Sarah Jessica Parker: Sex and the City reboot will tackle COVID

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https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood...the-city-covid

Speaking this morning to Vanity Fair, Parker said showrunner Michael Patrick King has assembled a diverse female writing staff with new “life experience, political world views, and social world views.” Parker added that COVID-19 will “obviously be part of the storyline, because that’s the city (these characters) live in. And how has that changed relationships once friends disappear? I have great faith that the writers are going to examine it all.”

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Do we want a ‘Sex and the City’ reboot?

When Sex and the City ended in 2004, it felt like a good, satisfying conclusion. But sensing that the audiences still had a hankering for Carrie Bradshaw and her friends, in 2008, a film version of the show was released to gigantic box office with so-so critical notices. Then in 2010, a sequel was released – though it made lots of money, it was a critical failure, a notoriously terrible film that essentially ended the goodwill from the original show. The film – with its unrepentant consumerism, Islamophobia, and terrible writing – destroyed the reputation of the series which was considered a classic by many, making the “best of” lists of outlets like TV Guide.

With the failure of Sex and the City 2, it’s worth asking why is this sequel show happening? Aside from the cynicism of tapping into the reboot-mania that has gripped American television for the past few years, what is the reason for bringing back these characters? And does the show – one that feels defined by its time – have a place in the 2021 world? In the current pop culture landscape, shaped by Trump, MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and COVID-19, do we need a show about impossibly wealthy white women whose main concern seem to be men?

When watching the show, it’s clear that there are parts of it that have aged terribly. The writing has failed when it addressed race, bisexuality, transgender issues. It essentially ignored a recession (save for some lines that obliquely referenced the struggling economy) It remained a resolutely apolitical show, even though it ran during the Bush years when the country suffered from 9/11, saw deep national divides due to the Iraq war, and the renewed culture wars due to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment.

The show will be airing after one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history. If the show is to return, it would have to somehow address some of the cultural shifts that we’ve seen, otherwise it would be glaringly out of step with what television is doing now. The story of three women in their 50s could potentially approach some topical issues with some candor and honesty. But the bottomless wealth, rabid materialism, and dominant heteronormativity would doom the show to irrelevance.

[TMC]

Do we want a ‘Sex and the City’ reboot?

When Sex and the City ended in 2004, it felt like a good, satisfying conclusion. But sensing that the audiences still had a hankering for Carrie Bradshaw and her friends, in 2008, a film version of the show was released to gigantic box office with so-so critical notices. Then in 2010, a sequel was released – though it made lots of money, it was a critical failure, a notoriously terrible film that essentially ended the goodwill from the original show. The film – with its unrepentant consumerism, Islamophobia, and terrible writing – destroyed the reputation of the series which was considered a classic by many, making the “best of” lists of outlets like TV Guide.

With the failure of Sex and the City 2, it’s worth asking why is this sequel show happening? Aside from the cynicism of tapping into the reboot-mania that has gripped American television for the past few years, what is the reason for bringing back these characters? And does the show – one that feels defined by its time – have a place in the 2021 world? In the current pop culture landscape, shaped by Trump, MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and COVID-19, do we need a show about impossibly wealthy white women whose main concern seem to be men?

When watching the show, it’s clear that there are parts of it that have aged terribly. The writing has failed when it addressed race, bisexuality, transgender issues. It essentially ignored a recession (save for some lines that obliquely referenced the struggling economy) It remained a resolutely apolitical show, even though it ran during the Bush years when the country suffered from 9/11, saw deep national divides due to the Iraq war, and the renewed culture wars due to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment.

The show will be airing after one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history. If the show is to return, it would have to somehow address some of the cultural shifts that we’ve seen, otherwise it would be glaringly out of step with what television is doing now. The story of three women in their 50s could potentially approach some topical issues with some candor and honesty. But the bottomless wealth, rabid materialism, and dominant heteronormativity would doom the show to irrelevance.