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Surprising Aussie star set to play Anne Hathaway's love interest in Devil Wears Prada sequel - as filming gets underway in New York

Surprising Aussie star set to play Anne Hathaway's love interest in Devil Wears Prada sequel - as filming gets underway in New York

Daily Mail​22-07-2025
He's the hunky star of the Aussie streaming hit Colin from Accounts.
And now Patrick Brammall is heading to the US to appear alongside Hollywood beauty Anne Hathaway in the long-awaited sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.
There's no official word on what role the 49-year-old Canberra-born actor will play in the romantic comedy, which reunites many of the cast of the 2006 hit.
New Idea reported on Tuesday that, in a surprising casting move, Brammall is set to play the love interest of Hathaway's character.
Currently shooting in New York, the sequel will see the 42-year-old star reprise her role as fashion scribe Andy Sachs.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
According to reports, Adrian Grenier, of Entourage fame, who appeared in the original Prada film as Andy's boyfriend, will not be returning.
Meanwhile, Brammall confirmed his part in the new film with a celebratory post to his Instagram.
The fan favourite shared a screengrab from industry blog Deadline announcing his exciting new gig which he signed with a cheeky caption that said: 'Girding my loins'.
The sequel will reunite Hathaway with original star, Hollywood legend and Oscar winner Meryl Streep, who returns as her ruthless fashion guru character Miranda Priestly.
Original cast members Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci will also reprise their roles, alongside new cast members Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, and Pauline Chalamet.
Also joining the cast is American actress Rachel Bloom, from Stan's streaming hit Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
In the sequel, Blunt's character, Emily Charlton, has climbed the corporate ladder and now holds the power Miranda needs - setting the stage for a delicious clash of ambition, loyalty, and fashion politics.
While plot details are still under wraps, sources suggest the film may draw inspiration from Lauren Weisberger's 2013 novel Revenge Wears Prada, which follows Andy's post-Runway life as she becomes a magazine editor, only to find Miranda crashing back into her world.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is slated to hit theatres on May 1, 2026, marking two decades since the original film strutted into pop culture history.
It comes after Brammall and his partner Harriet Dyer welcomed a baby girl into the world in February.
The happy couple, who also play on-screen love interests in their series Colin From Accounts, announced the news to Instagram.
Sharing a reel of family images, the parents revealed their newborn's sweet name.
'Welcoming little Mabel. We love her so much and we're all very grateful. 2/2/2025,' Harriet, 36, wrote.
Harriet and Patrick first became parents in September 2021 when they adopted Joni from her 'incredible birth mother'.
The married couple, who tied the knot in 2021, co-created Colin From Accounts and the series has risen to global acclaim since its 2022 launch.
The first series explored the lives of Ashley and Gordon, two complex individuals who are brought together following a fateful car accident and an injured dog.
The pair launched a second successful series last year.
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Yellowstone star claims he 'lost everything' after being ousted from Hollywood
Yellowstone star claims he 'lost everything' after being ousted from Hollywood

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Yellowstone star claims he 'lost everything' after being ousted from Hollywood

Yellowstone actor Neal McDonough said his refusal to kiss women other than his wife was a death knell for his Hollywood career. The veteran performer, 59, chat on Wednesday's edition of the podcast Nothing Left Unsaid, opening up on a yearslong slide he said was due to his strict adherence to his marital vows. 'I'd always had in my contracts that I wouldn't kiss another woman on screen,' the Boston-born actor and strict Catholic told the podcast hosts Tim Green and Troy Green. McDonough played the role of Malcolm Beck on six episodes of Yellowstone in 2019. They included: The Reek of Desperation, Only Devils Left, Blood the Boy, Resurrection Day, Behind Us Only Grey and Sins of the Father. McDonough clarified that the contractual demand was at his behest, and not that of his spouse Ruve McDonough, who he's been wed to since 2003 and shares five children with. 