There’s something thatSex and the Cityfans should check out while waiting for new episodes ofAnd Just Like That,the revival show of the iconic HBO series. In the original series, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends navigate life as single women in their 30s and 40s, leading to candid conversations about love, friendship, and the expectations that accompany it. Yet anotherpopular HBO showfrom 13 years ago emulates the life of Carrie and her friends in their youth, as its characters also experience young love as millennials in New York City.
While theoriginalSex and the Citycharactersare a bit older and wiser inAnd Just Like That,the revival builds on their arcs.And Just Like That’s storyis still about love and dating, though its characters also manage their next steps, like marriage and divorce.It’s compelling to watch how Carrie and her friends have evolvedwith age, now living in modern times. That said, ifSex and the Cityfans are still curious about millennials dating in New York, with characters reflecting theSex and the Citycharacters' experiences, HBO has another girl-centric series to enjoy.
HBO’s Girls Was Originally Seen As The New Sex And The City
Hannah Horvath Was The New Carrie Bradshaw
With considerable overlap with Carrie’s show,Girlswas initially seen as the newSex and the City.Girlswas created by Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham, with the latter also playing the central character, Hannah Horvath.Like Carrie Bradshaw, Hannah is an up-and-coming writer in New York, sought after for her keen observations about men and dating. Also like Carrie, Dunham’s Hannah connects the show’s other protagonists, her three friends, whose stories run concurrently with the centralGirlscharacter.
Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, and Zosia Mamet fill outGirls' cast as Hannah’s friends: Marine Michaela, Jessa Johansson, and Shoshanna Shapiro, respectively. Like Carrie’s gal pals inSex and the City,coming from different walks of life and bringing varying perspectives on dating to the show,Hannah’s friends inGirlsdon’t have a lot in common. Hannah also has an on-again, off-again romance with Adam Sackler (Adam Driver), the turbulence and toxicity of which mimicsCarrie Bradshaw’s romance with Mr. Big(Chris Noth).
Girls' Tone & Themes Are Very Different From Sex & The City
The Girls In Girls Don’t Have What Carrie’s Friends Have
However, while their premise and setup are quite similar on the surface,GirlsandSex and the Cityvary drastically in tone and substance. While Carrie and her friends fight, the besties put their friendship above all else. There’s more distance between the ladies of theGirlscast, with characters like Shoshanna eventually breaking off.Girls' six seasonshave perhaps a more realistic take on how four very different women would interact as they evolve into their respective selves.
It’s safe to say thatGirls' endingtakes a different path thanSex and the City. Carrie reuniting with her on-again, off-again flame, John Preston, concludes the Gen X saga, whereas Hannah takes a more solitary path in the series finale ofGirls.All that said,the tone and themes ofGirlsare a bit more serious, though the show has the same comedic aspects asSex and the City.Still, with six seasons of watching the young New Yorkers navigate love,Girlsoffers the same content asSex and the City,more or less.
Girls Is Getting A New Life On HBO With Gen Z Audiences
Hannah Horvath’s Girls Story Appeals To Gen Z
With a surge ofGirlsclips populating social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok,Lena Dunham’s show is getting a new life with Gen Z audiences. In aninterview withScreenRant’s Ash Crossan,Marnie actor Allison Williams commented onGirls' recent resurgence, once the it-show for millennials.She commented that the 20-something crowd, who are enjoyingGirlsfor the first time a decade after its initial popularity, are probably drawn to the series becauseit reflects their own coming-of-age experience, but from a distance of 10 years earlier, unlike when millennials watched the show.
The shows' frank conversations about female sexuality and womanhood outweigh the negatives.
Williams also commented that millennials were engaging inGirlsrewatches, able to enjoy the show from “the safety of their adulthood.” Williams acknowledged that when millennials first watchedGirls,they were witnessing their own experience, and the cringe factor didn’t help quell the controversy associated with the project. However, despite sharing problems withSex and the City,such as a lack of diversity,Girlsis also popular with current 20-somethings. It could be that, despite the controversy surrounding bothGirlsandSex and the City,the shows' frank conversations about female sexuality and womanhood outweigh the negatives.
Girls
Cast
Created by Lena Dunham, Girls is a coming-of-age comedy-drama series that follows a group of four twentysomething-year-old girls now discovering that they’re on their own and must find their way through life. Central to the show is Hannah Horvath, who, after graduating college, is cut-off financially from her family. Hannah will soon discover trying to make it as a writer in Brooklyn is far more challenging than she thinks.
And Just Like That…
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.
