Sex & the City Revival Storylines Will Deal With Race Says Nicole Ari Parker
According to new cast member Nicole Ari Parker, the Sex and the City revival will have storylines dealing with issues regarding race. The romantic comedy/drama first aired in 1998 and gained a large fan base over the course of its six-season run. The HBO series is an adaptation of Candace Bushnell's 1997 book of the same name and follows four friends in New York City who navigate their respective romantic relationships and all the ups and downs that come with them.
The reboot, titled And Just Like That…, was initially teased back in January of this year, with original cast members Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis returning for their roles. While Kim Cattrall will not be reprising her role as Samantha, it was also announced that Nicole Ari Parker would be joining the cast to replace her, in addition to newcomers Sarita Choudhury, Sara Ramírez, and Karen Pittman. The new series is said to explore similar themes to the original show, but with a focus on how the characters' lives have changed now that they're in their fifties.
In a new interview with Variety, Nicole Ari Parker discusses the upcoming series and some of the ways in which it differs from the original Sex and the City. Parker notes that the original series didn't really have any well-developed characters of color but that the new series will make an effort to change that. According to Parker, the new series will explore the lives of the new characters of color, including her own character, Lisa Todd Wexley, with some of their storylines directly dealing with race and real-life issues surrounding race. Check out Nicole Ari Parker's full comment below:
“I’m excited to be a part of something that’s different for them. We can talk about the elephant in the room that there were no fully fleshed-out characters of color, but now here’s the four of us. We’re real people, and they’ve been great to work with, and some of our [storylines] deal with race and deal with real experiences. It’s New York City!”
It's not yet clear exactly what role the four new characters will play in the story, but Parker's comments suggest they will be more than just one-dimensional supporting characters. The show will still very much be about Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte, but Parker's comments make it clear that previously unexplored perspectives will also be a focus this time around, better reflecting the diverse real-life population of New York City. Considering the three original stars are now in their fifties, it's likely that some of the new characters and storylines will also revolve around problems that younger generations of women have to deal with, helping to get younger audiences interested in the series.
The Sex and the City movie that was released in 2008, after the original series had come to an end, failed to totally strike a chord with audiences and so did its sequel in 2010. With the talented and diverse new additions to the cast and an entirely fresh start after over ten years off the air, And Just Like That… seems poised to capture the energy of the original series while also reinventing it in ways that appeal to new audiences. While a release date has not yet been announced, it has been confirmed that the Sex and the City revival will premiere sometime in December on HBO Max.
Source: Variety