by Thinus Ferreira
After an acrimonious split behind the scenes with Sarah Jessica Parker which became public and saw her turn her back on Sex and the City and her former co-stars, Kim Cattrall is now returning and will be back in the second season of the sequel series as sex-positive publicist Samantha Jones.
The New York Post was first to reveal Kim Cattrall's return to her role as the beloved feisty and sex-open Samantha Jones for the second season of HBO's And Just Like That, seen in South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101), that will start on 22 June in the United States and seen in South Africa as an Express from the US title.
While Samantha return is great, it comes with caveats and while sure to please fans, it won't be exactly what they've expected and all they might want it to be be the episode is aired in August as the final of the second season's 11 episodes.
Variety followed up The New York Post's reporting, further revealing that Kim Cattrall's return is thanks to the intervention of Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, who personally reached out to her a few months ago to ask her to reprise her role.
After years of animosity between her and Sarah Jessica Parker, Cattrall has stated in multiple interviews that she has no desire to return to Sex and the City and has closed the door in the show and her relationships with her former co-stars Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Now she will be back although Samantha will only be seen in the final episode of the second season, although she didn't film any scenes with any of her co-stars.
During the first season of And Just Like That, Carrie was seen texting with Samantha, with the show in a sense mirroring the rift and estranged relationship which exists between the actresses in real-life.
The relationship between Carrie and Samantha have become strained for unstated reasons, but Samantha did sent a massive bouquet of flowers to the funeral when Mr Big, played by Chris North, unexpectedly died.
Carrie kept in touch, and in the final episode Samantha agrees to meet with Carrie, although it happens off screen.
Kim Cattrall confirmed to The New York Post that she had decided to reprise her role. An insider whispered that "The fact that they’re keeping it very hush-hush says that there's some implication that she might be coming back — not this season, but it's definitely a cliffhanger that's gonna get people to come back for season 3".
Variety reports that Samantha will only appear in one scene and that Kim Cattrall filmed her scene on 22 March in New York City, and without interacting, seeing or speaking with either Sarah Jessica Parker or showrunner Michael Patrick King.
The famous designer Patricia Field who had worked on Sex and the City but not And Just Like That, returned to dress the character of Samantha for the scene.
Samantha has moved to London and is seen speaking with Carrie on the phone in the final episode of the upcoming second season, although Cattrall filmed her speaking scenes separately.
Also back for the second season of And Just Like That is John Corbett who is reprising his role as Carrie's former fiancé Aidan Shaw.
