A writer on the HBO series And Just Like That has just offered some very candid remarks about the new show to her followers.
Samantha Irby penned the teleplay for the fifth episode of And Just Like That‘s inaugural season. She also sends out a newsletter to followers offering them her take on current events and entertainment.
Related: More bad news for ‘And Just Like That; actor Chris Noth
Irby encourages her readers to share her newsletter with others, which is exactly what a reader did for us. And, let’s just say, we weren’t quite prepared for her, shall we say, frank discussion.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“i have to admit that i’m a little broken,” Irby writes in her newsletter, avoiding use of capitol letters for some reason. “i don’t think i understood, when offered the opportunity to work on a show whose VHS tapes were my constant companion when i was 19, the enormity of what i was saying to.”
“i obviously understood that the show had a major cultural impact and was beloved across a wide spectrum of people, but i was not ready for the magnitude of…………….discourse there would be? and that’s on me.”
That sounds… ominous.
Irby continues:
i took some protective measures (that some of my friends roasted me for at the time) like getting the f*ck off twitter forever and unfollowing whatever pop culture sh*t i was scrolling past every day to shield my sensitive eyeballs from things that might wound them, but i was not prepared to receive death threats over a fictional character’s fictional relationship choices that are fictional which means not real?
Death threats? Yikes!
Writes Irby:
i’m naive, i’ve never worked on anything this huge before! but whatever heat i got a few years ago for putting fat girls in bikinis at the pool from people who don’t wanna see thighs (i guess???) was child’s play (and not the chucky kind) compared to this current onslaught. that word reads embarrassingly dramatic to me, BUT: from the bottom of this pit that’s how it feels.
this wild reaction (by which i mean the entire internet’s collective loathing) is also disconcerting because some of it is coming directly to me from people i actually know? i promise you, someone has already sent me that nasty [tweet/article/podcast/blogpost/ransom note] that you were just about to forward to me. i’ve seen them all! they make me feel bad because this was a job i was hired to do and i didn’t take it as a joke!”
Irby goes on to say that she knows people hate the show. She’s well aware of what they’re saying. But she’s also powerless over a lot of the creative decisions, writing:
you think the show is stupid, i get it. i’m not mad at that, feel what you feel, it’s all valid. you hate it, i like it, we can agree to disagree. but if you think i’m in a fiery car crash you’re driving past in slow motion, you don’t have to pull your car over to ask me ‘hey, how do you like those flames?’ (also i am truly at the bottom of the totem pole that is this gargantuan production, i have no idea why [they] would ever wear [that] in episode [who gives a shit] and you cannot possibly think that i, a person currently stinking up an ll bean jacket worn as a shirt, was in any way consulted about that???? please stop yelling at me, i am powerless over these decisions!!!!!!!!!)
Irby closes out the section of the newsletter by quoting a Vox article that explained the title change, and that postulated the reasons behind it… many of the same reasons fans of Sex and the City seem to hate the show:
“the title change signifies a show that isn’t about the big things that make life glamorous, but rather the way that life hits you the struggle to exist and remain relevant as culture, friends, love, and life passes by. the only thing that remains constant for the show’s three heroines is an onslaught of indignities. what is and just like that if not the humiliation of life persevering?”
“anyway,” she concludes, “i think this writer gets what we tried to do.”
So does all this mean Irby admits the show is as bad as it seems? Not exactly, which is her prerogative. No doubt she worked hard to pen a good script within the parameters set by the show’s producers. Still, to receive death threats over a TV series of dubious quality, or worse, over a character’s costume over which she has no authority, shows just how toxic internet fandom of all varieties has become, and, we suspect, is a bit more than she signed up for.
The harassment against Irby is just the latest woe in a series of negative stories surrounding the Sex and the City spinoff.
The refusal of actress Kim Cattrall to reprise her role as Samantha Jones kicked off the negative press surrounding the show, as did rumors of a feud between Cattrall and her former co-stars.
The show debuted to negative reviews from critics and Sex and the City fans, with right wing political commentators attacking the series for its “wokeness” for diversifying the characters.
Sexual assault allegations against actor Chris Noth further generated negative headlines, sending producers scrambling to edit his character out of the finale.
Of course, none of this is Irby’s fault. So please stop yelling at her.
dhmonarch89
I’m just pissed that HBO On Demand is only airing the first episode… they used to air episodes about a week after the original airing, now- nothing… they’re doing the same with White Lotus- only one episode up. So, people want them to still have their 90s sensibilities? We’re all different today and even if we think this or that- we’re hopefully smart enough not to say it.
DawnTrans
What are you talking about? The show has been consistent in its weekly airing of shows. Better check your internet connection or your provider cause its not an HBO issue.
timothyb38652
The reason that this show is not available on HBO on demand is that it’s not airing on HBO. It’s exclusive to HBO Max so you have to download the HBO Max app to view it.
tjack47
I simply don’t understand being so invested in a fictional character that one would perpetrate death threats. It’s delusional behavior. Behavior is sometimes a result of symptoms. Symptoms are always the result of disease. This sort of person is extremely dangerous, and at the very least should be held accountable for the threats against her life. Maybe, if there were actual consequences to this behavior, even more importantly, treatment of disease, some of this type of insanity would subside. One would hope.
Brian
I can empathize with the writers receiving mean commentary anonymously because I’m sure it must be strange and sometimes scary. But… it should also be obvious that the comments aren’t threats. Consider the way people say “F— you,” and they never mean “I’m going to have sexual intercourse with you.” Or how s— doesn’t really mean feces. People use mean and extreme language to convey an emotion. This woman is not actually receiving “death threats.” If anything were credible, the police would be involved. These are just mean people using mean language.
