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The Carrie Diaries

11 years ago by

When I heard about The Carrie Diaries, the prequel to Sex & the City (one of the best TV shows of all time), I didn’t pay it much attention.

With an actress too “cute” to be Carrie, too permed to be realistic, and the 80s looking like they came straight out of Forever 21 – and then there’s the obvious: Do I really want to watch a TV show that talks about a bunch of teenagers?

But out of love and respect for Candace Bushnell (author and producer), I kept watching.

And you know what?

It got me. The structure of Sex & the City stayed the same (one episode, one question), the characters are more “normal” than in Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars (even though I’ve never known a teenager with a wardrobe quite as large as Carrie Bradshaw’s…) and the episodes go down as easy as marshmallows. They even talk about sex, it’s funny!!! I can’t wait for the moment when she’ll finally meet Sam…

Take a peek. See what you think.

Let me know what you think!!!

68 comments

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  • J’ai regardé carrie diaries avec un peu d’appréhension et finalement c’est une surprise. Je me retrouve a chanter les chansons de la BO, a reconnaître des situations adolescentes vécue, et surtout ca fait du bien de voir enfin des teenageurs a peu près normal vivant a NY. Trop jeune pour me reconnaître dans girls, trop pauvre pour me reconnaître dans gossip girl , pour une fois new york a enfin une bande de teens NORMAL. Et puis même si je sais que ca va être lassant au bout d’un moment, quel plaisir d’entendre le nom bradshaw. 40 mins de niaiserie version cosmo sans vodka c’est reposant et divertissant. Cette série aura au moins eu le mérite de me donner envie de me refaire l’intégrale de SATC.

  • i watched all the 4 episodes yesterday! :)

    http://littleaesthete.com

  • I feel the same, at the beginning I wasn’t really sure about watching it but now I’m getting into it and I enjoy it! It’s interesting also the way the relationship between Carrie and Sebastian develops, is he gonna be the one before Big?

  • Looks like fun just like the original.

  • Oulala tu m’as donné envie!! Je suis une grande, ENORME fan de Sex and The City, donc Je cours regardé (légalement…) les derniers épisodes!

    ??? PARIS-NEW YORK FASHION BLOG! ???
    THE DEEP BLUE CORY Fashion blog
    THE DEEP BLUE CORY Facebook Page
    Cheers! Cory

  • I dont know if i’ll be up for watching a carrie who isn’t jessica parker it’ll be werid in a way but i’ll give it a try!

  • Je suis assez sceptique: ça ressemble surtout à une façon de continuer à faire du fric sur le succés (fort mérité) de SATC… Enfin j’ai surtout peur que si je commence à regarder je ne vais plus pouvoir m’arrêter ;) !!!
    http://curiosites-futilites.blogspot.com

  • Just because I was real curious (as well little bored) and have a great affection to SATC I decided to watch Carrie Diaries. First I thought it’s gonna be disaster because you know when you take something so famous as SATC and try to make a money out of it again and again it just can’t be too good. But you know what… it turned out being not so bad. Plus I love Larissa’s character, she reminds me of a young Tyra Banks (like in pic here–> http://www.eyeshadowlipstick.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tyra-Banks-yellow-eye-makeup.jpg ). So energetic and colourful!

    http://www.madarafreimane.blogspot.com

  • Stephanie February, 6 2013, 7:35 / Reply

    I actually find myself watching it week after week as well!! I love that she is so innocent and we’ll get to watch her grow into the Carrie Bradshaw we all know and love! Plus I think they’re a super cute couple!

    -Stephanie
    @LaminLouboutins.blogspot.com

  • i love the carrie diaries! i completely agree with you on how realistic the show is. after every episode i easily feel like i could be carrie, which makes her so much more lovable!
    xx ella
    http://www.ellaetcetera.com

  • I wish they created the continuation of Sex and The City with the old cast!!!

