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Sex and the City is an American television romantic sit-com created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of 94 episodes. Throughout its six-year run, the show received contributions from various producers, writers and directors, perhaps most significantly from Michael Patrick King.

Set and filmed in New York City and based on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell, the show follows the lives of a group of four women—three in their mid-thirties and one in her forties—who, throughout their different natures and ever-changing sex lives, remain inseparable and confide in each other. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker (as Carrie Bradshaw), Kim Cattrall (as Samantha Jones), Kristin Davis (as Charlotte York), and Cynthia Nixon (as Miranda Hobbes), the quirky series had multiple continuing storylines that tackled relevant and modern social issues such as sexualitysexually transmitted diseasessafe sexpromiscuity, and femininity while exploring the difference between friendships and romantic relationships.

The series received both acclaim and criticism for its subjects and characters, and spawned two feature films, Sex and the City (2008) and its sequel Sex and the City 2 (2010), and a prequel series by The CWThe Carrie Diaries. It also won seven of its 54 Emmy Award nominations, eight of its 24 Golden Globe Award nominations, and three of its 11 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Sex and the City still airs in syndication worldwide and has been listed on Entertainment Weekly's end-of-the-decade "best of" list and as one of Time magazine's 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME.[1] The show placed #5 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list.[2]

Contents[]

 [hide*1 Origins

Origins[edit][]

The show was based in part on writer Candace Bushnell's book of the same name, compiled from her column with The New York Observer. Bushnell has stated in several interviews that the Carrie Bradshaw in her columns is her alter ego; when she wrote the "Sex and the City" essays, she used her own name initially; for privacy reasons, however, she created the character of Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Carrie Bradshaw was a writer living in New York City. Carrie Bradshaw and Candace Bushnell have the same initials, a flourish emphasizing their connection.[3]

Cast and characters[edit][]

Main article: Sex and the City characters[1]Sarah Jessica Parker plays columnist Carrie Bradshaw Preston[2]Kristin Davis plays art dealer and housewife Charlotte York Goldenblatt===Carrie Bradshaw[edit]===

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the narrator. Each episode is structured around her train of thought while writing her weekly column, "Sex and the City", for the fictitious newspaper the New York Star. A member of the New York glitterati, she is a club/bar/restaurant staple known for her unique fashion sense. Carrie lives in a one-room (studio) apartment in an Upper East Side brownstone. Stanford Blatch, a gay talent agent from an aristocratic family (played by Willie Garson), is Carrie's best friend outside of the other three women.


[3]Kim Cattrall plays PR businesswoman Samantha Jones[4]Cynthia Nixon plays lawyerMiranda Hobbes

Carrie is entangled with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), whose name is eventually revealed to be John James Preston, in a tumultuous, on-and-off-again relationship. He is the reason for many of Carrie's breakdowns as he never seems ready to fully commit to her. He is once-divorced by the time the series opens and is a prominent businessman and an aficionado of jazz and cigars.

When Carrie and "Big" break up, Manhattan furniture designer Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) is Carrie's next serious boyfriend in season three. Aidan is more traditional and patient about relationships than many of Carrie's other love interests.

Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) is a famous artist who becomes Carrie's lover in the final season. Despite their age difference, he sweeps her off her feet with huge romantic gestures and shows her the foreign pockets of New York she has never seen before. However, in the series finale, it is revealed that Carrie ends up with Mr. Big.

Samantha Jones[edit][]

The oldest and most sexually confident of the foursome, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) is an independent businesswoman with a career in public relations. She is confident, strong, and outspoken, and calls herself a "try-sexual" (meaning she'll try anything once).

Samantha has numerous, extremely brief sexual relationships throughout the show, including a lesbian relationship with an artist named Maria (Sônia Braga) and one with hotel magnate Richard Wright (James Remar). In the final season, Samantha seduces young waiter Jerry/Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis), a much younger struggling actor whose career jump starts thanks to Samantha's PR connections. He mentions being a recovering alcoholic who attends AA. He is fiercely loyal to Samantha throughout their relationship.