'My wife didn't have any problem with it - it was me, really, who had a problem with it,' said McDonough, who's been seen on TV shows such as Desperate Housewives, Tulsa King and Meghan Markle 's one-time show Suits. McDonough said it was impossible for Hollywood producers to get that he was dead serious about his demand - and they quickly stopped using him as a result. 'When I wouldn't do it... they couldn't understand,' McDonough said of his refusal to kiss other women on camera. 'Hollywood just completely turned on me, and they wouldn't let me be part of the show anymore. 'For two years, I couldn't get a job and I lost everything you could possibly imagine.' McDonough's movie credits include Star Trek: First Contact, Red 2 and Guns & Moses. He also starred as Lynn 'Buck' Compton in HBO's war drama Band of Brothers (2001). He said that the loss of work resulted in a domino effect in which everything dear to him began slipping away. 'Not just houses [and] material things, but your swagger, your cool, who you are, your identity - everything,' McDonough said. 'My identity was an actor, and a really good one.' McDonough said that the problems lingered for an extended period. 'Once you don't have that identity, you're kind of lost in a tailspin,' McDonough said. 'And I was in a big, ugly tailspin for a couple of years.' McDonough's most recent role came in the May feature film The Last Rodeo, which he was a writer on and played the lead role of Joe Wainwright. His spouse Ruvé portrayed the role of his wife Rose Wainwright in the movie, and the two did kiss onscreen. Prior to acting in the role, Ruvé, a native of South Africa, had a background in fashion modeling and film production. The rodeo drama also starred Mykelti Williamson, Sarah Jones, Graham Harvey and Christopher McDonald.

Most awkward celeb interviews EVER as Roman Kemp reveals he was 'escorted out' of press junket after his prank on A-list star went VERY wrong
Most awkward celeb interviews EVER as Roman Kemp reveals he was 'escorted out' of press junket after his prank on A-list star went VERY wrong

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Most awkward celeb interviews EVER as Roman Kemp reveals he was 'escorted out' of press junket after his prank on A-list star went VERY wrong

The relationship between celebrities and the press is undeniably a complex, yet mutually beneficial one. Sometimes, however, there are times when interviews don't always go to plan, and despite celebrities being given rigorous media training before embarking on promotional tours, there are still occasions when they end up losing their cool. Earlier this week, presenter Roman Kemp revealed he'd been escorted out of a press junket with Jennifer Lawrence after he left her unimpressed with a prank. And that's far from the only uncomfortable exchange to have taken place in Hollywood. Over the years, there have been a slew of frosty and shocking interview exchanges, from Blake Lively making a reporter 'want to quit her job' to Grace Jones physically attacking a talk show host. Now, Daily Mail takes a look back at some of the most memorable and awkward interview exchanges ever. Roman Kemp 'escorted out' of interview Roman Kemp revealed this week that he's banned from interviewing Jennifer Lawrence after the actress had him 'escorted out' of a press junket. The presenter, 32, spoke to the actress while she was promoting her 2015 film Joy. While it got off to an awkward start, it was his stunt of pretending to have had a tattoo of Jennifer inked on his chest that proved to be the final straw for the Oscar-winning actress - who is said to have asked security to remove Roman from the room. Roman - who is the son of singers Martin Kemp and Shirlie Holliman - reflected on the exchange on Tuesday as he shared a throwback from the day showing off his fake tattoo. He captioned the Instagram post: 'Found this old picture of when I interviewed Jennifer Lawrence and for fun pretended to be a mega fan complete with a tattoo... 'She did NOT find it funny. I was escorted out by security and told I would never interview her again.' In another post, The One Show presenter added he has not spoken to the Silver Linings Playbook star since. He quipped: 'Tbf still haven't had the chance to redeem myself or explain the situation to her... (sic)' During the interview, Jennifer seemed visibly uncomfortable as she sat through Roman's line of questioning, which included asking her what was her favourite type of cheese. At one point, he read out a poem that 'he' had written for her, prompting the actress to reply deadpan: 'wow, that was incredibly touching'. He then announced that he had new tattoo, which was met with a blank stare from Jennifer. As he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the fake inking of Jennifer's face, she replied deadpan: 'Oh my god. Oh man, wow right over your heart. I would expect nothing less. 