TV Revivals: Should ‘Sex and the City’ return for one more chapter?
If there has ever been a show to have a series of controversial endings and re-endings, it’s been “Sex and the City.” The series itself ended with Carrie Bradshaw ending her relationship with Aleksandr Petrovsky, claiming that she wanted do much more from the love in her life. The first movie was in part largely about her relationship with Mr. Big, and how the two found a way to make a marriage work despite a complete disaster at a wedding.
Then, there was “Sex and the City 2” … and let’s just say that this product in particular left a bad taste in our mouths. While funny, it really didn’t accomplish much of anything and didn’t feel entirely like the celebration of the show we so enjoy. It’s so iconic to New York, and yet we spent much of the movie halfway around the world.
This is an interesting time for TV, much like it is also an interesting time for HBO and Sarah Jessica Parker. She has a new show coming on the network in “Divorce,” and if there was ever a time for the two to collaborate on another movie or miniseries, isn’t it now? If nothing else, this is a worthy topic for investigation in our TV Revivals series!
How it ended – In “Sex and the City 2,” Carrie confessed to kissing Aidan while in Abu Dhabi, which led to some rough conversations but ultimately decisions by her and Big to combine their lives like never before. Meanwhile, Samantha’s romantic pursuits continued, Charlotte realized there was nothing to worry about with her nanny, and Miranda found herself in a more positive environment. For a feature film, most of the supporting characters had storylines better suited for an episode of the show.
How to bring it back – It’s as simple as continuing the story and seeing where the women are now at this point in their lives. Maybe they’ve found new struggles in their relationships or their careers; maybe they need new inspiration to feel reinvigorated. The biggest piece of advice we can offer is keep the setting strictly New York, and focus more on what makes these characters who they are. Also, keep it funny! There are few other shows out there that combined relatability and comedy in the way it did for HBO. We’d argue that a short series (six to eight episodes) is better than a film, mostly because it suits that medium perfectly.
Could it happen? – In theory yes, but we feel at this point that it’s a longshot. More than five years have passed since the last movie, and we’re not sure how many cast members want to revisit these characters at this point. We think that the interest would be there among the show’s diehard fans, but you have to make the schedules and the financials work. That’s a lot of moving parts, and HBO has enough hits that they don’t really need the show to return to turn big profits.