Charlotte York[edit][]

Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) has had a conventional, privileged Connecticut upbringing and works in an art gallery. She is the most optimistic of the group and the one who places the most emphasis on emotional love as opposed to lust. A true romantic, Charlotte is always searching for her "knight in shining armor". Charlotte was a "straight A" student who attended Smith College, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma (note that there are no sororities at the real Smith College) majoring in art history with a minor in finance. During the series, it is also revealed that Charlotte was voted homecoming queen, prom queen, "most popular", student body president, and track team captain, in addition to being an active cheerleader and teen model.

In season three, she meets Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), an attractive, Scottish-American Park Avenue cardiologist with a pedigree and country house. He is everything she has always believed she should look for in a husband, and they soon marry. However, Trey's family is headed by his mother "Bunny", a manipulative, overbearing sort who complicates his relationship with Charlotte, and unexpected problems arise in their intimate life.

When their marriage ends, she meets Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler), a Jewish divorce lawyer, at the beginning of season five. She is not attracted to him initially, but after she discovers that sex with him is "the best I've ever had", they begin a relationship that eventually leads to marriage.

Miranda Hobbes[edit][]

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is a career-minded lawyer with cynical views on relationships and men. A 1990 Harvard Law School graduate from the Philadelphia area, she is Carrie's confidante and voice of reason. In the early seasons she is somewhat portrayed as distrustful of men, but this image softens over the years, particularly after she becomes pregnant by her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Steve Brady, whom she eventually marries.

Of the four women, Miranda is the first to purchase an apartment (an indicator of her success), which she gives up when she and Steve purchase and move into a Brooklyn townhouse in the final season, to make room for their growing family.

Recurring roles[edit][]

List of notables recurring roles during series
Actor or actress Character Notes Recurring seasons Episodes Episode count
Chris Noth Mr. Big (John James Preston) Carrie's on-again-off-again boyfriend 1–6 1.01–6.20 41
David Eigenberg Steven "Steve" Brady Miranda's husband 2–6 2.08–6.20 41
Willie Garson Stanford Blatch Carrie's gay friend 1–6 1.01–6.18 27
Kyle MacLachlan Trey MacDougal Charlotte's first husband 3–4 3.07–4.18 23
John Corbett Aidan Shaw Carrie's boyfriend 3–4, 6 3.05–4.16, 6.01 22
Evan Handler Harry Goldenblatt Charlotte's lawyer and second husband 5–6 5.06–6.20 18
Jason Lewis Jerry "Smith" Jerrod Samantha's boyfriend 6 6.02–6.20 18
Lynn Cohen Magda Miranda's son's babysitter 3–6 3.03–6.20 13
James Remar Richard Wright Samantha's boyfriend 4–5, 6 4.10–5.03, 6.13 12
Mario Cantone Anthony Marantino Charlotte's stylist and gay friend 4–6 3.11–6.20 12
Frances Sternhagen Bunny MacDougal Trey's mother 3–5 3.09–5.06 10
Mikhail Baryshnikov Aleksandr Petrovsky Carrie's boyfriend, 'The Russian' 6 6.12–6.20 9
Ron Livingston Jack Berger Carrie's boyfriend 5–6 5.05–6.06 8
Sean Palmer Marcus Stanford's boyfriend 5–6 5.04–6.18 8
Bridget Moynahan Natasha Naginsky Mr. Big's second wife 2–3 2.17–3.17 7
Ben Weber Skipper Johnston Miranda's boyfriend 1–2 1.01–2.14 7
Blair Underwood Dr. Robert E. Leeds Miranda's boyfriend 6 6.09–6.14 5
Candice Bergen Enid Mead (later changed to Enid Frick) Carrie's publisher at Vogue magazine 4–6 4.17-6.18 3
Sônia Braga Maria Diega Reyes Samantha's girlfriend 4 4.03–4.05 3

Zachary Corey- Shirtless Male

Episodes[edit][]

Main article: List of Sex and the City episodes

The series spanned six seasons. The first season was twelve episodes; the second, third, and fourth seasons were eighteen episodes each; the fifth season was eight episodes; and the final season was twenty episodes split into two parts of ten episodes each. In total, there were 94 episodes of Sex and the City.