'I'm flattered and honoured, it looks so permanent. how did they get it so glossy?' Roman then revealed that his father is Martin Kemp of Spandeau Ballet fame and that he wanted to take Jennifer on a date to one of his concerts. She responded straight-faced: 'To meet your dad? coolest date ever...' Blake Lively made a reporter 'want to quit' Blake Lively made a reporter 'want to quit her job.' In 2016, a sit-down interview was conducted to promote Blake's film Café Society, directed by Woody Allen. The actress was accompanied by her co-star Parker Posey. In the video, which surfaced in August 2024, Blake made a snarky comment about journalist Kjersti Flaa's 'bump' after she had congratulated the then-pregnant actress on her impending arrival, but the reporter was not expecting. Kjersti - who posted the old interview to her YouTube channel last year amid Lively's ongoing drama with It Ends With Us star Justin Baldoni - said the painful chat with Blake alongside Cafe Society co-star Posey made her want to 'quit her job.' After the moment went viral, Kjersti also told exclusively that Blake's response was especially hurtful because she cannot conceive. Parker was seen following up the bump comment by saying: 'What about my bump?' and gesturing to her backside. Blake said: 'You've got two nice bumps' referring to her co-star's chest, 'lovely lady lumps, check it out.' Parker asked Kjersti: 'Do you like the movie, are you a Woody Allen fan?' When asked about the clothes, Blake replied: 'Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, would they ask the men about the clothes?' with Kjersti saying: 'I would.' Blake and Parker then only addressed each other as they discussed what the men had worn, with Blake again saying: 'I feel like it's women who only get the conversation.' The interview continued with the actresses facing one another and largely ignoring the journalist. Shailene Woodley snapped back at reporter Jamie Lee when asked if she was hungry in an interview conducted by The Pete Holmes Show in 2014 Shailene Woodley snapped back at reporter Jamie Lee when asked if she was hungry. In 2014, the actress was interviewed on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards after she was nominated for Best Kiss for her role in The Spectacular Now. While speaking to Jamie, the actress seemed thrown off by her line of questioning. When Jamie told her that she was hungry, Shailene simply replied, 'Well, you should probably eat.' After the interview wrapped up, Jamie said to the camera: 'We didn't kick it off.' Tom Cruise loses his temper over Nicole Kidman's question While Tom Cruise is often labelled a 'nice guy' to interview and always has time to chat with fans, he wasn't able to keep his cool in a 2005 interview with 60 Minutes. Speaking to Australian journalist Peter Overton, the Hollywood actor angrily told the presenter to 'put your manners back in' after he was asked about ex-wife Nicole Kidman. In the interview, which took place four years after the couple's divorce, Tom was asked, 'Is Nicole the love of your life?' The Golden Globe winner, who looked flustered, responded, 'What do you mean, Peter? How do you answer that question?' Then when asked what sort of relationship the former couple still had, Tom lost his cool, telling the Nine reporter: 'You're stepping over the line now. You're stepping over the line, and you know you are.' He then stared coolly at Peter, until the journalist explained, 'I suppose they're questions that people want to know...'. However Tom cut him off, saying, 'Peter. Peter. You want to know. Take responsibility for what you want to know.' 'So, I'm just telling you right now, okay, just put your manners back in.' The clip ended with a quick apology from Peter. Peter spoke about the intimidating interview during a 2020 chat with The Kyle and Jackie O Show. Radio host Kyle Sandilands asked: 'What were you thinking back then? When you're being rubbished on camera by Tom Cruise? Are you thinking to yourself, how do I look respectful, but also still in charge of the interview?' Peter explained: 'I just maintained who I am, and I didn't get angry. He did. And I just kept true to myself and said it's a fair question.' 'I hold no ill will towards Tom. It was one of those moments,' he added. He went on to say that he tried to smooth things over with Tom after the interview, but felt slightly taken aback by the whole experience. Grace Jones SLAPS a talk show host While Grace Jones is known for her unpredictable interview style no one could have foreseen her attacking a talk show host in 1981. The model was left infuriated when Russell Harty continually turned his back on her while speaking to other guests, resulting in Grace reaching out and slapping him continuously. Writing about the incident in her autobiography, she blamed the outburst on a combination of bad coke, hallucinations, and being covered in pigeon excrement. She penned: 'Bad coke was the last thing I wanted before I went on a live television show. The purest form, maybe, but anything else was not going into my body. 