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Candace Bushnell created the "Sex and the City" column for the New York Observer that ultimately became the HBO series starring Sarah Jessica Parker.
When Candance Bushnell began sharing her columns under the title "Sex and the City," she was opening up about her own story. And she found herself still able to enjoy that story as it expanded to the small screen.
Now that it's transformed into the controversially received "And Just Like That..." sequel series, Bushnell appears to be landing on the side of those scratching their heads a bit at the latest adventures of its stars Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) -- and a conspicuously absent Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
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View Story"I’m really startled by a lot of the decisions made in the reboot," Bushnell told the New Yorker. "I mean, Carrie Bradshaw ended up being a quirky woman who married a really rich guy. And that’s not my story, or any of my friends’ stories. But TV has its own logic."
Long-time fans know, though, that Bushnell said she started separating herself from Carrie's television narrative long before "And Just Like That..." In particular, she told the New Yorker that separation first started when Carrie slept with Mr. Big while he was married to someone else.
She also said she couldn't relate to Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte being so out of touch with modern terminology. It was more as if they were plucked from the 1990s and dropped into the modern world rather than moving into it gradually with the rest of us where we learn these things along the way.
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View StoryBushnell acknowledged, "It’s a television product, done with Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker, who have both worked with HBO a lot in the past. HBO decided to put this franchise back into their hands for a variety of reasons, and this is what they came up with."
And they're still coming up with things, too. HBO's chief content officer, Casey Boys, told Variety that he's keen on more "AJLT" that if King and Parker can come through with more story.
"We’re thrilled with how the show did," he told the outlet, sharing that the duo are exploring possible creative directions to see if there are any they feel are worth pursuing. "They will come to us when they’re ready, but I hope they have something they’re excited by."
In the meantime, the first 10 episodes of "And Just Like That..." are available for streaming on HBO Max, along with the vision that at least starts off a lot closer to Bushnell's story across 94 episodes of the original "Sex and the City."