  • I’m really thinking of watching this, especially since Gossip Girl has ended and the show looks quite charming.

    aspiringforever.blogspot.com

  • Au debut, quand j’en ai entendu parler jetais hyper sceptique et je me suis dit que c’était impossible de s’attaquer à l’adolescence de Carrie. Mais piquée par la curiosité, j’ai regardé un épisode hier… Puis un second pour me faire une opinion… Et ce soir un 3ème… Et bien je dois bien avouer qu’ils ont grave assuré ! Cette mini Carrie est géniale ni trop sage, ni trop naïve, ni trop blindée, ni trop cliché… Elle est cool, craquante et attachante… Bref c’est Carriiiie quoi ! Et oui elle me manquait quelque part… :) et puis jajouterai que j’adore le fait qu’il y ait plein de petits clin doeil à Sex and the city (que l’on ne peut pas connaitre si on l’a pas vu), ça ma fait sourire et du coup je me demande si a la fin de ce diary je me ferai pas sex and the city du debut :D …
    A suivre…

  • Oh, now I’m intrigued. I’m a diehard Sex and the City fan, I even sometimes get withdrawals (which nothing a few reruns can’t fix) but The Carrie Diaries never really made me want to watch it. I was scared that it would taint the legacy that SatC has left (as if the second movie didn’t do enough damage) but after hearing positive reviews, maybe I will give it a go

    x karen
    http://www.thechicndamned.blogspot.com

  • I’m sorry I saw the first episode and I just couldn’t bear it and by it I mean the supporting characters, the clothes, the topics of conversation…

    Maybe I should have been patient and stayed with it longer, but to me there are more interesting things to watch on TV and more importantly, I don’t think anyone can do Carrie like SJP :(

  • The pilot/ep 1 was terrible, I agree. It was too PG, saccharine, and reminded me of The Babysitters Club! But miraculously, the subsequent episodes were better so I find myself watching it.

  • Personnellement, je regrette que les quelques éléments que l’on apprend dans SATC sur le passé de Carrie ne soient pas respéctés. Elle est censée être fille unique et avoir eu un père qui les ai abandonné elle et sa mère quand elle avait cinq ans. Ceci-dit, beaucoup plus dur de faire une série avec ce genre de critères…

  • velouria February, 7 2013, 1:13

    tout à fait d’accord!! Dans SATC, son père l’a abandonnée

  • I absolutely love it and watch it with my 17 year old daughter. For me the music alone along with the 80’s clothing is super entertaining. I was in High School in the 80’s so love the memories that watching this show brings.

  • enjoyed sex and the city so much that im still excited to check out the new series…although i really cannot see her as a younger Carrie :P
    sorry! maybe my opinion will change once i actually watch the show

    http://newbornfanatic.wordpress.com/

  • i like this show… i missed the second episode though.

  • I will wait til it air in thailand and give it a shot. I already buy the book but can’t get past first chapter. I love Candace Bushnell and Lipstick Jungle is my all time favorite book but highschool life not interest me.
    I want gliz and glam. I gonna wait til it air to see if it work. <3

  • Je suis trop fan de SATC pour commencer cette série je crois. Il me parait impossible qu’elle acquiert le même intérêt que SATC. En plus, j’espère qu’ils ne vont pas lui faire rencontrer Sam, Charlotte, et Miranda adolescente, sinon ils ne respecteront pas SATC!
    Enfin, pourquoi ne pas laisser SATC là où elle s’était terminée? Pourquoi revenir dessus dans un prequel? C’est un peu trop à la fin.

    Enfin, je crois que les séries américains font exprès de se renouveler pour empecher les étudiants de travailler convenablement :-). Je suis déjà sur plusieurs séries (Girls, The following, Hart of Dixie…). . .