IAmUp4It
Haters gonna hate! While the show isn’t great it’s not the worst. Yes, it’s heavy-handed and less carefree as the original series. With all this negativity we’ll never see these characters again! My one major problem is that Miranda freely let’s Che roll her bean but lost her shit in the first movie over Steve having a one off affair! If her reaction was not so extreme then her choices would not be so hypocritical! I like seeing the characters again just not so melodramatic! Also the actor playing Brady is nearly 30 y/o not 17 as portrayed at least it’s not Miles Teller (who seems to play all young people) with a red wig!
Cam
I’ve watched it, it’s ok, my main gripe is that it just isn’t funny, and they’ve changed some of the characters, Carrie used to sit there while Samantha would go on and on about whatever sex she was having, now somebody mentions anything slightly PG13 rated and Carrie acts very shocked and prudish.
Miranda went from ball busting and confident to this woman who seems to be terrified to step outside and make a decision, and is a major hypocrite around adultery, while Charlotte has meltdowns because a child wants to change the color of their bedroom wall.
That said, what they did to the women is nothing to what they’ve done to some of the guys, Miranda’s husband went from a bartender that got women, was athletic etc.. to this character that can’t hear and acts like he is 80 years old and talks like a baby.
So some of the choices were really really bizarre. But, it hasn’t lost me, still watching, and I hope the writers have a drink and relax a bit in the later episodes.
stan2015
So we have a 30 something writer who stinks at her job. They should hire someone in their 50’s to write the show. Boo-Hoo to the hack!
Brian
This article is about a 41-year old. The writing *team* is a group of people of various ages including people in their 50s.
Fahd
I stopped watching after the first episode. It’s just sitting there in my “continue watching/new episode” row(s). Maybe it’s not fair, but life is short, and I just didn’t enjoy it enough to go back to it. To each his own.
inmadisonwisconsin
Hollywood is an extremely corrupt industry. The writers and the actors don’t deserve the millions of dollars they own.
robco
Death threats for a bad reboot? That’s way too far. I mean, I didn’t really care for Looking at all, the writing was terrible and I couldn’t care less about any of the characters. But my solution was to stop watching it. Sure enough, it got cancelled.
Like Star War,. I just do what Jon Favreau and Disney seem to be doing – pretend the awful JJ Abrams trilogy doesn’t exist.
Gabby
I am enjoying the show and have refused to read any comments or articles related to the show. The fashion is great!
ladron
Sorry to hear about the death threats – perhaps you should consult with the other writers and all resign. Fall on the sword, and everyone just move on.
Terrible writing and acting abound in this reboot. You are responsible for one half of that.
I would leave it off your resume as you seek future work.
Creamsicle
I think the big open secret about the show floundering since its premier is that Sex and the City made a giant cultural splash at a time when TV didn’t actually need to be good.
Think about it Sex and the City ended in 2004. Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, Game of Thrones premiered in 2011. These were two shows that became cultural sensations BECAUSE they raised the bar for good TV.
Sex and the City was novel for its time. The women acted like stereotypical gay men living in the city, and the show took at least 3 years to really find its voice. First season has a lot of talking head moments where a character acts like time has stopped and gives an uninformed opinion about women’s health or appearance.
The show didn’t actually hit the stratosphere until its later seasons when it started dressing the women better. Also, it made softcore sex and nudity more acceptable in entertainment, which I think is among the major reasons that it suceeded.
whateverokok
The bar for television was raised long before Sex and the City came around. The X-Files, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mash, and many more raised the bar far better than Sex and the City.
MynameisSid
Call me out but I love the show, and if I still had the same life I did 25 years ago, shame on me! People grow, people change, people come and go. I’m gonna be pissed if all this bitchy hype kills the show after just 1 season.
Prague
I think the writers are doing a good job with what they’re given. It’s a continuation, it’s the same characters, some of the ingredients are the same but it’s a different show, as the title change suggests. Different story being told, different format, different writing, different tone. That’s the best way they could find to resurrect the franchise and I think it works and that it’s interesting. I enjoy the new show very much. I don’t take it too seriously. I don’t consider it great art like I do some other shows. I’m curious to see where it’s going.
cuteguy
It’s actually written very well IMO but the premise and storyline is just terrible. The script for SATC3 was leaked years ago re: Big’s death and all the actors hated the script but especially Kim Cattrall. The only reason the actors came back was for the paycheck. Kudos to Kim for sticking to her gut and avoiding this train wreck. It also didn’t help that Michael Patrick King and the other 3 girls were reportedly just nasty to poor Kim. Who’s laughing now? And bc of this train wreck, we all collectively now appreciate Kim’s talent even more. Thank you Kim for keeping the spirit of Samantha in tact. As far as The Golden Girls spin-off comparison, at least the Golden Palace was kept a comedy. It may not have worked bc the fourth musketeer wasn’t present, but the integrity of the show was kept alive. I hope this train wreck that is AJLT doesn’t tarnish the legacy of SATC. The movies may have been a little corny but at least they kept it light and fun. This garbage that is AJLT should’ve never been made. Cheech over Che any day.
inbama
I could barely get through the first episode. Why is Miranda now a moron?
queerme
Why do SJWs always claim they’re receiving death threats? LMFAOOOOO
gord.sabean
I don’t know how this project can succeed. Too much bad karma. Too toxic. Too yesterday.
Shadowhunter
cool