And Just Like That, Gen Z made Carrie Bradshaw a sinner

Sitting down with Michael Patrick King – the creator, executive producer, writer, and director behind Sex and the City and And Just Like That – I couldn’t help but address the Manolo Blahnik-clad elephant in the room: How does someone who’s shaped a character for 28 years respond to brutal criticism from a new generation? King doesn't flinch. In fact, he's flattered. “The fact that there’s any narrative at all about a fictional character that’s been in pop culture for 28 years, coming from 20-year-olds, is thrilling.”

King explains that Carrie’s often questionable behaviour was entirely intentional, strategically provocative and, above all, necessary. “She was born at a time in television when women couldn’t be complicated,” he says, “so her conflicted personality wasn’t by demand, it was by design.” Sure, some of Carrie’s choices were certifiably bananas. But, as King points out, hindsight is everything: “They can look at her and call her toxic, but in reality, she’s just human.”

I couldn't help but wonder... Are we judging Carrie, or are we still uncomfortable with complicated women generally? If Sex and the City set out to make space for multi-faceted women, why can’t we handle Carrie today? Maybe it’s because she reminds us too much of ourselves. People still cheat, and get cheated on. We still obsess over men, consume too much nicotine,, and ask too much of our friends without giving enough in return.

Maybe things are just more binary with Gen Z. You’re either toxic or iconic. You’re a clean girl or a club rat. A woman adored in the early 2000s is scrutinised in 2025 – not because she's changed, but because we have. Today, social media acts as our moral compass, replacing religion as the ultimate authority on what's 'real', what's right and wrong, and what is cancelable. As King puts it, “a heroine and a victim... (who had) an affair and (can) still be loved...” seems just a little too nuanced for the algorithmic temple of TikTok.

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While And Just Like That has been criticised for feeling unfamiliar – or not daring enough – King insists it's simply “a different kind of shocking” and that by asking other questions, like 'Am I too old to start over?', the intention to probe social norms is still well intact. “Society is still saying to people, ‘You should have figured this out by now’ or ‘Stop growing,’” King comments. “But none of the characters ever will.”

Carrie Bradshaw may be polarising, but she’s still the patron saint of stylish, complicated women. If Gen Z wants to cancel her, they’ll have to catch her first - still legging it around New York with the girls in her five-inch Jimmy Choo's.

Of all Carrie’s questionable decisions, her outfits were never one of 'em. Her style still unanimously slaps, even Gen Z can agree on that. So what does one wear to meet her maker and potentially run into the woman herself? There are certain moments in life that demand a f***ing good outfit, and this was one of them. I reasoned that Carrie’s outfits always start from the bottom. This is, after all, a woman who famously managed to spend $40,000 on shoes while living on a columnist's salary – so footwear was my priority.

As fate would have it, the premiere aligned gorgeously with the release of the Jimmy Choo capsule collection, The Archive: 1997–2001: eight reissued shoe icons from the golden era of feel-good rom-coms, It-girl culture, and a social-media-free fearlessness – with half of the styles famously seen on Carrie in the early years of Sex And The City. It was tempting to go for the feather slingback, immortalised by her iconic line “I lost my Choo!” but in the end, I couldn’t resist choosing the Leo sandal, complimenting the OG tutu featured in the opening credits.

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I was joined by my very own Samantha and Charlotte for the night (Penny and Philippa Parnevik). Penny, a perfect fit the role of sweet Charlotte York, an eternal optimist and family-gal balancing her simultaneous duty as a downright bombshell and total riot. Philippa righteously filled the boots of Samantha Jones i.e. the liberated voice in the back of your head that knows exactly who she is. Getting dressed, we followed some cardinal rules of the Carrie Bradshaw aesthetic: sophistication, sex appeal and pure, unadulterated sass. So a tank top as a dress, a barely-there tutu and some leopard print felt like a decent call.

Season 3 of And Just Like That has now debuted on Max. The 12-episode season will continue with one new episode weekly through August 14.

Watch the full interview with Michael Patrick King here.