Season Episode # First airdate Last airdate
Season 1 12 June 6, 1998 August 23, 1998
Season 2 18 June 6, 1999 October 3, 1999
Season 3 18 June 4, 2000 October 15, 2000
Season 4 18 June 3, 2001 February 10, 2002
Season 5 8 July 21, 2002 September 8, 2002
Season 6 20 June 22, 2003 February 22, 2004

The season 4 episode titled "Just Say Yes" was the last to feature the iconic New York City skyline with the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in the opening credits.

Series overview[edit][]

Season one (1998)[edit][]

Carrie Bradshaw lives in Manhattan and writes a column called "Sex and the City". At a birthday party for Miranda, Carrie and her friends decide to start having sex "like men", meaning without all the emotional attachment, which sets the tone for the series.

Carrie has many chance encounters with a handsome businessman whom Samantha refers to as "Mr. Big". They begin to date, but Carrie is dismayed to find out he is still seeing other people. Although he eventually agrees to exclusivity, he doesn't introduce Carrie to his mother and won't refer to her as "the one", so rather than going on a planned vacation with him, Carrie breaks it off.

Carrie sets up Miranda with her friend Skipper. Miranda and he date on and off; he is more laid back while Miranda is more forceful. After they break up, Miranda sees him with another woman and feels compelled to resume their relationship, but they again break up when he wants exclusivity and she does not.

Charlotte dates a marriage-minded man but they clash over china patterns. She declines to have anal sex with another boyfriend yet consents to pose nude for a famous painter.

Samantha sleeps with an artist who likes to videotape his encounters, with Charlotte's doorman, with a married couple, and with others. When she meets James, who seems utterly perfect for her, she's heartbroken to discover that he has an extremely small penis.

Season two (1999)[edit][]

Carrie dates a baseball player while on the rebound but breaks it off when she realizes she's not over Big. She then dates a sell-out filmmaker, a shoplifter, and a nice guy she scares away by snooping, and then takes up with Big again. She at first keeps this from her friends. Her and Big's relationship is rocky, and when he announces that he might have to move to Paris for a year but doesn't overtly invite Carrie to come with him, they break up a second time. Carrie then tries without success to convert a friend with benefits to something more, dates a writer with a great family but who is always "early" in bed, and then a recovering alcoholic who uses Carrie to replace his old addiction. She then runs into Big, returned from Paris, and his new 20-something fiancee, Natasha (played by Bridget Moynahan).

Miranda dates a dirty talker, fakes it with an ophthalmologist, and tries to adjust to a guy who likes to watch porn during sex. By the time she meets Steve, the bartender, she's unwilling to believe he is as nice as he seems. They start dating but the differences in their schedules and their finances lead to a breakup. She winds up back in bed with Steve, but not before dating a guy who wants to get caught, a Peeping Tom in the next building, and a divorced dad.

Charlotte encounters a legendary purveyor of cunnilingus, a handy actor next door, a widower on the make, a man who undergoes adult circumcision, a famous actor, a too-effeminate pastry chef, a shoe salesman with a foot fetish, and a 20-something guy who gives her crabs.

Despite a brief attempt at couples therapy, Samantha breaks up with James. She then sleeps with a litigator, a salsa dancer, her personal trainer, a sports fan who can only rally when his team does well, and Charlotte's brother. She then meets a man whose penis is too big even for her.

The end of Season two also marks the end of characters' talking directly to the camera.

Season three (2000)[edit][]

Carrie starts off dating a politician, followed by a bisexual. Big marries Natasha, and Carrie meets Aidan, a furniture maker. They have a virtually flaw-free relationship until Carrie and Big begin an affair. When Natasha catches Carrie in Natasha and Big's apartment, Carrie and Big's affair ends as do eventually both Big's marriage and Carrie's relationship with Aidan.

Miranda and Steve move in together. He tells Miranda he'd like them to have a baby, but a puppy purchase instead alerts Miranda to the fact that they're very different when it comes to maturity. Steve moves out and Miranda makes partner at her law firm. She also goes on to date a phone sex guy, a fake ER doctor, a guy who doesn't swallow his food, and a police detective.

Charlotte, looking for a husband, dates an investment banker with an anger management problem, a photographer who gets her into menswear, a bad kisser, and a climax name caller. She then meets Trey MacDougal; despite an awkward "proposal", the discovery of his low libido and inability to perform sexually the night before their marriage, and conflict with his domineering mother, the two marry. They begin their marriage with a sexless honeymoon, and as sex remains an ongoing problem in their relationship, the two eventually separate.