'I was meant to sit next to Russell Harty and keep still and quiet. I was all dressed up like an Amazonian seductress, and treated like the hired help. I thought, 'This is no way to treat a guest.' This wasn't at all like what we'd rehearsed. 'Being stuck there while he ignored me made me feel very uncomfortable. I felt I was provoked. I was feeling exhausted, had no idea where I was, and was coated in pigeon s**t; now it seemed I was hallucinating that I was on a live chat show and the host was ignoring me. P***ed off, I poked him in the back.' She added: 'I wasn't attacking him because I was drunk or stoned. I was lashing out because I felt he was not being proper. 'You can see if you watch it. I am being sensitive rather than unruly.' Dakota Johnson accuses Ellen DeGeneres of LYING Dakota Johnson became an internet sensation back in 2019 when she publicly called out Ellen DeGeneres during an incredibly awkward interview. In the exchange, Ellen attempted to grill Dakota for not inviting her to her birthday party, only for the actress to firmly correct her. When the talk show host mentioned she wasn't invited to Dakota's 30th birthday, the 50 Shades actress replied: 'Actually no. That's not the truth, Ellen. You were invited. 'Last time I was on the show last year, you gave me a bunch of s**t about not inviting you, but I didn't even know you wanted to be invited. I didn't even know you liked me!' An awkward Ellen responded: 'You knew I liked you. You've been on the show many times.' She then added in a fluster: 'I was invited? Why didn't I go? Oh yeah, I had a thing. It was probably in Malibu. That's too far for me to go - I think I do remember I was invited. But I really didn't remember that until just now.' The moment was later referenced by Drew Barrymore on her talk show as Dakota mentioned the fact that she never gets invited to Jimmy Kimmel's parties despite living down the road from him. Drew said: 'Is this for real? Because people have gotten in trouble for claiming [about] not being invited to your parties... amazing, by the way. Like, amazing.' Robert Downey Jr walks out on 'parasite' Krishnan Guru-Murthy Robert Downey Jr stormed out of an interview with Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy after he was asked about his childhood and past drug use. The Marvel star was promoting his new movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, in 2015 when he got offended by the line of questioning and refused to answer anything else. He had been on good form when the exchange started but could be seen getting visibly uncomfortable when Krishnan began asking about his long-conquered personal demons. Specifically, Krishnan was asked to explain a comment in a 2010 interview with the New York Times, in which he said: 'You can't go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal.' Responding, Robert said: 'I could pick that apart for two hours and be no closer to the truth than giving you some half-arsed answer right now. I couldn't even tell you what a liberal is.' But when asked about his relationship with his father Robert got up and declared: 'I'm sorry, I really don't... what are we doing?' before walking out of the interview. Seemingly amused with the reaction, Krishan smiled and quipped to the camera: 'It's all getting a bit Diane Sawyer [a U.S. journalist known for her penetrating interviews].' Robert was still furious about the exchange days later, branding the British journalist a 'bottom-feeding muckraker' in an interview on Howard Stern's radio show, saying that he wished he had walked out of it sooner. He told Howard: 'I'm one of those guys who I'm always assuming the social decorum is in play, and that we're promoting a superhero movie, a lot of kids are going to see it, and that just has nothing to do with your creepy dark agenda that I'm feeling, like, all of a sudden ashamed and obligated to accommodate your weirdo s**t.' He went on to recount how he felt during the interview, saying: ''You know what? You are weirding me out. You are a bottom-feeding muckraker.' 'My heart was beating in my chest because this was the first interview of the day. What do you think – are you in Kumbaya land? Krishnan refused to back down, however, telling the Guardian: 'We don't do promotional interviews on Channel 4 News. 'We agree with PR people that as well as talking about a new movie for a while we want to ask wider ranging questions on relatively serious topics, and we don't guarantee to run any answers in particular.' Taylor Swift shoots a death stare Taylor Swift made her feelings very clear at the 2015 Grammys when talk turned from the awards show to her love life. The singer had been labelled a serial dater due to her high profile romances with the likes of Harry Styles and Jake Gyllenhaal. Pressing into this line of questioning, Entertainment Tonight host Nancy O'Dell made a joke about the singer's love life when she grabbed her for a red carpet chat. 