I think about Sex and the City a lot. It’s more than just my favorite show; it’s a way of life — a guidebook, if you will — of what to do and what not to do. As a serial re-watcher and Carrie stan, I see a lot of myself in our heroine. I too have made fashion faux pas, dated the wrong men, and tried to cobble together my interests and hobbies into some semblance of a career. I’ve quoted Carrie et all too many times to count, and took her voiceovers as a form of gospel. And I’m sure a lot of other NYC-based, fashion-loving millennials can relate.
Suffice it to say, I was pretty stoked when And Just Like That was announced. And while I can understand the collective disappointment of what seems to be all womankind, I’ve actually quite enjoyed having Carrie & co (minus Samantha) back in my life for the sequel series. However, the hard truth is that AJLT would be fine as a standalone show...but it isn't strong enough to match the cultural significance of its predecessor.
However, as a New York City-based writer and content creator who happens to be the exact age Carrie was at the start of the series, I’d like to believe that I have pretty good insight into what resonates with the OG fanbase. So, here are 15 plot lines I'd love to see on And Just Like Thatseason 3. HBO writers, take note and feel free to use any ideas in this open letter as you draft future episodes. 😉
Amalita Amalfi Visits New York Again
HBO
We met Amalita Amalfi in Season 1, described both as "an international party girl" and "a hooker with a passport." She introduces Carrie to a few "friends," who help her out when Carrie is short on cash. We never see Amalita again, which is a shame, because she seems like a interesting woman who's lived an exciting life. I'd love to see Carrie dial back her judgement (she's now twenty-five years older, after all) and run into Amalita the next time she's in NYC. Present day Carrie could use some fun, and TBH — Amalita is more entertaining than all of our new characters put together.
Carrie Reconnects With Mike Singer
HBO
Mike Singer is Carrie's longtime friend from Season 1, who she's never slept with. When we meet him, he's been dating Libby, a woman who he deems below him and is therefore embarrassed to be seen with her. Luckily, Libby meets someone else and dumps him. We're left to believe that Mike learned his lesson, but it's hard to say, because we never see or hear from him again.
While Mike was certainly no gem, there was something nice about Carrie having a male friend who is straight and totally platonic. This friendship was good for her, and I enjoyed seeing how comfortable she was with him. It's unfortunate she never found that type of friendship again.
Carrie's Reunited With Her Stolen Shoes
HBO
I love Tatum O'Neal, but hated her on Sex and the City. And that hatred still hasn't gone away, twenty years later. Why? Because her character, Kyra, is one of the most maddening humans in the entire series.
In one of the most iconic episodes, "A Woman's Right To Shoes," Carrie's invited to a birthday party for one of Kyra's multiple children. She's expected to give a gift, of course, and does so with a smile. During the party, Carrie's shoes are stolen from Kyra's home, and she proceeds to blame Carrie for spending so much money on shoes and "not having a real life." Carrie put it best when she said, "she shoe-shamed me!"
By the end of the episode, Kyra's put in her place and replaces Carrie's pricy (yet beautiful) Manolos, but it's not an easy road to get there. This episode made so many good points and truly stood the test of time, and I'd really like to see some of that same magic come back to And Just Like That. Naturally, I have a few ideas of how we can make it happen:
- Carrie finally tracks down the mysterious Jessica, who Kyra noted as the likely culprit.
- Allegra, Kyra's daughter, confesses to have stolen the shoes during the party. After all, they're shiny and she's old enough to know how to answer a phone, so I'm sure she could have swiped them for a game of dress up.
- Kyra gets annoyed after everyone else in her friend group starts having babies, thereby requiring her to subsidize their lifestyle. She finally realizes just how much of a burden she's been putting on her friends all along, and finally gives Carrie the heartfelt apology she deserves.