Samantha sleeps with a fireman, a short man, her assistant, a black guy with a disapproving sister, a recreational Viagra user, a guy who tastes bad, Trey's Scottish cousin, a dildo model, and a college-aged virgin. She also has amenopause scare, gets tested for HIV, and buys a new apartment in the Meatpacking District, where she has to make peace with the transvestites on her street.

After Carrie's break-ups with Big and Aidan, she dates a guy who still lives at home, teaches a class at the Learning Annex on how to meet men, gets mugged, and tries to apologize to Natasha. She and Big also make an attempt at being friends.

Season four (2001–2002)[edit][]

After a chance meeting with Aidan at the opening of a bar he co-owns, Carrie convinces him to restart their relationship. He moves into her apartment after purchasing it when her building goes co-op and then proposes. Despite her misgivings, Carrie accepts the proposal and then eventually realizes she's not ready for marriage. Despite discussing her concerns and initially agreeing to give her more time, Aidan soon pressures Carrie for marriage. She realizes this is because he does not trust her, given her past affair with Big. They break up and he moves out, and Carrie purchases her apartment after Charlotte lends her the down payment in the form of the engagement ring she received from Trey. At the end of Season Four, Carrie discovers that Big has sold his apartment and is moving to Napa, California.

Charlotte and Trey are living apart but continuing to have marital relations; they eventually reconcile and Charlotte moves back into their shared apartment. They decide to try for a baby but realize Charlotte is reproductively challenged; after fertility treatments and discussing adoption, their marriage breaks apart under the strain and they decide to divorce.

Miranda supports Steve through testicular cancer and surgery. Later, when he feels emasculated by the surgery, they have sex and Miranda gets pregnant. She initially considers an abortion, which is particularly distressing to Charlotte, as she deals with her struggles to get pregnant, but Miranda decides to keep the baby.

Samantha flirts with a priest, has nude photos taken of herself, tries to have a relationship with a lesbian, and sleeps with a baby talker, a wrestling coach, and a farmer. She then lands a big PR account with resolutely single hotel magnate Richard Wright. They begin a relationship with that starts out as purely sexual but becomes something more to both of them, and they attempt monogamy. However, she eventually catches him cheating, and they break up.

Season five (2002)[edit][]

Carrie spends time by herself in Season Five; she fears this means she will be fired from writing her sex column, but instead a publisher wants to turn the columns into a book. A book tour lands her in San Francisco, where she reunites briefly with Big. In New York, she meets Jack Berger, a fellow author with whom she feels sparks, but who is attached.

Samantha tries again with Richard but cannot overcome her lack of trust in him, and she breaks it off for good.

Miranda is now mother to son Brady and finds it difficult to work, date, and carry on her previous lifestyle. Steve is supportive, and she falls into bed with him one afternoon, making her question her feelings for him.

Charlotte has a run-in with her former mother-in-law over the legalities of the apartment she shared with Trey, and she hires Harry Goldenblatt as her divorce attorney. Despite his physical shortcomings she finds herself attracted to him, and they begin a sexual relationship. She soon finds that she is developing real feelings for him. Harry, however, reveals that he must marry within his Jewish faith, causing Charlotte to actually consider conversion.

Season six (2003–2004)[edit][]

Carrie begins dating Jack Berger, who is termed her best 'mental match' of all her relationships. However, his struggles as an author and her success with her upcoming book cause too much conflict between them, and they break up. Big returns to New York for angioplasty, and Carrie realizes she still has feelings for him; she also realizes he still cannot fully commit. After he returns to Napa, she meets Aleksandr, a famous Russian artist. Aleksandr seems to be attentive to her in a way that Big never was, and he asks her to come to Paris with him. She does, briefly, but realizes how inattentive he is when working, and she breaks it off with him just as Big arrives in Paris, looking for her, ready to finally commit to her being "the one".