'You're going to walk away with more than a trophy tonight, I think, lots of men,' Nancy told Taylor. For a moment there was only an awkward silence from Taylor, who simply glared at her interviewer, before she said: 'I'm not going to walk home with any men tonight.' She then added, 'I'm going to hang out with my friends, and then I go home to the cats... Men get me into trouble!' Taylor later spoke about the fascination surrounding her love life, telling Vogue: 'You know, I went out on a normal amount of dates in my early 20s, and I got absolutely slaughtered for it. 'And it took a lot of hard work and altering my decision-making. I didn't date for two and a half years. Should I have had to do that? No.' Samuel L Jackson wades into race row Samuel L Jackson was left in a state of disbelief when an KTLA entertainment anchor confused him with Laurence Fishburne in 2014. During the interview, presenter Sam Rubin asked Samuel, who was appearing on the show from Atlanta to discuss his new movie RoboCop, about his recent Super Bowl commercial. Looking confused, Samuel responded 'what Super Bowl commercial?' and was met with a brief silence. The penny then dropped as the presenter realised that Laurence had starred in a Super Bowl advert that year, not Samuel. The Snakes On A Plane star quickly picked up on the error and pointed his finger angrily, as he stated: 'you see, you're as crazy as the people on Twitter. I'm not Laurence Fishburne!' Sam chuckled uncomfortably, repeating, 'that's my fault, I know that, my mistake,' while holding his hands up in surrender, but Samuel continued his tirade as he scoffed: 'We don't all look alike! We may all be black and famous but we don't all look alike.' He went on to note: 'You're the entertainment reporter? You're the entertainment reporter for this station and you don't know the difference between me and Laurence Fishburne? 'There must be a very short line for your job!' He later lightened the mood slightly by joking about the various ads he, Laurence and even Morgan Freeman have starred in, to clarify to entertainment reporter just which 'black guy' he was. Jeremy Strong is 'judged and shamed' over Succession quotes Succession star Jeremy Strong baffled fans when he was quoted in The New Yorker saying he didn't see his hit show as a comedy - a revelation that baffled his peers. He was heavily mocked for the profile, which showcased his 'method acting' tendencies, with the piece starting with a quote about his character Kendall Roy: 'I take him as seriously as I take my own life.' It also discussed his childhood acting idols - all of whom are notorious for going great lengths to portray their characters - Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman. His co-star Kieran Culkin and executive producer Adam McKay were quoted in the piece, with the latter saying: 'He's not playing it like a comedy. He's playing it like he's Hamlet.' The piece was widely mocked at the time, and Jeremy later said it was '15 minutes of shame, with a long tail. I hadn't felt judged like that in a very long time.' However, he was keen to iterate that he bears no ill will to his colleagues for their part in the piece or their comments critiquing his techniques. He said: 'Everyone's entitled to have their feelings. I also think Brian Cox, for example, he's earned the right to say whatever the f**k he wants. 'There was no need to address that or do damage control… I feel a lot of love for my siblings and my father on the show. 'And it's like a family in the sense that, and I'm sure they would say this, too, you don't always like the people that you love. I do always respect them.' Reflecting on when he felt fully over the profile, he said: 'If anything, I was worried - could it have harmed how I feel about doing what I do? And that kind of haunted me for a while.' Joan Rivers brands Brigitte Nielsen a c*** Brigitte Nielsen was so offended by Joan Rivers' line of questioning on her chat show that she stormed out not just once, but twice. The pair were filming The Joan Rivers Position in 2005 when things quickly took a turn and the conversation became frosty. An audience member said: 'Joan was bitching about some of Brigitte's former husbands and it didn't go down very well. 