In the CW’s newest series “The Carrie Diaries,” “Sex and the City” goes to high school as a young Carrie Bradshaw navigates the murky waters of adolescence and growing up. This prequel spinoff to the wildly popular HBO series follows Bradshaw as she copes with the premature death of her mother, attempts to understand the hijinks of teenage boys and embarks on the greatest adventure of her life so far: an internship in New York City, the city of her dreams.
Set in the ‘80s, “The Carrie Diaries” has an enjoyable charm that pulls in the viewer from the very beginning. The eyes are assaulted by frizzy hair-dos, bright busy patterns and awful color combinations—a quality which gives the pilot episode a fun and spunky vibe, without being too over the top. Additionally, “Sex and the City” lovers will be pleased to find that the character of Carrie Bradshaw is essentially the same. She’s independent, feisty, fashion forward and all-around lovable – just younger than Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie.
In lieu of best friends Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, Carrie now has a fresh new high school posse: Maggie, who is sexy but insecure; Walt, Maggie’s almost-too-fashionable boyfriend of two years; and Roberta, a.k.a. “The Mouse,” an intelligent and loyal friend to Carrie. These characters work in the show’s favor, giving Carrie a support system similar to “Sex and the City,” but just different enough to give the spinoff its own separate identity. The trio also adds some comedic relief to the pilot episode, with classic high school dialogue that is sometimes both crude and hilarious.
“The Carrie Diaries” also gets a positive mark for acting, most notably in the performance by AnnaSophia Robb (“Because of Winn-Dixie”) as young Carrie. Robb brings the essence of Carrie to the screen, but also adds her own flavor to the character in an innocent, impressionable manner. On screen, Robb is always interesting, and acts with the original character in mind. She also shows humor and spunk, maintaining an endearing disposition. By innovating rather than imitating, Robb allows the new spinoff series to branch off from its counterpart.
In the pilot episode of the new series, Carrie discovers that she is the only one of her friends that is still a virgin. Having only received her first kiss the summer before from rich, new boy Sebastian, she worries that she’s too
inexperienced to reel him in. But then, upon starting her new internship in New York City, she meets Larissa, a style editor for Interview magazine, who shows her a whole new more “adult” side of life.
This kind of plot may have “Sex and the City” fans finding “The Carrie Diaries” a bit juvenile compared to the acclaimed HBO series. It lacks the innuendo, scandal and sex appeal that “Sex and the City” was loved for, but then again, the new spinoff is aimed at a much younger audience. Less seasoned viewers will most likely find the new series fun and enjoyable, but for more mature fans, “The Carrie Diaries” may be a bit too adolescent or childish for their tastes. Though there are elements of “Sex and the City” within the pilot episode, this is certainly not the same show, and doesn’t intend to be.
Overall, for younger viewers “The Carrie Diaries” is perfect. The fun setting, humorous characters and quality acting create a fresh, entertaining new spin on “Sex and the City.” The only drawback is that for more adult patrons, the content of the new series may seem trivial and juvenile. Hopefully, the new series “The Carrie Diaries” will attract a younger age group to rebuild the Carrie Bradshaw fan base anew.
