With Amazon’s “Harlem” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” on HBO Max, and season two of Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” shows featuring female friendship at its core are a vibe — which is why we must pay homage to one of the biggest of the genre.
That leads us right into what to watch this week.
Three things to watch
‘And Just Like That...’
Welcome to the wonderful world of the reboot sequel.
“And Just Like That…” brings us back into the fabulous “Sex and the City” world of Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends in the Big Apple.
But this time around, Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones won’t be toasting with cosmos (she and Parker are NOT friends).
Not to worry, as there are a few new characters, including Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley to round out the famous quartet of Parker as Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt.
“And Just Like That…” is streaming on HBO Max.
(CNN and HBO Max are both part of WarnerMedia.)
‘Welcome to Earth’
Will Smith is still trying to save the planet.
Unlike the battling with aliens he did in the 1996 blockbuster movie “Independence Day,” this time around the actor has embarked on an “extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets.”
One of the ways to get people to care about the environment is to remind them about the wonderfulness of the world.
The six-part limited series from National Geographic is streaming on Disney+.
‘Anne Boleyn’
There is often discussion and debate about color-blind casting.
That was also the case after “Queen & Slim” actor Jodie Turner-Smith was cast as Henry VIII’s wife Anne Boleyn in a limited series, named after the tragic British queen who was executed on her husband’s orders.
Turner-Smith regally embodies the doomed royal in her last days in this story that is as much a psychological drama as it is historical.
“Anne Boleyn” is streaming on AMC+.
Two things to listen to
Since we started with the early aughts vibe of “Sex and the City” and girlfriends, let’s stay in that lane.
The new ABC series “Queens” headlines some stars from that era, singers Brandy and Naturi Naughton, along with rapper Eve, as members of a girl group who try to put their past problems behind them to reunite for fame and fortune.
Music is almost like another character on the show, so I was thrilled when the soundtrack came out because, naturally, it’s fire.
It’s currently streaming on various music services.
Awwww, Kelly Clarkson.
Having gone through her marriage ending, “The Voice” coach knows that this time of the year isn’t easy for some people.
She has released a new Christmas single, titled “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know),” and explained during her recent NBC special “Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around” that “when I wrote this next song, I was crying my face off — which happens even at Christmastime, everyone.”
She added, “It has been a really tough year for a lot of us. And I wrote this song for me, but also because there aren’t many holiday songs for people feeling alone or lost or just plain sad.”
The song to sooth any melancholy soul is currently streaming.
One thing to talk about
Taylor Swift continues to be a class act.
With all of her massive success, she took a moment to send flowers to Don McLean after her song “All Too Well” broke the record for the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
It was a sweet gesture to honor McLean, whose iconic hit, “American Pie,” took the title in 1972.
His song runs around eight minutes and 37 seconds, while hers is just over 10 minutes.
Way to pay homage to an elder, Tay.
Something to sip on
Speaking of Swift, Prince William sounds like he has still never gotten over singing live with her and rocker Jon Bon Jovi at a 2013 fundraising gala.
“To this day, I still do not know what came over me,” the British royal confessed on an episode of the “Time to Walk” audio series from Apple Fitness+.
“Honestly, even now I’m cringing at what happened next, and I don’t understand why I gave in,” he recalled. “But, frankly, if Taylor Swift looks you in the eye, touches your arm, and says, ‘Come with me. …’ I got up like a puppy and went, ‘Yeah, OK, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.'”
So he hopped on the microphone and tried to make the most of it.
What a prince of a guy.