Carrie's Reunited With Her (Other) Stolen Shoes
HBO
Carrie Bradshaw may be a lot of things, but a woman who can can keep track of her footwear she is not. My heart hurt for Carrie when she got mugged and no one seemed to care (although I did enjoy seeing Miranda get the hot guy, for once). As we know, Carrie loves nothing quite like her Manolos, and these were limited edition that she bought at a sample sale. We also know that Carrie's a little rough with her wardrobe (let's just call it well-loved), as evidenced by the lining of her Dior clutch in Paris.
In AJLT, I would love to see Carrie find her stolen Manolos as a vintage or second hand shop. In typical Carrie fashion, there will be a pen mark or a small tear that she instantly recognizes as her own. She will proceed to buy back her shoes and obsess over how to find the culprit decades later.
We Get An Update From Smith
HBO
I love Smith Jerrod, and I'm not the only one. He's the perfect boyfriend on paper, his only flaw to Samanthais that he got too successful. I never liked how things ended with them, and I know Smith doesn't make sense as a main cast member without Samantha, but there are still a few ways to include him. Maybe we see the girls attending one of his movie premieres, where he shares an update on his golden life. Or perhaps he's a big enough star now that he hires Carrie to ghostwrite his autobiography. Wherever you are, Smith, I hope you're happy.
Charlotte Embraces Her Horse Girl Energy
HBO
In Season 2's "Ex and the City," Charlotte overcomes her past trauma and finds love in riding horses once again. While there are some factual errors here — notably, Charlotte riding a horse on a Central Park jogging path — I can't get over the sheer brilliance of Charlotte being a horse girl. It's so on brand and so ahead of the time, making it wild that AJLT isn't tapping into this sitcom gold.
In And Just Like That, Charlotte is clearly starved for something to do. She doesn't have much going on and then annoys every other character with all her endless free time. I'm glad that she went back to work in Season 2, but a hobby (outside of and unrelated to her family life) wouldn't hurt either. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the things you do for pure enjoyment, especially as competing priorities come into play, but this is one very real challenge that I'd love to see Charlotte take on.
Victoria Becomes A Successful Handbag Designer At Long Last
HBO
We last saw Jennifer Coolidge's Victoria at her "purse party," where she tried to hawk her terrible handbags at unsuspecting friends after a divorce ("I CUT UP MY BEDSPREAD FOR THIS!"). Fashion trends in 2024 are nothing if not unexpected, thanks to the world of short-lived TikTok aesthetics. Victoria's bizarre designs fit right in with the maximalist micro-trends du jour, and TBH I'd love to see her become a success after the bags start trending. She's been through a lot, and she deserves it! There's even a petition to bring back Jennifer Coolidge in the reboot.
Carries Curls Come Back In Full Force
HBO
While Sarah Jessica Parker looks stunning with any hairstyle, something about the straight blowout just doesn't feel very Carrie. While her waves make a few brief appearances, they're a far cry from the carefree curls of yesteryear. Even if they can't come back forever, I would love to at least see Carrie's signature curls make an appearance. Maybe a night out on the town with the girls?
Jeremy And Carrie Get Some Closure
HBO
Jeremy, Carrie's high school sweetheart, was definitely one of her better boyfriends. Unfortunately, their brief reconciliation was cut short when he needed more time to work on his mental health (very fair and responsible!). But I couldn't help but wonder, what is he up to now? Did he make it out of Juno Spears? Did he get his life back on track and find love post-divorce? If not, I want these two to give it a shot. After all, we're already dealing with blasts from dating past, and TBH I’d rather take a walk down memory lane with Jeremy over Aidan any day!
ADHD Jazz Musician Is A Success
HBO
Ray King is introduced during Carrie and Mr. Big's night out (remember when they tried to be "just friends"?). He's charming and spontaneous, but has ADHD, which was apparently a dating dealbreaker during Y2K. In retrospect, Carrie and Big were meant to be, and it wasn't going to work out with anyone else while he was alive.
Post-Pelotongate, there's renewed hope for Carrie to find a healthy relationship. Imagine if present day Carrie stumbles into a jazz club and it happens to be one of Ray's shows. The vibe is good, the music is great, and these two take a moment to reconnect. I'd love to see Ray get on Adderall, find a partner who understands his ADHD, and live his best life.
