It’s officially the time of reboots and revivals on TV. While many original cast members return for new series revisiting old stories, many shows have left out major stars when returning.
From reality TV like Jersey Shore — Samantha “Sammi Sweetheart” Giancola did not return for the spinoff, Jersey Shore Family Vacation, when it debuted in 2018 — to scripted shows like Fuller House — which included all of the main cast with the exception of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen — many shows have been bringing back abbreviated casts.
In 2021, HBO Max announced that the cast of Sex and the City is returning for a new show, And Just Like That, which will follow the women in their 50s living in New York City.
While Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are set to return for the eight-episode sequel series, Kim Cattrall, who played the fourth best friend in the original HBO series and both films, will not return.
Over the years, she has been very open about her choice to distance herself from the franchise and from Parker specifically, once claiming that the shoe designer “could have been nicer.”
Parker, who is also a producer on the show, revealed that they have no plans to replace Cattrall’s character, Samantha Jones.
“We’re not looking to bring in a fourth character. We have New York City as a fourth character,” she told TMZ in January 2021. “There will be lots of interesting, new characters that we’re excited about.”
The Divorce alum also fired back at claims that she and Cattrall didn’t get along following the announcement. “I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would. Samantha isn’t part of this story, but she will always be a part of us,” she replied to an Instagram comment at the time. “No matter where we are or what we do. X.”
Scroll through the gallery below for more revivals and reboots that took place without a main star.