  • Like many here, I haven’t watched it because I didn’t think it could live up to the original SaTC. The clip looks cute, though. If it’s not on opposite of something that I already watch, I may give it a try. I’ve been watching “The Americans” on FX, which is also set in the 80’s, and I love seeing the fashion and the old things, in general.
    Donna
    http://www.prettysparklythings.blogspot.com

  • Ma curiosité m’a poussée à regarder la série, et je ne suis pas du tout déçue! J’adore,

    Bisous
    http://Lauralexo.blogspot.com

  • I really wish the Sex and the City with the old stars.. But new looks interesting. I am waiting for it. Have a nice day.

    http://www.fashiondenis.com/

  • I really like Sex and the City and I like the old stars like was before.. But/. It could be interesting with the new too. I am waiting to see it. Have a nice day.

    http://www.fashiondenis.com/

  • looks like fun and interesting! I’ll see!!

    http://www.thestelstyle.com

  • Charlotte February, 7 2013, 5:23 / Reply

    Not for me, I’m sorry. I loved the old series, loved loved loved it. The movies were awful. This is alright, but not good enough to make me watch it. Like you, I feel a bit too old, the fashion seems too Forever21… You can just see that it’s The CW and not HBO. Aaaand my resolution for this year is less TV and only good TV, less stupid series! I pass.

  • Alors moi je sais pas!
    Je crois qu’il n’y a pas plus fan de Sex and the City que moi et je fait partie ( ou alors je suis peut etre la seule) des gens qui sont tellement fan de leurs personnages qu’ils n’arrivent pas à croire qu’ils ne sont pas réel !!! ( quand je marchais dans les rue de NY j’espère tombé sur Carrie Bradshow sur tous les coins de rues! ) Pathétique!!

    Du coup ben la ca coince: la fille elle a pas la tête de Carrie!!! du coup j’arrive pas à me plonger dans l’histoire!
    Même si ils ont essayé de lui faire les cheveux , etc… ca coince!

    Et puis en plus j’aimais bien le coté Carrie Bradshow inconnu, je sais pas si j’ai envie de savoir le “avant”, j’ai peur que ca casse quelque chose.
    Mais je doit dire que la vidéo donne quand meme envie.

    Je vais jeter un coup d’oeil et on verra!

    xx

  • it’s true the episodes go down as easy as marshmallows… the only think is that the 80’s in the series are very unreal. in the 80’s people were not so stylish.. actually most of them looked ridiculus, I find it quite fake seeing everyone so cute. I know it’s difficlut to recreate the 80’s NY scene as it was so unique and nonconformist. In fact the creators didn’t manage to do so.

  • I agree with you in everything. I think the show is sometimes a bit too cliché and unrealistic, but that comes with the genre. Still, it’s quite entertaining, and I love the way they’re dealing with a few topics, like teenage sex and homosexuality.

  • Geraldine February, 7 2013, 7:02 / Reply

    Oh la Garance et ton français alors ? (ayant au lieu de aillant / un épisode au lieu de une épisode).
    Je sais, moi c’est pareil après 6 ans à New York (j’ai vérifié et aillant c’est si tu utilises le verbe “mettre de l’ail”

    Je vais regarder Carrie, je suis dans Downton Abbey et House of cards sur Netflix !

  • Hmmmmmm, you know, I really just don’t know. Perhaps if it were a stand alone series I could watch it but with the obvious SATC connection there is a real lack of presence and continuity. I don’t know, even though it is a younger Carrie there doesn’t seem to be any “Carrie-isms”. The styling is an editorial version of the 80’s. I think people forget just how truly void of taste the 80’s were, I mean think fishnet vests, scrunchies, leggings (but before we understood quite how to wear them!), peddle-pushers, pixie boots. This all sounds fairly quaint but trust me, the reality was truly a crime against humanity. xx

  • La vidéo donne vraiment envie de jeter un oeil !
    Nouveau post: http://www.thestilettoholic.com/2013/02/07/my-interview-for-my-fashion-magazine/

  • This show is my guilty pleasure.

  • haven’t seen it yet, can it top SATC?

    http://mamajulesbrussels.blogspot.com

  • Don’t no why, but she reminded me of Madonna in the beginnings of her career in 80ties!

  • Yes! Merci Garance!
    I read the books and was like ‘okay, they were quite good but filming a prequel, srsly?’. First I didn’t want to watch it at all but then I got curious and now – totally in love! It’s more about the characters and feelings than about fashion and sex. I think it’s kinda teenage-show like ‘sabrina the teenage witch’ was but than there is Austin Butler who is, I have to confess, HOT! Every week, I’m craving for a new episode :D
    Love xx

  • Another great thing about the show compared to other teenage shows is that (so far) whenever Carrie had to choose between the boy and the city (i.e. her future career, her independant dream life, etc.) she opted for the city – that’s quite refereshing I must say – she is even beating the 30 year old Carrie who let Mr. Big walked all over her.

