Nicole Ari Parker Praises 'And Just Like That' Creators for Making'' Show Diverse: 'They Did It Right'

Whether it's Charlotte agonizing over not having enough Black friends, or Miranda turning beetroot when she mentions her college professor's braids, it's hard not to notice that the Sex and the City revival for HBO Max has a more diverse cast.

One of the newbies, Nicole Ari Parker, believes the And Just Like That… creators hit the mark when it comes to adding more people of color to the show.

The mom of two, who plays African American socialite Lisa Todd Wexley, tells PEOPLE that the showrunners got it right because they didn't just focus on diversity on the screen.

"You know, I never really watched the show for that," says Parker, 51, who is a long-time Sex and the City fan herself. "It's like watching Friends or Seinfeld. It didn't seem like New York City, but that was their version of what they wanted to talk about."

The actress adds, "But the fact that they were introducing characters of color – two African American women, an Indian actress (who's one of my friends of 30 years, Sarita Choudhury), and Sara Ramirez… My happiness is that [And Just Like That… creator] Michael Patrick King and the writers, they diversified the writers' room. So, they did it right. They were staying on brand with the comedy format, but they let these characters stumble over the absence of these people in their lives."

The result is a mix of new faces that includes college professor, Dr. Nya Wallace (played by Karen Pittman), sophisticated realtor Seema Patel (Choudhury) and nonbinary Latinx podcast host Che Diaz (Ramirez).

While some fans and critics have grumbled that the revival is too "woke," Parker offers an alternative view.

"[The creators] gave the people of color the same kind of awkwardness," she tells PEOPLE about the show, which still centers on three of the original characters Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis).

"It wasn't just, they got a Black friend and we're watching them deal. They created characters who had full lives," Parker says. "We're not just crossing [the] frame. We've got husbands, and girlfriends, and boyfriends, and kids, and mother-in-laws, and we're adjusting to the new friendships too. And that is a slight detail that I really appreciate, that it goes both ways."

As fans of the HBO Max show will know, Parker's character is Charlotte's new school mom bestie. She's Black, beautiful, rich, cultured, and very stylish. "The fashion alone was a girl's dream come true," says Parker. "I mean my wardrobe fittings… It was like Bergdorf Goodman was just for me. Purses and shoes, and jewelry for days."

The star continues, "But, just to meet them in person, this 23-year-old show, that these were iconic characters, and here I was on my first shoot day sitting with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, and they're warm and kind and generous and fly and amazing."

The New York City setting was a far cry from the Baltimore film that she'd just wrapped.

Parker joined the And Just Like That… cast last year after shooting the thriller, Safe Room. Directed and co-starring her husband Boris Kodjoe the TV movie premieres on Lifetime on Jan. 15.

The actress, who shares son Nicolas, 15, and daughter Sophie, 16, with the Station 19 star says, "It was an incredible summer."

New episodes of And Just Like That… drop Thursdays on HBO Max.