Charlotte decides that life with Harry, who accepts her fertility issues, would be worth converting to Judaism. After this process, she presses Harry to "set the date" in an insulting way and he breaks it off with her. However, they run into each other at a mixer and, after her tearful apology, rekindle their relationship and eventually marry. After fertility treatments fail, they decide to adopt, and eventually learn they have been approved to adopt a child from China.

Once Miranda realizes she's still in love with Steve, he begins a serious relationship with someone else (Debbie), and so she does the same with Robert (played by Blair Underwood). However, at their son Brady's first birthday party, they reveal their feelings for each other and renew their relationship. Miranda proposes to Steve and they marry in a community park. Needing more room for their growing family, she consents to moving to Brooklyn, where they buy a brownstone. After Steve's mother Mary (played by Anne Meara) is revealed to have suffered a stroke and subsequent memory loss, she moves in with the couple.

Samantha begins a relationship with a much younger waiter, Jerry Jerrod, who turns out to be a struggling actor. She uses her PR skills to help his career, even changing his name to Smith Jerrod. Despite trying to keep their relationship as casual as her others, she develops true feelings for him. Smith supports her after she is diagnosed with breast cancer, shaving his own head in sympathy after catching her shaving her head when chemotherapy makes her hair fall out. He also insists on waiting for her when her treatment diminishes her sex drive. When he flies home from his movie shoot just to tell her that he loves her, she replies, "You have meant more to me than any man I've ever known."

The season and the series concludes with the four girlfriends reunited in New York City, and with Carrie receiving a phone call from Big (which finally reveals his first name, John), telling her that his Napa house is up for sale and he is headed back to New York. Carrie's final voiceover states: "The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous."

Reception[edit][]

Sex and the City premiered on HBO, June 6, 1998, and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms of the season.[citation needed] The last original episode aired on February 22, 2004.

Awards and recognition[edit][]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Sex and the City

Over the course of its six seasons, Sex and the City was nominated for over 50 Emmy Awards, and won seven: two for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (Jennifer McNamara), one for Costumes, one for Outstanding Comedy Series, one for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Sarah Jessica Parker), and one for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Cynthia Nixon).

The show has also been nominated for 24 Golden Globe Awards, and won seven. In 2007, it was listed as one of TIME magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME".[1] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "The clothes from SATC raise your cosmos! A toast to the wonderful wardrobe from Sex and the City, which taught us that no flower is too big, no skirt too short, and no shoe too expensive."[4]

Criticism[edit][]

Criticism has been expressed about the influence the show has on adolescents and how the images displayed on the show affect the way women and young girls view themselves.[5] Sex and the City, along with the sitcom Friends, were specifically recognized for "glamori[zing] sex while hardly mentioning its downsides, such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases" by a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Paediatrics. The study found that females 12–17 who watched these, and similarly "sexually charged" shows, were about twice as likely to get pregnant as those who did not, and teenage male viewers were more likely to impregnate someone. A Daily Mail article noted that similar studies have also found an association between viewing sexual content and earlier sex and higher disease risk.[6]

Tanya Gold of The Daily Telegraph stated, "Sex and the City is to feminism what sugar is to dental care. The first clue is in the opening credits of the television show. Carrie is standing in a New York street in a ballet skirt, the sort that toddlers wear. She is dressed, unmistakably, as a child. And, because she is sex columnist on a newspaper, a bus wearing a huge photo of her in a tiny dress trundles past. 'Carrie Bradshaw knows good sex,' says the bus. And there, before any dialogue hits your ears, you have the two woeful female archetypes that Sex and the City loves—woman as sex object and woman as child ... In another [episode], Carrie realizes she is homeless because she has spent $40,000 on shoes and does not have a deposit for an apartment. (In this crisis, she cries and borrows the money for the deposit—what child would do anything else?)."[7]

Joan Swirsky, a New York–based journalist and author, wrote in 2003: "Another example that feminism is dead is the popularity of Sex and the City, the HBO show that features 30- and 40-something women sending out the unmistakable messages to females both younger and older that careers, money, looks and, ostensibly, intelligence are nothing compared to doing anything to get a man, including endlessly obsessing about the subject, engaging in loveless or even like-less sexual encounters."[8]

Broadcast and distribution[edit][]

Season one of Sex and the City aired on HBO from June to August 1998. Season two was broadcast from June until October,1999. Season three aired from June until October 2000. Season four was broadcast in two parts: from June until August 2001, and then in January and February 2002. Season five, truncated due to Parker's pregnancy, aired on HBO during the summer of 2002. The twenty episodes of the final season, season six, aired in two parts: from June until September 2003 and during January and February 2004.

