Plus, Lost, identifying birds, and a big week for finales

View this email online by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when Ryan Gosling defended his right to play Ken. It was the week when production shutdowns were the strike strategy. And it was the week when a new Black Mirror trailer arrived. Let's get to it. From Sex and the City to The Fast and the Furious, familiar faces return When And Just Like That... premiered on Max in 2021 as a sequel to Sex and the City, one thing distinguished it from the original more emphatically than anything else: No Samantha. Played by Kim Cattrall, Samantha Jones was the bawdy, proudly and happily voracious member of the gang, and without her, the chemistry among Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) was quite different. Samantha was explained away with an unconvincing hand-wave about a falling-out, but in reality, everyone knew what was up: Cattrall had said she wanted nothing to do with Samantha after making two follow-up movies, and when it came time for AJLT, they didn't even ask her. But now, Cattrall is reportedly doing a cameo in the upcoming season. Don't get too excited if you miss SATC the way it was -- Samantha is just showing up on the phone. Variety explains: "According to sources, Cattrall shot her dialogue on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with the stars of the series, including Sarah Jessica Parker, or with And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King." How heartwarming. Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in "And Just Like That..." / Max Nostalgia has become the engine of an awful lot of TV and film revivals and sequels and reboots. Not real nostalgia, but a kind of synthetic nostalgia, where more of a thing you liked is comforting in the same way eating at a familiar restaurant can be comforting, even if it's not very good. In some ways, Cattrall's refusal to return for AJLT seemed bracingly authentic to me, and even a bit appealing -- there is more to life than getting paid, more to life than getting back on television. Not that it would have been wrong to do it, or that it's wrong for anyone else to do it, just that it was fun to see someone say, to borrow from a classic, "I would prefer not to." There's nothing wrong with Cattrall returning, if that's what she wants. There's nothing wrong with Harrison Ford making another Indiana Jones movie if he wants to, or Michael Keaton going back to Batman, or Tom Cruise giving us a middle-aged Maverick. If they offer me another season of Succession in five years, I'll watch it. But when the behind-the-scenes conflict and the unhappy public statements are so well-known that they are almost as much a part of the franchise as the story on screen, how much nostalgia can you really feel? Obviously, Samantha and Carrie can have a warm relationship even if Cattrall and Parker don't, but how cozy and familiar is that phone call going to be if everybody knows the people involved were avoiding each other like unhappily divorced spouses trying to navigate a family wedding? When the conditions are like this, it feels like much more of a marketing victory -- Tune in as Samantha returns! -- than something that's going to benefit the story. Honestly, even when it's not a cameo but an entire movie, it can feel the same way. Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are the Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall of movies where cars get dropped out of planes, and Johnson has previously signaled his desire to exit the Fast & Furious franchise. But this week (maaaaaaybe in part because his foray into superhero-dom in Black Adam wasn't as successful as he might have hoped?), Johnson announced that he will, in fact, make another film as Hobbs. It's all about family! And clashing egos! But it does make for a good promotional announcement. It's not that feuds and exits should be sacred. On the contrary, who doesn't like a reunion? Especially one where there might be complicated feelings involved? Eyebrows went through the roof at the news that Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl would chat for Variety's "actors on actors" series, years after Heigl left Grey's Anatomy. And it's not that Cattrall and Johnson shouldn't do whatever projects they like. Sure, maybe it's just the old Logan Roy thing -- "money wins," and if it is, they're not the first people to get their money. But I admit, the idea of a nostalgic return is a bit clouded for me when the conditions are that everybody remains entirely isolated. Maybe there's room for Samantha in the Fast & Furious universe, or for Hobbs in And Just Like That... She does crave excitement, and he does like joining a team. Newsletter continues after sponsor message We Recommend This week, Vanity Fair published an excerpt from the upcoming book Burn It Down, by Maureen Ryan (who is a friend of mine), that details deeply upsetting allegations about the set of the much-loved show Lost. We'll have an episode about Celine Song's wonderful film Past Lives next week, but if you're in a place where it's in theaters, I strongly recommend you go out and track it down. Sometimes I like to offer a recommendation for something a bit outside my usual purview. This week, it's Merlin Bird ID, the app that I've been using to identify the many birds in my backyard. Forget AI -- some of the most exciting uses of technology in my life are ways to borrow other people's hard-earned knowledge to enrich my own days. What We Did This Week Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Beth in "You Hurt My Feelings"  / A24 This was the week of the Succession finale, and I recapped it one last time. Plus, late on Sunday night, Aisha and Eric Deggans and I talked about it, and about the show's impact. Glen talked to James Perkins Mastromarino and Lenika Cruz about the very big arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I highlighted a few of the best moments in the season finale (and perhaps the series finale) of Ted Lasso. Along with Glen, Aisha, Eric Deggans, Bilal Qureshi, and Bob Mondello (and the great work of NPR's editors and producers), I helped create our summer preview of some of the TV and films we're looking forward to. Glen and Aisha wrapped up the run of Barry. Aisha and I talked about the Nicole Holofcener film You Hurt My Feelings, featuring a great central performance from Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a writer who finds out a little too much information. And Stephen and Aisha talked to Daisy Rosario and Joelle Monique about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. What's Making Us Happy Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: Joelle Monique: Clone High, streaming on Max Daisy Rosario: Slate's ICYMI podcast and the Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman Aisha Harris: Mel Mitchell (aka The Baddest Mitch)'s videos on TikTok Stephen Thompson: Luke Combs' cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: pchh@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? 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