with in their 50s."
He added that "just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave." He continued, "Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life."
As for what Samantha Jones is up to now, plot details for the revival have been kept tightly under wraps. SATC executive producer Michael Patrick King has reassured fans that the character hasn't been killed off, revealing in a New York Times interview, "Nobody's dead. Nobody." Insiders have reportedly told Daily Mail that the PR pro will be living in London, having fallen out with Carrie Bradshaw. Whatever she's up to off-screen, we know that it's probably fabulous.
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