'Sex and the City... And Just Like That' Season 2 to Include Samantha's Character
The Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That will continue to include Samantha Jones, even if Kim Cattrall never plans on returning to the show. Season 1 featured Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw texting with Samantha, who now lives in London. In Season 2, audiences will continue to see how their relationship develops, even if Samantha never appears onscreen.
And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King told Variety this week that Samantha and Carrie will continue texting. He didn't say much more about Samantha-involved stories, but he reflected on the off-screen meeting Carrie and Samantha had in Paris. In Season 1, Carrie traveled to France to throw Mr. Big's ashes in the Seine. The show inferred a reconciliation between Carrie and Samantha.
"It's very funny because every single one of the writers has a different version of what happened during that conversation," King told Variety. "So, I think there was some Champagne. I think there was a grownup back and forth, and a love affair that they realized that something's more important than being afraid to heal. I'm sure they had a great night. To me, they had a great night and things became resolved. Once Carrie let go of an old, old love, one of her current loves came back in."
King's goal is to "bring all the characters into the mix together, so that they're not so much on separate runways," King explained. He said they hope to get And Just Like That Season 2 on HBO Max by summer 2023. Since it is so far off, he stopped short of sharing any specific plot plans. "One of my big rules is don't tell things until they're real," he said.
Cattrall has not played Samantha since Sex and the City 2 hit theaters in 2010. She was the only member of the original cast not to return for And Just Like That, as she has made it repeatedly clear that she is done with the character. "It's a great wisdom to know when enough is enough," Cattrall told Variety in May. "I also didn't want to compromise what the show was to me. The way forward seemed clear."
Parker and Cattrall's feud is another reason for Cattrall's absence from the new series. Parker recently told The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast it is "very hard" to discuss the "situation" with her former co-star. However, she wanted to "run through how it happened" because "there has been one person talking" about the feud. She believes the feud began around 2017 when Cattrall had a contractual disagreement with Warner Bros. over the making of Sex and the City 3, which eventually led to the movie falling apart. Parker said they never asked Cattrall about starring in And Just Like That because she made it clear she didn't want to return.
Later in her Awards Chatter discussion, Parker said it was "painful" to see the feud described as a "catfight" in the media. "There is not a 'fight' going on," she told THR. "There has been no public dispute or spat or conversations or allegations made by me or anybody on my behalf. I wouldn't do it. That is not the way I would have it. So I just wish that they would stop calling this a 'catfight' or an 'argument,' because it doesn't reflect [reality]. There has been one person talking."