“The Carrie Diaries” premiered on Monday night, introducing “Sex and the City” fans to a younger version of Carrie Bradshaw, the New York fashionista and columnist who fans adore.

The show centers around Carrie as an adolescent, struggling with the loss of her mother and trying to find herself.

Carrie hangs out with a trio of friends – Maggie, the straight-forward one; Mouse, the nerdy girl; and Walt, who is a closeted homosexual.

She also has a nemesis named Donna LaDonna and her two sidekicks, the Jens. Donna fits the stereotypical popular mean girl who makes fun of Carrie and attempts to steal away her love interest – Sebastian Kydd, the troubled wealthy guy.

The characters and the plot have definitely been done before, but I think “The Carrie Diaries” has more charm and wit to offer than previous angst-filled high school dramas. It’s definitely different from the glittery, fantasy world of “Sex and the City.”

The show is set in 1984 and does an incredible job at taking the audience back to that time period. It has the big hair, Rob Lowe-inspired sweaters, bright-colored fashion and good music.

The characters from the show are honest and straightforward, unlike those in some teen dramas.

“The Carrie Diaries” has taken the time slot of “Gossip Girl.” While I loved the first few seasons of that show, the characters’ cynicism, wealth and drama started to grow stale and annoying.

The actress who plays Carrie, AnnaSophia Robb, does an unbelievable job. She doesn’t have the strong facial features of Sarah Jessica Parker, but she pulls off an innocent, dreamy look and emotion that I enjoyed.

The show isn’t about the sassy Carrie Bradshaw that we came to love in “Sex and the City,” but it’s about a young girl trying to find herself. Robb does a good job at portraying a normal teenage high school character that will eventually reach her dreams as a columnist and fashionista in New York.

Twitter was full of enthusiasm over the newest prequel to “Sex and the City.” @julieplec tweeted, “Big premiere episode tonight on the CW! Watch The Carrie Diaries, or as @kevwilliamson and I would probably call it, the nostalgia sob-fest.

Even Snooki gets in on the action, tweeting, “LOVING The Carrie Diaries!! My new show”

“The Carrie Diaries” is unquestionably worth watching. It does a good job at presenting genuine friendship between true friends; even if it was a minor part in the pilot, I hope that they evolve into something close to the friendships in “Sex and the City.”

I’m excited to see what the CW does with the show and I can’t wait to experience Carrie’s development as a character.