    It does deserve an eye, if not two for the youngest amongst us!

  • Yes, thanks Garance!
    Every review is like ‘Horrible show! Bad actors and no noticable fashion!’! I have to admit, I didn’t want to watch it first because I read the books and love(d) ‘Sex and the City’ and couldn’t imagine how they could turn it into a whole new show. But then I got curious and now – total love! Although it’s like a teenage-show, every week I’m craving for a new episode and new scenes with Austin Butler – man he’s f-ing hot!
    Love xx

  • Looks like SO much fun!! xx

    ENTER MY GIVEAWAY
    http://www.creativityandchocolate.blogspot.com

  • I hadn’t planned on watching The Carrie Diaries because I love SATC so much. I didn’t want the prequel to ruin anything. (Wish I’d felt that way before I watched the second SATC movie!) Garance, you have great taste, and the trailer does pique my interest. Count me in!

  • Scarlette February, 7 2013, 11:07 / Reply

    Comme pour beaucoup d’entre vous, j’étais tres inquiète de ce que l’on allait faire avec ce show. Je n’y croyais vraiment pas mais Carrie me manquait tellement que j’ai regardé et j’ai adoré! Carrie est rafraichissante, sa voix et ses questionnements nous rapelle SATC et ses amis sont attachant. Par contre, ayant été adolescente dans les 80’s, j’ai du mal a reconnaitre la mode et les coiffures de ces années… pas tres réaliste. Je suis d’accord pour l’idée Forever 21… Mais je reste accrochée tout de même!J’ai juste hâte à lundi prochain pour un autre épisode!

  • I watched while nursing my son…it was on-demand at 2pm on a Wednesday when nothing else was on….not expecting much, yet I loved it. Something about the allure of Sex and the City teemed up with the nostalgia of high school….it’s magic.

  • I went to FIT in the late 80’s and although I am too old to be watching this…it is a guilty pleasure! Love it!

  • Oh, I love the show. Like you I was very hesitant at first, but now I’m hooked.

  • Moi je trouve la petite Carrie parfaitement Carrie-esque et telle une ado, je suis amoureuse de Sebastian! Vite! Un poster!!!! #penseràsecalmer ;)

  • I only saw the trailer but it didn’t inspire me at all. I prefer the grown up Carrie with lot of sex, her Manolo’s and of course the other three girls!

    Vittoria from 5 IN THE MORNING
    http://vittoriafiveinthemorning.blogspot.it/2013/02/intimate-decisions.html

  • IDK Garance, I loved Gossip Girl *The Drama! yes I know but it was fun!* & when I heard about this show, *I was sceptic yeah but* Josh + Stephanie doing Candace’s book… can’t get any better! Proved to be a keeper… Bravo!

  • Je suis une très très grande adepte de sex & the city, j’ai lu la quasi totalité des livres de Candace Bushnell (tellement parfait pour décompresser l’été, sur la plage ou ailleurs !), dont les Carrie diaries, donc évidemment j’ai commencé a regarder la série ! Pour l’instant c’est un peu “mignonet”, et c’est vrai qu’on ne reconnait pas encore la Carrie Bradshaw de SATC, mais justement, j’ai hâte de voir un peu l’évolution !

  • Honestly, I think it captures youth just as well as a John Hughes film. I absolutely adore it. And I’m 30. Kids talk like kids, including talking about the things that adults like to “forget” they talked about when they were young.

  • Charlotte February, 7 2013, 5:12 / Reply

    J’ai lu les livres “Le Journal de Carrie” et “Summer and the City” et je les ai adorés (voire même DÉVORÉS !). J’ai regardé 5 minutes de la série télé sans accrocher, mais après avoir lu ce post, je vais lui donner une deuxième chance ! ;)

  • When I heard about prequel of the sex and the city series but dice you said that it got you into it then definitely I will watch it.

