After years of speculation, the Sex and the City reboot was finally confirmed by Sarah Jessica Parker, better known as Carrie Bradshaw, in January 2021—with the HBO Max series set to begin production in New York City later this year.
The newest chapter of the iconic sitcom, titled And Just Like That…, will follow Carrie (reprised by SJP), alongside original cast members Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon as Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes respectively, as they continue to deal with love lives and friendships in their 50s.
But while some fans met the news with excitement, others were sceptical after it was further confirmed Kim Cattrall, who portrayed the outspoken Samantha Jones in the original series, would not return for its revival.
As we eagerly wait for more information, we’ve rounded up exactly how Samantha Jones will be removed from the franchise, Twitter’s reactions to the reboot as well as what the returning cast has said.
So, How Are They Choosing To Write Samantha Jones Out Of SATC?
The biggest question of fans’ minds: what will happen to Samantha Jones? While some speculated that she would be recast or that the show’s writers would choose to kill her off, the answer is something, well, less exciting.
The answer is something much less exciting and yet, in a way, much more depressing: they’ll say the friends just grew apart.
In an interview with TVLine, HBO’s Casey Bloys announced that in the SATC reboot, Samantha’s absence will be a result of the friends growing apart, saying: “Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave.”
“Friendships fade, and new friendships start,” Bloys continued. “So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life… They’re trying to tell an honest story about being a woman in her 50s in New York. So it should all feel somewhat organic, and the friends that you have when you’re 30, you may not have when you’re 50.”
However, by November 3, the Daily Mail announced that an inside source from the Sex And The City reboot had reportedly leaked how the PR mogul will be written off the show.
As for how they plan to explain Samantha’s onscreen absence, it will be due to a falling out with her best friend, Carrie.
“We get into her absence very quickly,” the insider said, adding, “Viewers will learn that Samantha and Carrie have fallen out over Carrie firing Samantha as her publicist and that they no longer talk. This effectively ends their personal relationship.”
“You’ll see as the series progresses over the 10 episodes that Carrie misses her friend and wants to repair the relationship […] In the words of Oscar Wilde, life imitates art.”
They concluded: “We all miss Kim and we hope she comes back for the second season–the door will never close on her, she is an important part of the franchise”.
Samantha Jones Is Set To Be Re-Cast.
While SJP has confirmed Samantha “isn’t a part of this story”, fans haven’t ruled out the possibility of the character being replaced—something the OG cast have alluded to over the years.
If rumours are to be believed, it’s going to take three new characters to fill Samantha’s shoes with TV Line reporting the HBO series will fill her gap with three women of colour as it continues to push diversity—both in its cast and the writers room.
Appearing on Watch What Happens Live alongside Andy Cohen in September 2020, Cynthia Nixon shared the possibility of replacing Cattrall with a woman of colour if the show were ever to be rebooted.
“I’ve also heard many people say, including Kim Cattrall herself, that if we were to have a different fourth woman that maybe it would be a woman of colour this time… And I think that would be amazing,” she said at the time.
What Did Fans Have To Say About Samantha Jones Not Returning To SATC?
Unsurprisingly, Sex and the City fans were vocal about Cattrall’s decision to not return for the series revival. Below, how Twitter responded.
How Did Sarah Jessica Parker Respond To Criticism?
As news of the revival lit up the internet, SJP began responding to fans about their concerns over Cattrall’s notable absence.
Author Taffy Brodesser-Akner took to Twitter to ask her followers to share their “suggested plotline that explains Samantha’s absence.”
“Pen and paper at ready. X,” Parker replied.
Fans suggested everything from Samantha accepting a lucrative PR gig overseas to—god forbid—her cancer returning, ultimately killing her.
“Exceeding all expectations,” she wrote of the replies. “I am summoning discipline though desperate to suggest ‘hot/cold.'”
SJP later took to her Instagram comments to respond to fans, suggesting there was no bad blood between herself and Cattrall. “I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would,” she wrote. “Samantha isn’t a part of this story. But she will always be a part of us. No matter where we are or what we do.”
Whether the iconic Samantha Jones will be removed all together or replaced by another actor, Sarah Jessica Parker looks to have confirmed that the latter would not be happening.
“We’re not looking to create a fourth character,” Parker revealed, according to TMZ on January 13. “We have New York City as a great character. There will be lots of interesting new characters that we’re excited about.”
Why Did Kim Cattrall Choose To Not Return?
Longtime fans will know that drama between its cast members caused major contention when filming the final instalments of the iconic show (and its potential third film).
ELLE reports that problems between the cast originally began back in 2004, when the show was in its sixth and final season, due to a salary dispute, which continued for the years following.
In 2018, Cattrall famously caused a stir for blocking the third SATC movie from going ahead—before going on to publicly call out SJP for her “cruel” behaviour and for trying to portray a “nice girl” image.
“Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona,” Cattrall wrote directly to SJP at the time.
Parker said around the same time that she was “heartbroken” by the way Cattrall viewed their relationship because “that’s not the way I recall our experience.”
Who Does Kim Cattrall Want To Replace Her In The SATC Reboot?
Cattrall previously named her top replacements for the role of Samantha back in 2018, responding to a Twitter thread that posed the idea of Ellen DeGeneres taking on the part. “She’d be fabulous!”, Cattrall tweeted at the time, later adding Oprah Winfrey, Tiffany Haddish and Sofía Vergara to the list of possible candidates.
“I am partial to @TheEllenShow but @Oprah was always my 1st ❤️,” Cattrall wrote. “But then there are the goddess’s @TiffanyHaddish or @SofiaVergara So many fabulous actresses to choose from that will make Samantha their own!”
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