Critics Lisa Johnson Mandell and Tandy Culpepper disagree on their And Just Like That review and The Residence review, as they go head to head on The Hollywood Beat.

And Just Like That Review

And Just Like That came for a third season, covering the continuing saga of Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda as they navigate life, love, and awkward brunches in a post-Big, post-COVID Manhattan. The Sex and the City sequel series still has stilettos, still has sex (most of it cringy), and still has a love-hate relationship with its own legacy.

Both Tandy Culpepper and Lisa Johnson Mandell agree: And Just Like That has its moments—but it has more migraines.

Tandy, a longtime fan of the original series, found himself equal parts charmed and frustrated. “There are still flashes of the wit and warmth that made Sex and the City iconic,” he said. “Carrie wearing a king sized bakers’ hat to brunch? I’m in. But Carrie refusing to take off her stilettos when she’s relaxing in her townhouse? I feel like she’s auditioning for Queen Bitch on Real Housewives of Manhattan.”

Lisa agreed, with was even more frutrated with the third season. “Every time the show lets the characters just be, it works,” she said. “But then it remembers it has something to prove—about being relevant, diverse, sensitive, evolved—and it becomes a checklist instead of a story.” Lisa also noted that while the show is clearly trying to update its worldview, it often does so with the subtlety of a Times Square billboard.

When it remembers its roots—friendship, fashion, and fumbling through middle-aged messiness—And Just Like That shines. Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda stumbles through reinvention with both courage and cringe. Kristin Davis’s Charlotte still balances maternal overachievement with naïve optimism, while Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie remains the gravitational center.

“There are entire scenes where I have no idea what anyone is really talking about,” Tandy said. “But Parker always grounds it in something real. Or at least something designer.”

And Just Like That is unequal parts evolution and exasperation. Tandy called it “a hot-glue gun of sentiment, satire, and second chances—occasionally beautiful, but most often a mess.” Lisa summed it up this way: “It’s trying, and sometimes it’s trying too hard—but I still watch every episode.”

In other words, it’s like brunch with old friends: You may roll your eyes, you may argue over the check, but you’ll probably show up next week anyway.

The Residence Review

Netflix’s limited series The Residence flips the White House on its side—and its head—with a juicy comedic whodunnit set not in the Oval Office, but in the West Wing’s lesser-seen cousin: the Executive Residence. Forget policy briefings and press secretaries—this is a murder mystery among the maids, butlers, and florists, with just enough political spice to keep things bipartisan.

Tandy adored it. “A deliciously wicked mashup of Knives Out, Veep, and Downton Abbey—if Downton had better lighting and a body bag,” Culpepper raved.

The star of the show is Uzo Aduba as eccentric investigator Cordelia Cupp, a modern-day Poirot with a passion for birdwatching. The murder of the White House’s chief usher (Giancarlo Esposito) sets off an increasingly absurd series of revelations among the White House’s permanent staff, and Tandy praised the show’s tight pacing, whip-smart dialogue and fearless satire. “It skewers D.C. culture with charm and chaos,” he said, “and I laughed out loud more times than I’ll ever admit publicly.”

Lisa was less amused. “It tries too hard,” she said. “The tone swings from slapstick to self-important, and most of the time I wasn’t sure what it wanted to be.” She didn’t love Aduba’s performance, thinking that she never quite clicked. Mandell felt the rest of the ensemble was underused or overwhelmed by the show’s need to juggle comedy, mystery, and political satire all at once. “It wants to be clever and campy, but it ends up messy and mannered,” she said. “I didn’t laugh—I winced.”

If you’re a fan of genre-bending, character-packed comedy with a satirical bent, The Residence might be your perfect binge. Tandy says go ahead and RSVP “Yes” to this twisted State Dinner. Lisa, on the other hand, suggests staying home and cleaning out the dust bunnies from underneath your sofa. Either way, it’s a series that’s bound to spark conversation—perhaps even across party lines.

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