'It's hard to tell precisely what the row was about because Brigitte started yelling in Italian.' During the interview, an offended Brigitte walked out twice, promting Joan to brand her a ' c***' to the shocked audience. A viewer explained: 'They are both renowned for being outspoken but what was strange was the way the whole thing blew up and then blew over. By the end they seemed to be back on good terms again. To be honest, they are both a couple of nutbags but it was fabulous to watch.' Paris Hilton storms out over sexist question Paris Hilton stormed out of a U.S TV interview in 2011 after she was asked if she was 'past her prime'. The reality TV star took offence at the question and pulled the plug on the interview with Dan Harris of ABC News at her Los Angeles mansion. She first become agitated when the journalist suggested she had been eclipsed by her best friend turned rival, Kim Kardashian. He asked: 'Do you worry at times that people who have followed in your footsteps like Kim Kardashian are over shadowing you?' Through gritted teeth, she replied: 'No, not at all.' She became even more irritated when mentioned that her latest reality TV show The World According to Paris has struggled in the ratings. The journalist continued: 'Do you worry about your moment having passed?' Paris, then 30-years-old, glanced across at her publicist off camera before getting up from her chair and stormed out. She could be heard saying off camera: 'I don't want all this being used.' After a 'heated' discussion between the reporter, Paris and her publicist, she eventually returned to camera to deliver an apparently well-rehearsed answer. 'I've been doing this for 15 years now, so it's been a long time so just like any other business person or someone in the industry, it is always important to reinvent yourself and come up with new projects,' she said. Britney Spears bursts into tears after grilling Britney Spears famously burst into tears during an emotional 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer who grilled her about her split from Justin Timberlake. The American journalist asked the singer 'what she did' to cause the split, and confronted her with semi-naked pictures of the singer that she had posed for, which many fans see now as sex-shaming. Pushing the issue of the split, Diane said: 'You broke his heart. You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering. What did you do?' Diane also asked the pop star about a comment made by Maryland's first lady in 2003, Kendel Ehrlich, who made some eyebrow-raising comments at an anti-domestic violence conference that year. She slammed the singer as a bad influence as she said: 'Really, if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.' The singer seemed shocked by the comment which she said was 'horrible' and 'really bad.' Yet Diane seemingly defended the former prosecutor as she elaborated: 'It's because of the example for kids and how hard it is to be a parent.' Britney later claimed she was 'forced' into giving the interview by her father and management, despite being in a vulnerable state at the time and not wanting to speak. The troubled pop star posted a lengthy note to her Instagram account where she called out the legendary broadcaster for making her cry, and for conducting the chat with a 'you're in the wrong' agenda.

Goodbye And Just Like That: why it's the right time to end the cursed spin-off
Goodbye And Just Like That: why it's the right time to end the cursed spin-off

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Goodbye And Just Like That: why it's the right time to end the cursed spin-off

And just like that, it was over. Friday's announcement by the showrunner Michael Patrick King that the third series of And Just Like That would be its last was met with little surprise and I suspect some relief. Following a forthcoming two-part finale, Carrie Bradshaw will hang up her Manolos for good – and not a moment too soon. If a theme could be pulled from the scrambled threads of the third season of the Sex and the City reboot, it is, I think, the question of appearance versus reality. Early on in the series, rattled by the discovery of a rat infestation in her meadowy garden, Carrie seeks comfort from Aidan, the man she's technically in a relationship with but due to a muddled and implausible arrangement, can't actually be with for five years. Carrie thought her garden was perfect, she says, 'but I just wasn't looking underneath'. After three seasons of And Just Like That the answer to what lies beneath is, I fear, nothing. Take the shoes – in a frankly criminal throwback to one of the best plotlines of the original show, Carrie namechecks a superior earlier episode as she complains about her curmudgeonly downstairs neighbour asking her to remove her stilettos in the house. In A Woman's Right to Shoes, Carrie's stolen Manolo Blahniks stood for, in no particular order, the gulf that can open between friends at different life stages, the way marriage and motherhood are celebrated when the milestones of an independent life are not, attention inequity in friendships, and a woman's