The dating landscape inAnd Just Like Thatseason 3 looks a lot different from how it did for Carrie and the girls inSex and the City, and series writers and executive producers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky discuss the newfound nostalgia for ’90s courtship. The agonies and the ecstasies of dating are the crux of the original series, with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends looking for love in the big city, and kissing more than a few frogs on the search for Prince Charming.
However, to the Gen Z Lisette (Katerina Tannenbaum), Carrie’s dating world 20 years ago looks like a paradise.And Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 2, “Rat Race,” sees Lisette telling Carrie as much, as she is sick of the cold and impersonal world of dating in the digital age. But while Carrie may be in love with Aidan (John Corbett), their complicated relationship has just as many obstacles as the dating app jungle Lisette is navigating.
Rottenberg and Zuristky not only write forAnd Just Like That, but they were also writers onSex and the City, so they’re the perfect people to talk with about the dating worlds of both series.Screen Rantsat down with the pair, who revealed why 20-somethings who’ve rediscoveredSex and the Cityare embracing its nostalgia, but also how modern love inAnd Just Like Thatisn’t as different fromSATCas we might think.
20-Somethings Are Finding Sex And The City “Aspirational In A Surprisingly Retro Way”
Gen Z Is Rediscovering The Show On Netflix
WhenSex and the Citystarted streaming on Netflix (in addition to HBO Max) in 2024, it inspired an entire generation, which Zuritsky spoke to. “Sex and the City, ever since it moved to Netflix, has experienced this huge rebirth and rediscovery for a whole generation, a generation and a half probably,” she said. “I mean, I have teenagers. They’re watching it, and the 20-somethings who missed it before are watching it now.”
“I think one of the reasons I think it’s speaking to this younger generation so loudly is that it is nostalgic,” Zuritsky continued. “and almost aspirational in a surprisingly retro way to see people meet in real life and fix people up on blind dates and all of that stuff that’s sort of lost in this digital age that we’re in.”
The world has changed for the better in a lot of ways, particularly for women, but there’s no denying that for all its improvements, modern love has become more complicated. It makes sense for Lisette to be envious of Carrie having met Aidan 25 years ago, especially after she just got stood up by a psychiatrist from the apps. Rottenberg spoke directly to this scene, saying,“I have friends who are deep in the dating, the apps, the hell of the apps, and I know Elisa does too. And in fact, that scene was taken from a very real person.”
“A younger friend of ours who is, yeah, living the rage of the electronic world,” Zuritsky chimed in. Rottenberg also said, “I think we wanted to reflect what’s actually happening right now for people who are dating. It is what we often say if we hadn’t met our husbands when we did…. It’s brutal, it’s a brutal reality on the apps, and we wanted to reflect that, given that that’s how most people date now at every age.”
And Just Like That Season 3 Shows That Dating In The Digital Age Still Has The Same Pitfalls It Did 20 Years Ago
Carrie’s Gone From Analyzing Answering Machine Messages To Emojis
Lisette and her generation may pine for the days of meet-cutes and eyes locking across a crowded bar, but the fact is that a lot of the dating foibles experienced inAnd Just Like Thataren’t all that different fromSex and the City. Rottenberg said, “It’s sort of just the 2.0 version of what we showed in the past on Sex and the City. Sadly, it’s like the mechanics of it have changed, the pain and the outrage has not.”
…startCarrie off in the beginning of the episode as the wise lucky lady who met her boyfriend pre-apps, and then by the end of the episode, put her squarely in the frustration zone
This is definitely reflected in Carrie’sAnd Just Like Thatseason 3, episode 2 storyline, which Zuritsky discussed. “We also thought it was funny to sort of start Carrie off in the beginning of the episode as the wise lucky lady who met her boyfriend pre-apps, and then by the end of the episode, put her squarely in the frustration zone of like, ‘Ah, we’re now texting emojis to each other.'”
This is in reference to Carrie texting Aidan an image of a table she picked out for him, with an incredibly thoughtful explanation as to why she thinks it suits them as a couple, only for him to respond with a solitary thumbs-down emoji. Carrie vents to Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Seema (Sarita Chowdhury) about it over lunch in a scene that feels straight out ofSex and the City.
Rottenberg also revealed, “I have a friend who’s dating now, and she’s in her fifties, and she still references Sex and the City. There’s an episode for every situation.” It may seem discouraging that “the pain and the outrage” of dating haven’t changed in the 21 years sinceSex and the Cityconcluded. However, that’s precisely why shows like it andAnd Just Like Thatare so comforting, and so universally relatable to those who are dating, regardless of age.
And Just Like Thatseason 3 will air on HBO Max every Thursday at 9PM ET through its season finale on August 14.
And Just Like That…
Cast
And Just Like That is a continuation of the beloved franchise Sex and the City, chronicling the experiences of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they transition from the complexities of life and friendships in their 30s to those in their 50s.
Sex and the City
Sex in the City follows Carrie Bradshaw, a New York writer who finds inspiration for her column from the genuine, emotional, and often humorous exploits of life in the city. Joined by best friends Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones, Sex and the City follows the ups and downs of the characters’ romantic relationships, being single, sex, and friendship as 30-something women.
