Sєx and the City ended in 2004 after six seasons at a point when the main characters had reached a natural emotional endpoint. Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha each found a sense of personal resolution, leaving audiences on a hopeful note, but of course, fans wanted more of the Sєx and the City characters. This led to the 2008 Sєx and the City movie and its 2010 sequel, which served as nostalgic continuations of the world but did a disservice to some beloved characters, like Steve Brady’s uncharacteristic cheating arc.
Nevertheless, the series was such a pillar for HBO that it led to its 2021 reboot series, And Just Like That…, with season 3 premiering May 2025. The show pivots to explore how friendship and romance evolve as women in their 50s, but many fans feel that the reboot has lost some of the effortless charm of the original series. For those craving the heart and wit of early Sєx and the City years, there is a 2013 prequel series that follows a young Carrie Bradshaw in the ‘80s which might scratch the itch: The Carrie Diaries.
You Should Watch The Carrie Diaries Before And Just Like That… Season 3
The Prequel Series Shows Young Carrie Bradshaw In The ’80s
The Carrie Diaries reimagines Carrie Bradshaw’s early years in the 1980s. AnnaSophia Robb’s portrayal adds layers of empathy to a character who, in later years, some viewers found selfish or even villainous. Seeing Carrie as a wide-eyed teenager chasing dreams and learning hard lessons along the way casts her adult flaws in a more human, forgiving light. Much of the CW series’ charm comes from Robb’s effortless chemistry with Austin Butler’s Sebastian Kydd, a love interest who is as magnetic as he is complicated.
The Carrie Diaries is definitely more of a teen drama than a glamorous New York romp, but it shares the same spirit of friendship, self-discovery, and love that Sєx and the City captured. It succeeds because it does not try to replicate Sєx and the City; it stands on its own with a lighter, more optimistic tone. While there are some inconsistencies between The Carrie Diaries and Sєx and the City, at its core, the show celebrates the same fearless pursuit of idenтιтy and pᴀssion that made Carrie Bradshaw an icon, just from a younger, more hopeful perspective.
The Carrie Diaries Is A Better Sєx And The City Spinoff Than And Just Like That…
The Carrie Diaries Has The One Thing And Just Like That… Never Will: Samantha Jones
The Carrie Diaries is in many ways the better Sєx and the City spinoff. And Just Like That… awkwardly overcorrects the original show’s blind spots, like Carrie living in an overwhelmingly homogenous version of New York, by introducing too many new characters and storylines. The show loses the easy, organic chemistry and escapist fantasy that made fans fall in love with Sєx and the City in the first place.
Even worse, And Just Like That… fails to bring Samantha Jones back in a satisfying way, sidelining one of the series’ most beloved characters. In contrast, The Carrie Diaries embraces the spirit of the original without feeling forced. The Carrie Diaries season 2 even introduces a young Samantha Jones, seamlessly weaving her into Carrie’s story and keeping their iconic bond alive.
If The Carrie Diaries had continued into season 3 and beyond, there were plans to introduce a young Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York as well.
Rather than constantly rewriting the characters’ endings like And Just Like That…, The Carrie Diaries enriches their legacy by exploring their beginnings. It’s not trying to be the same exact show, but it taps into the same themes of friendship, ambition, and self-discovery. In doing so, it expands the world of Sєx and the City without compromising what made it special in the first place.
