Can 'And Just Like That...' Season 2 be saved with more nostalgia and Kim Cattrall?

It's time to give the Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That... another chance with the second season of the series premiering this week (on Crave in Canada, Max in the U.S.), still starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, but adding a cameo from Kim Cattrall and an Aidan-Carrie reunion with a appearance by John Corbett.

For Season 1, the series gave us a messy mix of nostalgia in an attempt to service the massive Sex and the City fandom, but the general consensus was that the show missed the mark in terms of fan expectation for what these legacy characters, and the new women added to the mix, would have to offer.

We wanted to hook into a story about women in their 50s being unapologetically open and honest, but what we got was a show that largely rested on its existing reputation to keep its audience. As it tried to modernize itself and diversify its characters, it really just made people cringe, like we were just going through the motions of checking off items on some sort of vague diversity checklist.

So did things change with Season 2? Can appearances by Cattrall and Corbett help? The waters are still murky.

How does 'And Just Like That...' Season 2 start?

Season 2 of And Just Like That...begins with Carrie (Parker) hooking up with her podcast producer Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez), but only on Thursdays, after that kiss we saw at the end of Season 1.

Seema (Sarita Choudhury) also has a boyfriend, but things don't look great when she realizes he's living with his ex-wife.

We meet back up with Miranda (Nixon) after she left New York for Los Angeles to be with Che (Sara Ramirez), who's working on a new comedy TV show, based on their life story.

Relationship wise, Nya (Karen Pittman) seems to be the most distressed, still dealing with issues with her husband Andre (LeRoy McClain), amplified by them being physically apart while he's away working as a musician.

Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) is the mom who does it all, working on a documentary while juggling mom and wife duties, like her son's girlfriend who doesn't understand boundaries and personal space. And much of Charlotte's (Davis) storyline is focused on the trials and tribulations of raising two teens, with her husband Harry (Evan Handler).

For fashion lovers, the first episode really hinges on that aspect of what we loved about Sex and the City, with the episode based around the women going to the Met Ball, and the theme is "veiled beauty." We never actually see them attend the biggest fashion event of the year, but we do get a big, nostalgic fashion moment to close out the episode.

Throughout the series we see Carrie navigating her grief with the release of her book about losing her husband.

Is 'And Just Like That...' Season 2 worth watching?

One thing that's glaringly clear is that And Just Like That... very much wants to lean on its Sex and the City cast, but that may not be the best way forward. Lisa, Nya and Seema are all characters that seem to have so much to offer, with compelling performances across the board, but you just get the sense that they should have had more meaty, fully realized material to work with throughout the show.

There are a few moments in Season 2 where you get a glimpse of the Carrie we fell in love with years ago, including some one-episode romances, but we'll admit that trying to compare these characters with the rose-coloured glasses looking at the past is a losing effort.

Throughout the first seven episodes of the second season of And Just Like That..., provided to reporters in advance of the season premiere, there's just an energetic spark that seems to be missing. Maybe that has to do with how influential and aspirational Sex and the City was, and that just can't be replicated. Supporting stars and fan favourites like Mario Cantone give the season a desperate jolt, especially in some episodes that lag in pace.

The charm this season largely hinges on the fact that there are more appearances from characters we were first introduced to in Sex and the City, including Candice Bergen as Enid Frick, Carrie's former boss and mentor, and we'd be naive to think some of these cameos won't keep the show's audience coming back.

Smartly done, we know that Cattrall will make an appearance at the end of the season, after fans shouted about missing Samantha, largely attributed to a contentious fight with Parker. And even though Aidan may not have been our favourite of Carrie's exes, there is that part of every fan that will be curious to see where that storyline goes.

Does And Just Like That... move the dial to be significantly more engaging than the first season? Not exactly, but there's enough intrigue to keep you coming back for more.