A "Sex and the City" Movie Gets Made, The Right Way
HBO
Love them or hate them, the LA episodes are iconic. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew McConaughey guest star in an effort to turn Carrie's column into a movie. Although their pitch isn't quite the right fit (McConaughey was coming on pretty strong), I'd love to see Carrie give it another shot.
Gellar's on board to make it happen as well, telling Entertainment Tonight, "I feel like the [film development] girl, which is what she was then, is probably running her own studio now. Michael Patrick King, are you listening?!"
So there you have it! SMG's Debbie could return as an industry power player, and have the resources to create a film adaptation of Sex and the City from a female perspective (á la Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine). It would be fun and super meta, especially since we now have not one, but two SATC movies. This would also give Carrie something to do, now that book sales are down and her lame podcast has finally ended. A win-win!
Carrie Gives Therapy Another Shot
HBO
Carrie gets persuaded by her friends to go to therapy in Season 2. Of course, she starts dating Seth (Bon Jovi), a fellow patient, and is too embarrassed to go back for more sessions. This is disappointing because not only does Carrie need therapy, but she herself admits that the therapist made some good points, and quits when she finally starts making progress.
Since then, she's gone through a lot but has never stepped foot in a therapist's office again. AJLT saw Miranda, Steve, and Brady go to therapy — which was very much needed, but I hated that whole storyline so much. Carrie's the one who I’d like to see her dig deeper, and I think the character could benefit from some depth as well.
Carrie Finds Support In Wallis Wysel
HBO
In Season 2, we meet Wallis Wysel, Carrie's dream mother figure and mentor — in another timeline, at least. Unfortunately, her emotionally immature son Vaughn (Justin Theroux) ruined what could have been, and Carrie and Wallis were both equally broken up about it. Breakups can be rough, and it makes sense that Carrie didn't keep in touch with her ex's mother. But now, two decades later, I'd love to see these two kindred spirits reconnect. Perhaps at one of those "Women In The Arts" luncheons? Carrie could definitely use a strong female presence like Wallis — someone who has been there, done that, and will cheer her on — at this point in her life.
The Great Nina Katz Mystery Is Finally Solved
HBO
Season 5 brought us Nina Katz, AKA "the face girl," AKA the bane of Carrie's existence for about 23 minutes. Initially, she felt some type of way about Carrie, given that she dated Aidan right after their second disastrous breakup — hence the face. Carrie took it upon herself to track Nina down (!) and confront her (!!).
Unhinged behavior all around, but I kind of get it. After all, Nina only heard one side of the story, and Aidan was probably still pretty devastated over their broken engagement. She was reacting to the only information she had — which wasn't much — and Carrie was still carrying around guilt, which is why she let a passing look from a stranger get under her skin like this.
According to Samantha, Heather Graham, and pretty much everyone else this episode, Nina Katz is a cool person with an extremely cool job. I wouldn't be surprised if this was out of character for her, and I could see her hitting it off with Carrie if they ran into each other in present day.
Also, I really need to know what went down between Nina and Aidan. By the time she pops up in Season 5, she's no longer with Aidan. Maybe she did something equally as bad as Carrie. Maybe she learned to stop being so judgmental over the years. Or maybe she and Carrie can just laugh about how after all this time, Aidan still expects the women in his life to compromise who they are and fit into his narrative.
Carrie's Family Appears, Or Is At Least Mentioned
The CW
Now I fully understand that I may have been the only person to watch The Carrie Diaries (SATC's ill-fated prequel), but there were certain aspects of it that worked: Carrie getting her start in New York, meeting Samantha, and her sweet family dynamic. There are a few plot holes between the short-lived series and its predecessor — for instance, Prequel Carrie was raised by a loving father after her mother's death, but OG Series Carrie tells a heartbreaking story of her dad "quitting" her and her mom during early childhood during a therapy session. However, I'd be willing to ignore all of this if we got any type of mention or nod to Carrie's actual, cannon-approved family in AJLT. Or even a Dorrit appearance. IYKYK.
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