Giovanni Rufino/The CWLet's go back, back to the beginning.
Sure, that might be a lyric from a Hilary Duff song, but it's also the premise of The CW's Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, which premiered tonight and introduced viewers to a 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, (with AnnaSophia Robb seamlessly stepping into Sarah Jessica Parker's iconic Manolos).
It's 1984, Carrie is just a young high school student dealing with the loss of her mother, a bratty younger sister, first love (No Mr. Big here) and experiencing the magic of New York City for the first time. Now that the series has finally debuted, we're curious to hear what you thought of Carrie's origin story.
Gone are Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, Carrie's BFFs in the original series. Don't worry, SATC fans, you won't miss 'em after meeting young Carrie's group of misfit friends: Mouse (Ellen Wong), Maggie (The Killing's Katie Findlay) and Maggie's BF Walt (Brendan Dooling), whose coming out story we can't wait to see unfold. Replacing Mr. Big as the guy in Carrie's life is Sebastian (Austin Butler from Life Unexpected), whose basically the non-jerk version of James Spader in Pretty in Pink.
Seeing as we were huge SATC fans prior to watching The Carrie Diaries, we were almost surprised by how much we adored the pilot. Of course it helps that the author Candace Bushnell is serving as an executive producer, but we can't stress enough how impressed we were with Robb's performance. She perfectly captures Parker's spirit (and certain mannerisms!) without ever crossing the line into impersonation territory; she is simply Carrie Bradshaw. Plus, we loved the subtle nods to the original series, including the shot of Carrie writing in her diary from her window. There's a lot of heart and sincerity to the series that can appeal to all ages. And who doesn't love '80s fashion?!
Now that you've heard how we feel about The Carrie Diaries, it's time for you to tell us what you thought of it. Vote in our latest Save It or Sink It poll and then head on down to the comments to talk it out with your fellow TV lovers.