Sex and the City’s legacy as a cultural phenomenon is, while at times problematic, unquestionable.
For fans around the world, the show’s four central characters – Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda – feel like old friends. As familiar and comforting to see on our screens all these years later as it would be to bump into an old school friend in your home town.
We’ve seen them through break-ups, make-ups, marriages, divorce and cancer. We’ve watched them grow from their days as single 30-something socialites into their settled family lives, and seemingly said goodbye to them time and time again. Or so we thought.
First came Sex and the City: The Movie, welcomed by many fans, who wanted to see how Carrie and Big’s “happy ever after” turned out after six seasons of will-they won’t-they back and forth. While it was never going to be the same as the series, it was enjoyable, helped along by a healthy dose of nostalgia, and answered the questions that needed to be answered about where the characters’ lives went.
But then came the universally-panned Sex and the City 2, the sequel no one needed. Not only was its representation of Abu Dhabi and the Middle East downright offensive, its storylines clutched at some serious straws. Carrie bumping into Aidan in the middle of a market halfway across the world and cheating on Big, the love of her life, with him ... right. And Stanford and Anthony, two characters who up until now couldn’t stand the sight of each other, are suddenly getting married? Sure.
It was a step too far for most SATC fans and universally slated.
In the 12 years since, many questions have been raised over Sex and the City’s lack of diversity and representation, as well as some of its problematic storylines.
It failed to resonate with younger generations watching for the first time, and its creators faced a lot of criticism.
So when it was announced that (almost) all of the gang would be returning for a Samantha-less spin off And Just Like That …, the reaction was mixed.
The promise from creators to address issues of diversity and representation, making a Sex and the City for the modern day, left many intrigued. Would it be enough to capture a new audience, while satisfying the needs of the show’s original, loyal fan base?
After nine episodes, the resounding answer, sadly, is no. While the storylines have undoubtedly been more representative of the society we now live in, I can’t help but feel it has, at times, been tokenistic. An attempt to tick a box to rectify some of its wrongdoings of the past.
New audiences have seen through it, and for the show’s original fans, it has taken the characters they know and love away from the people they once recognised. Of course, people change and evolve – in their 50s, these women will not be the same as they were when they were running around Manhattan in their 30s, but it begs the question, why not just create a whole new show?
Reviews have panned the show as “woke”, “weird” and “awful”. And yet, there is now talk of a second season. According to industry insiders, the chance of And Just Like That … returning is “high”.
“The creative conversations haven’t happened yet, but everyone is feeling good about the show,” a source is reported to have told Page Six.
“They may feel that they want to prove a point that they can make a second season stronger and that it was valid to bring it back for fans.”
If Sex and the City 2 was not lesson enough, then please, let this be it. From the first episode, I cringed more than I smiled, and not even that familiar feeling of nostalgia could save it. I found myself hate-watching, and falling out of love with the characters who had always felt like friends.
It's time to leave Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda behind, just as Samantha did. There really is no point left to prove.
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
Scoreline
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')
Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The specs
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Transmission: ten-speed
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE SPECS
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Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
