What I’m about to say might seem weird, given that I am (if I may flatter myself) the number-one And Just Like That… evangelist out there (I mean, come on, Che Diaz? They’re good TV!), but when I heard the news that Kim Cattrall would be reprising her role as Samantha Jones from the original Sex and the City on the upcoming season of the reboot, I…rolled my eyes? Who could ever have predicted this?
Allow me to explain. I love Kim Cattrall; love the video of her scatting; love Samantha Jones; love the episode where she tries to steal a Birkin bag from Lucy Liu; generally love almost all things about the actress and character, but I just don’t think Sam needs to be incorporated into the present-day SATC world (any more than she already has been with that text-friend storyline).
The main reason behind my hater-ism is simple: Cattrall has been pretty clear for a long time that she wasn’t interested in having anything to do with the reboot, famously saying: “I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself.” She seems to have had a change of heart (to some extent, given that she allegedly didn’t cross paths with any of her former costars while shooting), but her return to the show still feels…iffy at best, like letting someone help you move when you know they really didn’t want to. (Who ever wants to? Moving sucks.)
Just as importantly, though, I feel like the character of Samantha…would not survive the #MeToo revolution, to put it mildly. Yes, she was outspoken and confident and way more liberated about sex than any of her prim friends (including, ahem, Carrie, a literal sex columnist), but Sam’s specific brand of sexual bravado (and occasional, super-ugly transphobia) just doesn’t feel like what we need in 2023, a year where many of us are still finding our way back from pandemic-era touch isolation and confusion. It’s not that Sam is so inherently cancelable, more that a little of her goes a long way—kind of like paprika. Why let it overwhelm the dish?
I’m counting the days until the “dish,” aka the reboot, returns on June 22, and I have to admit that after all these years, I genuinely want the best for its characters (even Carrie, who mostly sucked and was mean to Stanford—fight me!). I don’t know if Miranda and Che will make it, or if Charlotte and Harry will succeed in being good, affirming parents to their kids (especially their nonbinary child), or if Carrie will become a podcast maven or ride into the sunset with some guy we haven’t met yet, but I do know that one episode’s worth of Samantha Jones cameo is probably enough. Sure, I’d love to see Sam take on her 60s, but I’ll content myself with watching whatever Cattrall actually wants to do next.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
