To paraphrase a classic episode from the original HBO series, “New York City is a great place to get engaged. It’s also a great place to film if you’re interested in Sex and the City.” Michael Patrick King, the showrunner of Max’s SATC sequel And Just Like That, told IndieWire, “Every time , when you go into Carrie’s apartment From the outside, it’s an event for everyone. You see Carrie Bradshaw in front of Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment. It’s like seeing a lion in the jungle on safari: ‘I saw the original!’”
The town was always on par with sex on the original series and may have edged it out a bit in season one’s And Just Like That, but they’re level in season two, with a lot more sex and banter for Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and her new friends and lovers. Case in point: Miranda might strap on with her new partner Che, but And Just Like That was the first project ever to be filmed in an Apple Store — a decision King says Apple CEO Tim Cook was left to.
“They work so much with the show, the exposure there kind of helped get it publicized for it to become a reality,” site manager Julie Sage told IndieWire. “That was one of the easier ones for me.”
This urge to be a part of the “Sex and the City” universe has remained unabated since the days when Magnolia had to hire “cupcake bouncers” after the series popularized her offerings. And in Season 2, those ladies who eat lunch are actually eating lunch. And party. And attend the Met Gala. And go to Javits Center. Carrie’s apartment may be an iconic setting, but if there’s a chance for her to go to the city she once dated, she takes it.
“When it’s a brand with history and a little bit of influence, it’s easier to visit places that would never open up to a film crew for days,” King said. “And on this year’s most extravagant shoot, we basically took over The Tin Building,” the destination restaurant and marketplace at the Seaport in downtown Manhattan. “Jean-Georges and Lois [Freedman, President/CEO of Jean-Georges Management] let’s come in It’s a piece of New York that a lot of people outside of New York haven’t seen.”
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s reminiscent of the Sex and the City season filmed after the events of 9/11: Here’s our city, we’re still here, we’re still great. “The great thing about ‘Sex and the City’ and that [aftermath] 9/11 was the spirit and how the city came back to life. And the city is now living after the pandemic, that’s the reality. It’s very busy and alive now and for our story Carrie has come back to life – why wouldn’t she be out there?”
Nicole Ari Parker, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Karen Pittman in “And Just Like That” Max
That means showing the public as much of the city as possible. If the characters are in a restaurant, you better believe it has huge windows that let you see Manhattan even in the background. “We have a lot of restaurants where you can see the entire space,” Sage said. “A lot of New York is like some kind of puzzle restaurants. [We need] more of an open landscape in scale. “There are a lot of small, intimate, beautiful restaurants that don’t always appear in the film because they don’t have enough space for people. A lot is about lighting and windows. It’s the view they want to show.”
At the same time, And Just Like That strives to ground itself in the reality of Manhattan around the year 2023 (to the extent this show can, of course, without sacrificing the glamour). Part of that was the shock when one of the core foursomes stepped onto the subway last season — only to be attacked by someone dressed as Chucky. But we also got to see a lot more of Carrie’s apartment building than Sex and the City ever revealed, as she becomes friends with her downstairs neighbor, Lisette.
“And just like that” Max
“When you’re writing something, you’re always imagining the reality,” King said. “If I know that Carrie lives above someone, and if I’m very lucky and get enough episodes, you can say, ‘What does this apartment look like?’ And what does that staircase look like?’” And no, you’re not imagining it: Carrie’s apartment has been optimized from the original Sex and the City set. “We redesigned it to feel like a jewelry box that she wanted to be in.”
But when And Just Like That and its characters are unabashedly in love with the city, the feeling is entirely mutual. For the first time ever, the Empire State Building — along with the Javits Center, One Bryant Park, One World Trade Center, and Pier 17 — went pink in honor of the 25th anniversary of the original and the premiere of season two on Max. “The city and ‘And Just Like That’ are very much celebrating the fact that we’re all still here,” King said. “It is really important.”