Rustle up some Cosmopolitans and dust off your Manolos; after years of speculation and debate, Sex and the City is officially returning.
HBO Max's 10-episode series, titled And Just Like That, will follow three of the four main characters from the original show - Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis - as they "navigate the reality of life and friendship in their 50s".
As previously reported, Kim Cattrall will not be returning as Samantha (more on how her absence will be incorporated into the storyline, below).
Sex and the City emerged as one of HBO's flagship shows back in 1998, leaving an indelible mark on modern popular culture - and our wardrobes - and defining an era with its group of smart and successful 30-something women talking frankly about sex and relationships.
Over the course of six seasons - and two films - the iconic quartet's friendship withstood bereavement, a breast cancer diagnosis, Carrie's on/off love affair with Big, dermatological disasters, divorce, and Samantha's gleefully graphic accounts of her sexual encounters over brunch.
We even found out Big's real name... John.
Created by Darren Star and based on Candace Bushnell's column of the same title, the drama was also a requited love letter to New York City with its vibrant shots of the bustling cityscape. And then there was Carrie's fabulous rent-stabilised apartment - including that walk-in wardrobe bursting with designer finds.
So, as we prepare for the next chapter of Sex and the City, we take a look at everything we know so far...
The trailer
The full trailer for the upcoming series was released on 30 November (watch above).
"The more I live, the more I find that if you have good friends, anything is possible," narrates Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie.
Previously, a preview trailer - shared on the official And Just Like That Instagram account -gave us a glimpse of what to expect from the highly-anticipated series.
"They say some things never change," Parker as Carrie says in the preview. "But the truth is, life is full of surprises."
She continues: "And as your story unfolds, the city reinvents itself. And just like that... a new chapter begins."
The air date
The first two episodes will premiere on 9 December, and the following eight episodes will be available weekly on Thursdays.
Who will be in it?
Three out of the four original main characters are returning: SJP is back as Carrie, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda, and Kristin Davis as Charlotte.
We've seen Parker back filming on Carrie's iconic apartment steps in New York, where many memorable moments from the original series took place. In true Bradshaw style, Parker was seen wearing a statement gingham skirt paired with an oversized shirt and a string of pearls.
In another shot, Parker was seen wearing a white pleated dress and baby pink coat.
Davis was also spotted out filming in the city, with a new furry friend. In the original series, Charlotte adopts a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Elizabeth Taylor. Here she's seen walking a different dog, but it's unknown whether it's her own pet.
Nixon has also been seen shooting scenes with her co-star Parker, wearing a classic Miranda outfit in the form of chic tailored trousers and a statement shirt.
Parker excited SATC fans even more, by sharing a picture of the three leads standing on the street in New York.
In April 2021, John Corbett - who plays Carrie's carpenter ex Aidan Shaw - confirmed that he will return for "quite a few episodes".
“I’m going to do the show,” he told Page Six, calling the reprisal of his role “very exciting”.
Mr. Big, played by Chris Noth, will also return to our screens.
"How could we ever do a new chapter of the Sex and the City story without our Mr. Big?" executive producer King said, explaining that Noth had actually "been in talks for a while," according to Deadline.
David Eigenberg, who plays Steve Brady, will make a comeback, too. Evan Handler will also reprise his role as Charlotte's spouse, Harry Goldenblatt.
Kim Cattrall will not reprise her role as inimitable PR executive Samantha Jones, and the production company decided against recasting the character, despite Cattrall previously suggesting that "another actress should play it — maybe they could make it an African-American Samantha Jones or a Hispanic Samantha Jones".
According to HBO's chief content officer Casey Bloys, the script will incorporate Samantha's absence as part of the storyline to highlight how friendships can evolve over the years.
"They're not trying to re-do Sex and the City. They're not trying to say that these characters are reliving their 30s," Bloys told ET Canada. "It is very much a story about women in their 50s, and they are dealing with things that people deal with in their 50s."
He added: "Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave. Friendships fade, and new friendships start. 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."
Responding to a fan on social media asking whether she will be replaced (according to People), SJP explained that Samantha "isn't part" of this story, adding: "But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do."
The late Willie Garson, who sadly died in September following a short illness, returns as Carrie's flamboyant best friend Stanford, and fast-talking, no-nonsense Mario Cantone is also back as his husband Anthony Marentino.
Lynn Cohen, who played Miranda's dependable nanny and housekeeper Magda in both the series and two films, died in February 2020, before filming began.
It's also been reported that the show will have a more diverse cast than the original series, with producers ensuring it is better connected to the real world. Both the classic series and the follow-up movies were heavily criticised for being maddeningly white and the second movie was deemed as particularly offensive to Muslims. Many people have said that the franchise will need to update its race and sexual politics to remain in touch with the current climate.
Bosses on the 10-part series have responded by vowing to make the show "as racially diverse and colourful as New York city itself". A source close to the production told The Mail on Sunday: "Samantha isn’t coming back but we are introducing two new characters, strong and feisty women of colour, who will help introduce the show to a new generation of viewers and more accurately reflect the world we live in."
Meanwhile, Michael Patrick King will take over from the show's creator Darren Star and serve as executive producer along with Parker, Nixon and Davis. King directed multiple episodes of the series and both films.
So, what will And Just Like That be about?
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis originally confirmed the reboot by posting a teaser trailer on Instagram which included footage of New York City and a computer screen, on which the phrases "And just like that…" and "The story continues…" were being typed out, with Carrie's trademark narration.
According to HBO Max, the new chapter will follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they "navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s".
Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said in a statement: "I grew up with these characters, and I can't wait to see how their story has evolved in this new chapter, with the honesty, poignancy, humour and the beloved city that has always defined them."
Here's a quick recap of what happened in the show's finale and the last movie installment...
In the two-part TV series finale set in Paris, Carrie leaves her Russian lover Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) to be with Big after he comes to her rescue and finally professes that she's 'The One'.
Charlotte and second husband Harry Goldenblatt were preparing to adopt a baby girl from China after struggling to conceive, and Miranda was settled with Steve and their son Brady in their brownstone home in Brooklyn.
In Sex and the City 2 (2010), Carrie and Big were beginning to enjoy married life, which was cemented with *that* unique black diamond ring, as rare as a woman like Carrie is, Big declares.
Carrie's best friend Stanford tied the knot with Charlotte's dear companion Anthony in a lavish ceremony with Liza Minelli. Charlotte welcomed a daughter with Harry named Rose, their second child after their adoption of baby Lily in the show's finale, and Miranda left her toxic workplace to find a new position at a more progressive law firm.