Sex and the City is currently syndicated in the US by HBO corporate sibling (under Time WarnerWarner Bros. Television DistributionCBS Television Studios (successors to Rysher Entertainment and Paramount Domestic Television) and their distribution arm own international rights.

The United States cable channel HBO was the original broadcaster. TBS and WGN began showing edited reruns of the series. The series then went into international syndication.

In Australia, the Nine Network aired the first run of the show Every Monday Between 9:30 pm and 11:00 pm. After 2004 the Cable Channel W aired it until summer 2008 when Arena started airing it in a block with Will & Grace with promos stating "all the good guys are gay". The series was repeated on Network Ten from 2005 until 2010, and on Eleven from February 2011.

In the Republic of IrelandTV3 premiered Sex and the City in February in 1999. Since 2006, repeats of the series aired on 3e.

Channel 4 originally aired the series in the UK with the first episode shown in early 1999. As of August 2009 a double bill of the show airs each weeknight at 10:30 pm on Comedy Central and a double bill airs on Wednesdays from 9 pm on 5*.

Country TV network(s) Date of premiere
Albania Klan TV 2010–
Argentina Canal 9 2009–
Armenia ATV 2011–
Austria ORF 1
Australia Nine Network

Network Ten Eleven FOX8 W Arena 111 Hits

September 6, 1999 – June 2004

2005–2010 February 4, 2011 – 2000–2004 2005–2007 January 2008 – March 2011, November 2011 - March 7, 2011 – November 2011

Belgium VIJFtv
Brazil Rede 21

Fox Life Multishow HBO TBS

2004–2006

2006– 2002– 1999–2005 2012

[5]

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Federalna TV

NTV Hayat

2002–

2010–2012

Bulgaria Nova Television

Fox Life HBO Comedy

2002–2006

2009– 2010–

Canada Cosmopolitan TV 1999–2004 (first-run) 2004– (reruns)
[6]

Croatia

Nova TV

Doma TV

2010

2011

Cyprus Sigma 2006–
Czech Republic HBO

ČT1 Prima Love

1998–2004

1999–2004 2008–2010 2011–2013

Denmark TV3
Estonia TV6
Spain Cosmopolitan June 1, 1999 – November 23, 2004
Finland Nelonen

MTV3 Sub

France Téva

M6

August 28, 1999 – 2004

October 18, 2000 – 2005

Georgia Rustavi 2 2000–2004

2010–

Germany ProSieben

Comedy Central sixx

2001–2006

2009–2010 2010–

Greece Alter

Alpha TV Makedonia TV

2002–2008

2009 2012–

Hungary HBO Hungary

Viasat 3 HBO Comedy

2003–2007

2006– 2010–

India /  Pakistan /    Nepal /  Sri Lanka /  Bangladesh Zee Next

3e MTV India CBS Love

February 1999 – 2004

2006– 2009–

Israel Channel 2 (Reshet)

HOT V.O.D.

1999–

2007–

Italy TMC

La Sette Fox Life

2000–2006

2006– 2010–

Latvia TV3 Latvia

TV3+ Latvia SET

Lithuania TV3 Lithuania

Lietuvos rytas TV

2000–
Mexico Azteca 7
Poland TVP2

TVN TVN 7 Comedy Central HBO Wizja Jeden TVN Style

1998–2004

2008–2009 2009–2010 2008–2009 1998–2004 1999–2001 2010–2011

Portugal Fox Life 2013–
Norway TV3 (reruns on other Viasat channels)
Macedonia MRT

Alfa TV Telma

2003–2004

2005, 2010 2012

Romania HBO Romania

Pro TV Acasă TV Prima TV HBO Comedy

1998–2004

1999–2000 (moved to sister channel, Acasă TV) 2000–2006 2007 (only the first seasons) 2009–

