Sex and the City

Sex and the City, American comedy series, filmed over six seasons (1998–2004) by HBO, that followed the exploits of sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw and her three friends in New York City. It became one of the most popular and influential television series of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Two films (2008 and 2010) were also made, and in 2021 a reboot of the series, And Just Like That…, debuted; it aired for three seasons.

Based on Candace Bushnell’s best-selling book of the same name and created by Darren Star (Beverly Hills, 90210 [1990–2000] and Melrose Place [1992–99]), Sex and the City takes a candid and comical look at the lives and loves of four Manhattan career women in their 30s and 40s. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a writer and self-described sexual anthropologist, philosophizes about modern sex life in a newspaper column, drawing from her own experiences and those of her friends, who participate actively in the Manhattan dating scene as they search for the perfect partner. The central characters in the series include the self-sufficient and sexually adventurous Samantha (Kim Cattrall), the cynical and headstrong Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and the idealistic and naive Charlotte (Kristin Davis). The dynamics of their relationships are revealed with wit and playful irreverence as the four friends experience love, loss, and betrayal. Carrie’s tumultuous relationship with the charismatic yet emotionally unavailable Mr. Big (Chris Noth) underpins the story line, forming a defining relationship in the series against which all of Carrie’s other affairs are compared.

In celebrating the bond of friendship and understanding among women, Sex and the City explores how changes in women’s roles in society, both in the workplace and behind closed doors, affect their relationships with men. The characters’ love affair with New York City is another one of the major relationships explored in the series, and the city is, in many ways, the star of the show. Sex and the City was nominated for 55 Emmy Awards, winning 7 of them.

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Feature films based on the series were released in 2008 and 2010. A reboot of the show, And Just Like That…, debuted in 2021, and it featured most of the main actors, though notably missing was Cattrall. The show ended in 2025 after three seasons. In addition, The Carrie Diaries, a television series about Carrie’s high-school years that was based on additional books by Bushnell, aired on the CW network from 2013 to 2014.