So HBO Max has concocted an intermediate remedy to recapture and preserve the city’s magic: rebooting Gossip Girl and reviving Sex and the City as And Just Like That…, and, allegedly, making them queerer than ever. And while vaccines have made it so the United States can slowly reopen, NYC’s overall recovery remains slow. In August 2020, the New York Times estimated that one-third of all small businesses may never open again. Unemployment’s soaring, tourism has evaporated, and a city known for its effervescence and sleeplessness has been put on continual hold. With more than 780,000 COVID-19 cases, more than 100,000 hospitalizations and, most tragically, more than 28,000 deaths, the city has been devastated by the global pandemic. To say that New York City has had a rough 16 months would be a gross understatement. Zion Moreno as Luna La, left, Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway, and Savannah Smith as Monet de Haan in HBO Max’s Gossip Girl (Photo credit: Karolina Wojtasik/Courtesy of HBO Max)