  • itadivine February, 8 2013, 5:43 / Reply

    I have to secretly admit that as a 35 year old my private tv watching is a lot of silly shows (Hart of Dixie!?! WTF!) and I just started downloading The Carrie Diaries to watch in my Paris apartment.. I think it is perfectly spot on in tone and execution (and casting!) to prelude into the future Carrie Bradshaw.. Its fun, energetic and the styling and music is pretty creative. ****

  • Salam Garance.

    Personnellement je n’ai vraiment pas accroché.

    Est ce parceque la série ne respecte pas la version de carrie dans SATC?

    Est ce parceque je suis une fan inconditionnelle ( la preuve? Avec mon mari nous avons ouvert il y a de cela 3 ans une boutique qui vend des CHAUSSURES pour FEMMES et quel est son nom ? À la boutique? Shoes And thé City Ben sur !!!!).

    Est parcequ’il faut attendre de voir plusieurs épisodes avant d’accrocher ( c’est le cas pour beaucoup de bonnes séries aujourd’hui , regardons les choses en face, l’épisode 1 saison 1 de SATC ne pèse pas son poids de bananes).

    Je ne sais pas mais attendons de voir. Et en attendant l’intégrale de SATC please!!

    See you Garance or Read you!!!

  • It seems nice and funny, but I agree with DOBS77, the eighties were not so stylish, here everything is quite glamorous. I’m not very interesting in watching it, anyway.

  • Moi aussi j’ai regardé sans être motivé, parce que j’adorais l’insolence de Sex and the City. Evidemment c’est moins provocateur, mais finalement j’aime beaucoup, c’est frais c’est mignon, c’est bien écrit et même si c’est pour ados c’est tellement au dessus des sempiternelles séries sur les super héros, vampires ou sorcières avec leurs univers morbide et leurs faux rebondissements. En plus j’entends la musique de ma jeunesse, que demander de plus ?

  • Hey Garance! love love love your blog! I actually wrote a similar review about the Carrie Diaries in my own a couple of weeks ago! would be so cool if you could have a look! I’m such a fan of what you do! keep up the good work!
    http://sarachan-isback.overblog.com/sex-and-the-city-a-prequel

  • omg! it look so good hahah i love you blog and your so cool! i read your blog every day after school! xxxx

  • J’ai jamais été une enorme fan de sex and the city ( j’ai quand meme vu tous les episodes et les 2 films hein ), je suis plus desperate et grey’s anatomy ( rien à voir ), gossip girl c’est aussi mignon, un peu trop jeune, mais je trouve que ca manque un peu de crédibilité ici car le personnage de carrie ne ressemble pas du tout à sarah jessica parker! ca me trouble.

    et la serie girls, c’est vraiment bien? ce serait bien de faire un mini post sur tes series préférées!

  • I loved the books and to hear that it will be made to screen sparked my curiousity.
    The soundtrack alone caused a grin to form across my face, I loved the wardrobe and I thought the innocence and naivity of the characters was spot on.
    Can’t wait to watch more episodes.

  • Love this ….. so innocent and yet so fun. Thanks for sharing otherwise I would have never watched!

  • I saw the first 15 minutes of the first show and thought, not for me,I really wasn’t interested in going all the way back to high school. But the clip you showed…well, I might give it another chance.

  • Sebastian kidd is a pretty boy.

  • J’avais regardé le premier épisode. Je n’avais pas aimé. J’ai regardé la suite, j’ai adoré ! J’espère qu’il y aura une saison 2 !

  • J’ai commencé à regarder The carrie diairies cette semaine et resultat, j’adore !
    Carrie, leurs looks, l’histoire … c’est tellment attachant que j’ai hate que la saison 2 commence ! ;)
    ?

  • Rebecca June, 8 2014, 5:24 / Reply

    J’envoie un commentaire un peu tard. Mais, j’attends la saison 2. Et j’étais complètement DINGUE du choix de la garde-robe et de la bande son!!!!
    Merci pour ce post Garance!!

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