right to spend her money however the hell she chooses. In Under the Table, Carrie's shoes signify … that she has a crush. That's not to say And Just Like That hasn't had its moments of insight – they just tend to be immediately binned in favour of something silly. Despite episodes averaging 40 minutes in length, this season has been the trimmest so far, with excisions both necessary (Che Diaz) and unexplained (Nya) giving the remaining characters room to breathe. Seema learns that the key to romance is not pretending to be someone else, but letting go of the desire to be seen in a certain way. Lisa flounders in her attempt to balance work and family life. Charlotte, previously troubled by such challenges as the cancellation of her dog, finally gets a storyline worthy of her default mode of hysteria when Harry is diagnosed with prostate cancer. Charlotte and Lisa's Park Avenue-set struggles with family life have some meat to them, but are bedevilled by every interaction with their children seeming to have come straight out of a toothpaste advertisement, or hell. See: Charlotte freaking out about not being able to work the party circuit to sell art as her smug children talk about veganism and polyamory, or the Todd Wexley family's cringe banter and Lisa's dismissive comments that her husband should start Ozempic. At times like these the show feels like a charmless sitcom about the super-rich. In Sex and the City, the weekends in the Hamptons were just the backdrop to more resonant storytelling – in And Just Like That, sometimes the setting is the story. In one scene, Charlotte begins to spiral at Tiffany's, wondering if life is as fragile as the glass cabinets around her – but what might have been a serious meditation on midlife and mortality morphs into an unfunny joke about which society events Bitsy von Muffling is and isn't invited to. Sometimes these vignettes verge on outright cruelty – after Lisa's nemesis is marked as a gauche interloper by her Michael Kors handbag (wrong kind of designer, honey), it's a lot harder to see her mother-in-law's pronouncement that she has no time for the working class as mere satire. Meanwhile, the inexplicably homeless Miranda deflowers a nun, becomes a meme and gains a girlfriend, who, in lieu of a personality, possesses two Italian greyhounds and vile British colleagues apparently scooped straight from the cutting room floor of Too Much. It's not until the 10th episode that we get to see Miranda, who barely resembles the beloved judgmental ice queen of Sex and the City, do the first Miranda-y thing of the entire series so far, when she stalks the woman her son got pregnant. The one bright spot of the season has been its treatment of Carrie's faltering relationship with Aidan. A standout episode in which she visits him in Virginia sees a diminished Carrie, too afraid to ask for what she wants, settling for the smallest thing he can offer her – a spot in the guesthouse. Carrie switches her magenta Vivienne Westwood for a 'sister wives' prairie dress, to attempt the role of cool country stepmum. But the performance of a happy blended family falls to pieces in a rare decent domestic scene, in which resentment and alienation explode into a conflict that ends with a broken window and a return to reality. The relationship eventually crumbles when Carrie realises that no matter how she changes for Aidan – selling her apartment, not being a brat in the countryside (remember Suffern?) – he cannot move past her previous infidelity. This, to me, is the point of returning to a story decades later: to show how people change, and how they don't. How the cracks in a relationship can run so deep that even the layering sediment of time can't fill them in, but only hide them. When Carrie finally ended it, I felt a tug of genuine emotion that can only come from having spent so much time with these characters. A lot has been made this season of the idea of the hate-watch, especially given Miranda's obsession with a Love Island-style show called Bi Bingo. 'I finally discovered the joy of hate-watching,' she says, in what I assume is meant to be a winning nod at self-awareness by the showrunners. The thing is, I don't believe that's what those of us who loved Sex and the City (for who else would bother watching And Just Like That through three unexceptional seasons?) were doing. I'd describe it as something closer to hope-watching. We wanted to see the characters we loved, women once so convincingly and lovingly drawn, being flirty, frivolous and fabulously dressed in New York City. But more than that, we held out hope that something substantial might still remain beneath the sparkle. In two episodes' time we'll finally know the answer – and if we're disappointed again, at least it'll be for the last time.

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