Don't Mistake Nicole Ari Parker's 'And Just Like That' Character for a Samantha Jones Knockoff

At the end of each and every day, Sex and the City fans everywhere continued having one major question to ask about the upcoming HBO Max reboot, And Just Like That: Can Kim Cattrall possibly be replaced? The answer is no (obviously), but Nicole Ari Parker does have huge, fashionable shoes to fill. Why's that, you ask? We'll explain.

And Just Like That is the highly anticipated 10-episode Sex and the City reboot that's set to debut with Episodes 1 and 2 on Dec. 9, 2021. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon are reprising their roles as Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes, respectively. However, fans weren't thrilled that Kim wasn't returning as the iconic sassy, sex-loving Samantha Jones. Is And Just Like That cast member Nicole Ari Parker stepping in Sam's shoes for the reboot?

Nicole herself stated that her character isn't supposed to be a Samantha knockoff. She told The Hollywood Reporter in October 2021 that it was "not true at all" that she was replacing Kim on And Just Like That. Nicole revealed in the same interview that she had been "yelled at and attacked with love. I’ve been photographed in places I should never be photographed. The fans are so excited and over the top. I had some idea of that because I am one of those fans, but I had no idea [the extent of it]."

Nicole's character is named Lisa Todd Wexley. According to the official HBO Max description, Lisa's character is a "Park Avenue mother of three and a documentarian." That certainly doesn't sound like a copy of Samantha Jones at all! We spotted Lisa in the newest And Just Like That trailer, welcoming Charlotte and Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) into her New York City abode.

Fans of And Just Like That may be wondering why Nicole looks so familiar! The actress already had an impressive career in film and television before she joined the And Just Like That cast. Nicole played the character Giselle Barker on Seasons 4–6 of the series Empire. She also currently plays the recurring character Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller on another hit television series, Chicago Fire.

Nicole has also had starring roles in films like Boogie Nights, Remember The Titans, Brown Sugar, Almost Christmas, and more. The actress is very active on her Instagram page, where she has an impressive 1.4 million followers.

Nicole had nothing but words of gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the cast for And Just Like That. She wrote in one post, "So excited to be a part of something that's touched so many people for so many years."

Nicole also gave a shoutout to her fellow new And Just Like That female cast members Karen Pittman, Sara Ramirez, and Sarita Choudhury. While we'll definitely miss Samantha's signature snark on the upcoming revival, we're excited to see how the new characters for And Just Like That take the show in new directions. After all, And Just Like That isn't replacing an icon, just simply introducing new ones.

The first two episodes of And Just Like That premiere on HBO Max on Dec. 9, 2021.