Let's Admit It, Samantha Jones Is The Worst Character In “Sex And The City”

In January 2021, HBO Max announced that Sex and the City would return for a 10-episode reboot titled And Just Like That.

The reboot will feature beloved original characters like Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), but not Samantha (Kim Cattrall), the fourth member of one of the most beloved quartets in the history of pop-culture.

SATC Reboot Drama Explained

When SATC first aired, it appeared that the four stars were just as close off-screen as they were on-screen. This appears to be true for Parker, Nixon, and Davis, but not Cattrall. It’s well-known among fans that Parker and Cattrall have been feuding for years (which makes no sense, who doesn’t love SJP?) and is allegedly the reason behind why we never got a third SATC movie.

The drama appears to have resurfaced when the reboot was announced, but could Cattrall’s absence be a blessing in disguise?

Why Samantha Is the Worst

With all the drama surrounding the reboot covered, let's get into reasons why Cattrall's absence might be a good thing. No Cattrall means no Samantha, and is that really a bad thing?

Despite a generation of women thinking they should aspire to be Carrie Bradshaw, we’ve all concluded that she's a terrible character due to her history of infidelity, deception, and bad friendship. While we’ve acknowledged Carrie’s faults, we have yet to do the same with Samantha.

Samantha Is a Narcissist

Samantha’s main character trait is being sexually promiscuous and open. She also has no filter, and though it leads to some of the funniest one-liners in the series, it also shows her narcissism and that she’s not the good friend she claims to be. She also has a fear of being vulnerable and a fear of commitment.

Though putting yourself first can be considered an admirable quality, Samantha takes it to the extreme. She often treats her clients poorly and uses the success of her PR firm as an excuse to be rude. Who can forget when she threw an “I’m not having a baby” shower to show off her extravagant lifestyle? These don’t sound like the traits of a woman who is empowered by her successful career, but the traits of an insufferable narcissist.

Although I’d argue that Samantha is a better friend than Carrie, she’s nowhere near the good friend she claims to be. She often refuses to listen to her friends' relationship problems (Just tell them to dump the guy!), she doesn't listen to Charlotte when she struggles with infertility, and she didn't support Miranda when she had her baby. I don’t know about you, but I would consider that an unforgivable offense.

Samantha Overvalues Her Sexuality

Samantha makes it clear in the first episode of the series that she doesn’t believe in Mr. Right, so she fulfills herself through meaningless flings. These flings are exacerbated by her fear of commitment and being seen as vulnerable and emotional. She refuses to let herself be in a long-term relationship that could make her happy, and the way she overvalues her sexuality leads to her identity crisis when she starts menopause.

Part of Samantha’s storyline in the second movie, Sex and the City 2, is about how she goes through drastic measures to delay menopause. She doesn’t do this because she’s insecure about aging (she actually proudly states her age and wears the same dress as a then-teenaged Miley Cyrus at a movie premiere), but because she values her sex life so much.

When she goes on a trip to Abu Dhabi, she has her preventative hormones confiscated at the airport and consequently has an identity crisis because she’s lost her sex drive.

Samantha placed so much worth on her sexuality that she loses her mind when the inevitable (menopause) happens. This isn’t only the perfect example as to why Samantha is not the character we should be looking up to, but that a lifestyle of casual sex and meaningless hookups isn’t designed for lifelong happiness.

Why Can’t We Focus on Charlotte or Miranda?

Now that we all agree that Carrie and Samantha are the worst, why don’t we focus on Charlotte and Miranda? Though both characters are flawed, they’re very likable and grow throughout the series. Unlike Carrie and Samantha, they acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them, which is why both of them ended the series exactly where they wanted to be at the start.

Miranda often gets a bad rep for being cynical, but she has a heart of gold under her tough exterior. She kicks butt at her job as a lawyer and refuses to let other people bring her down. Though she initially rejects the idea of marriage and children, she welcomes it when she finds the right man for her and thrives on being a woman who can balance her career with her family. Though she can be stubborn, she’s also self-aware, hilarious, keeps it real without being too harsh, and is probably the most loyal friend among the four women.

Though Charlotte is often considered to be naive or prudish, her eternal optimism is what motivates her to be her best self. Her dream is to live happily-ever-after with a loving husband and adoring children, but she makes plenty of mistakes on her way to achieving her dreams. She marries a man who she thinks she wants but isn’t right for her, finds her perfect match in the midst of her divorce, and overcomes her battle with infertility. I’d argue that Charlotte is the most well-developed character in the series and, like Miranda, she’s hilarious and a great friend.

It truly blows my mind that fans of the show spent two decades fawning over Carrie and Samantha when it’s clear that Miranda and Charlotte are the real MVPs. Though they’re not perfect role models for young women, they’re self-aware and learn from their mistakes, and isn’t life all about learning and growing from mistakes?

Closing Thoughts

While many fans are disappointed that Cattrall will not be in the upcoming reboot, this gives the show the perfect opportunity to give screen time to characters like Charlotte and Miranda. Carrie and Samantha may have been the stars of the original series, but we all know Charlotte and Miranda are the best characters, and it’s time that they get the love they deserve.