'And Just Like That...': How did these three iconic women become so out of touch?

They're back. Well, most of them. The 10-episode revival has finally arrived after months of anticipation, catching us up with three of the women who featured so prominently in many of our lives over 20 years ago.

The opening scene of 'And Just Like That...' feels strange. A little... off? Awkward, even? Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon's Miranda Hobbes and Kirstin Davis' Charlotte York Goldenblatt are waiting in line for a table at another luscious luncheon, supposedly aiming to make us think nothing has changed. In fact, everything has changed.

Not only is there a couple of conversations about the missing Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) within the first ten minutes, the storyline continues into episode two as well. Is Samantha really not returning to the series? As much as we'd love to think that the wool has been pulled over our eyes for years, there are seeds being planted giving off the impression that no, the character might not be out of the picture just yet.

However, as much as we'd give our right arm to see it, it's highly likely that will never happen. Back to the pilot episode of the series - it's all way too woke. The three women, now in their 50s, are each struggling in some way to fit into a society that seems to have moved on quite substantially since we last saw them in the 'Sex and the City' series. It's like their characters are still stuck in the early '00s when everyone else (including us, the poor audience) have gotten with the times.

Carrie is struggling to open up on a podcast she features in (which is hosted by a non-binary character named Che, played by Sara Ramirez); Miranda has decided to go back to school, accidentally butting heads with her black, deadlocked professor (Karen Pittman); finally, Charlotte is doing the typical motherly thing and is pushing flowers and dresses onto a daughter that would clearly prefer to skateboard around the place.

What really got under this reviewer's skin while watching the two-episode premiere is just how relevant the series feels it had to be. Carrie does a podcast - check. Sexual 'Birdgerton' reference - check. Carrie being told to "step her pussy up" - check. We get it, you're "relevant". There are also far too many COVID references thrown in there too, which takes us right back out of the New York City fantasy that we're so desperate to get lost in.

It's not that 'And Just Like That...' is particularly bad. In fact, you'll find yourself having the odd giggle in parts, while becoming unexpectedly caught up on the dark moments (of which you will find out during episode one). Ultimately, it just doesn't work. In fact, as we've seen time and time again, do revival series ever work? They never live up to the hype. They never hit as hard as they did way back when. The 'SATC' crew should have done a reunion a la 'Friends' and be done with it.

'SATC' was a TV series of a generation. Sure, we've aged 20 years, but to be honest we'd rather watch re-runs of 'SATC' than see how out of touch these characters have become.

When it comes down to it, there's no doubt that 'And Just Like That...' will be a "hit" success. Fans are already feverishly tuning in to see the first two episodes, and will likely tune in each week thereafter, no matter how painfully woke or out of touch the whole thing seems. The series is a complete and utter cash cow, but hey, it'll still be chalked down as a ratings success. And that, people, is the power of money.

The first two episodes of 'And Just Like That...' are available to watch via Sky Comedy and streaming service NOW. The remaining eight episodes will launch weekly on Thursday mornings at 8 am.