And Just Like That review round-up: Sex and the City revival celebrates women in 50s, but is more 'self-serving than self-aware'

The American comedy-drama series, And Just Like That premiered its first two episodes on HBO Max and critics have given mixed responses to the Sex and the City revival series. The original show, which aired from 1998 to 2004 was a massive hit and also led to two financially successful feature films, the last one coming out in 2010. Created by Darren Star, who also made the first season of Sex and the City, the much anticipated And Just Like That follows the story of three main characters played by actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. While the first series saw a group of women in their 30s exploring love, sex and relationships, the revival series centres around the camaraderie of three females who navigate through post pandemic New York City, experiencing the intricate realities of life, friendship and ageing in their 50s. Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones, one of the four female leads in the prequel will not be seen in this 10-episode series following a fallout with her co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. The HBO Max limited series, And Just Like That also stars Sara Ramirez, Karen Pittman and Nicole Ari Parker in the main cast. The first two episodes of the show premiered on 9 December. Here are some early reviews of the comedy-drama- Variety: “There’s always been more to “Sex and the City” than escapism, but the 45-minute episodes of “And Just Like That” gradually come to feel like installments of a drama with some jokes. Part of this shift feels like a consequence of the franchise growing increasingly comfortable centering life’s bitterer side; part feels responsive to an era of glumness.” The Guardian: “Perhaps more importantly for the overall success of the series, it reduces the original characters to a baffled trio trying to negotiate a strange new world, as if the only thing ageing has to offer us (or women at least) is confusion and failure.” Entertainment Weekly: “The HBO Max revival And Just Like That justifies its spin-off existence with one legitimate shock and a new mood of middle-aged uncertainty. But it’s also a sweaty enterprise, stretching to include vast political sensitivities in a way that feels more self-serving than self-aware.” CNN: “Indeed, a big part of “And Just Like That…’s” appeal involves the audacity to focus on women in their 50s, a demographic notoriously underrepresented in TV’s crush to attract younger audiences. If only the characters didn’t keep announcing their ages, as if to remind viewers, who presumably have aged along with them, that the show has entered middle age. The Washington Post: “In apologising for its past wrongs, the show forgets to do what it did best: spin relatable yarns in which humour and camaraderie can help get past the worst New York City can throw at you.” Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.