Russia НТВ

MTV Russia

~2000–2004

March 8, 2010–

South Africa SABC 3 1999–2006
Serbia B92

Fox Televizija HBO Comedy Prva FOX Life Serbia

2002–2004, 2009, 2011

2010 2009–2010 2010 2011–

Slovenia POP TV

TV Pika

2002–2008, 2009–
Slovakia Jednotka

TV MarkizaTV Doma

2001–2004, 2010, 2012
Sweden TV3 1999–2004, 2009
Spain Cosmopolitan TV 1998–
South Korea OnStyle 2008–
The Middle East Showtime Arabia Showseries
Turkey Cine5

ComedyMax MyMax

2000–2004

2006–2008 2008–

Ukraine 1+1

TET

~2000–2004

2009–

United Kingdom Channel 4

Comedy Central E4 5*

1999–2004

2004– 2004–2006, 2008–2009 2008–

United States HBO

TBS E! Style

June 6, 1998 – February 22, 2004

2004–2010 2010–

DVD releases[edit][]

All six seasons of Sex and the City have been released commercially on DVD, with season six being split into two parts. They have been released officially in region 1 (Americas), region 2 (Europe & Middle East), region 3 (Korea), and region 4 (Oceania & South Pacific) formats. In addition to their region encoding, releases vary depending on the region in which they were released.

In addition to standard single-season DVD box sets of the show, limited edition collectors' editions have been released that include all six seasons in one complete set. These also vary among regions (and the regions are defined differently). While Europe got a complete set that came with special "shoebox" packaging (a reference to Carrie Bradshaw's love for shoes), the USA and Canada version came packaged in a more traditional fold-out suede case and with an additional bonus DVD that includes many special features. Mexico and Oceania's edition come packaged in a beauty case.

As well as missing out on some special features, many in Europe had trouble with the region 2 edition of the season 1 DVD. The season was not converted into a PAL video signal; it instead remained in its original American NTSCformat, which caused compatibility problems with some European television sets and DVD players. All subsequent Region 2 DVD releases of the program were appropriately transferred to PAL video using the original film prints, and season 1 has since been re-released in PAL format.

Outside the US, Sex and the City boxed sets were released through Paramount Pictures. American and Canadian DVDs were released through the program's original broadcasters, HBO. In Australia, single editions have been released, wherein each disc is sold separately. In South Korea, complete, six-season, special DVD shoebox sets were released. In Brazil, the first and fifth seasons were released on DVD Dual, but all other seasons were released in DVD box sets.

Season DVD Release date Special Features # of Discs
Season 1 The Complete First Season May 23, 2000
  • Inside "Sex and the City"
  • Cast & Filmmakers
  • Awards and nominations
  • "Research" TV Promo
  • DVD-ROM Features
2
Season 2 The Complete Second Season May 22, 2001
  • Cast & Filmmakers
  • Awards & Nominations
  • TV Spots — Seasons 1 & 2
3
Season 3 The Complete Third Season May 21, 2002
  • Audio Commentary
  • Biographies
  • Episodic Previews
  • Episodic Recaps
  • Scene Access
3
Season 4 The Complete Fourth Season May 20, 2003
  • Audio Commentaries
3
Season 5 The Complete Fifth Season December 30, 2003
  • Audio Commentaries
2
Season 6 The Complete Sixth Season May 18, 2004 (part 1)

December 28, 2004 (part 2)

  • Audio Commentaries
  • Museum of TV and Radio Seminar
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Three Alternate Series Finale Endings
  • Two HBO Farewell Tributes
  • USCAF Writers' Panel Discussion
5 (Total)
Seasons 1–6 The Complete Series December 28, 2004
  • Same Bonus Features as the Individual Season Sets
  • 1-Disc with Exclusive Bonus
    • I Heart Sex and the City
    • Sex Essentials
    • About the Shoes
    • The Ties That Bind
    • The Men of Sex and the City
    • Awkward Moments
    • Location, Location, Location
    • Go!
    • Fun and Games
    • Lights, Camera, Relationship
    • You Can Quote Me on It
    • Naughty or Nice?
    • All That Glitters
    • En-Sex-Lopedia
    • Full Exposure
    • Behind-the-Scenes
    • Snapshots
    • The Look
    • Sex Extras
    • The Guest List
    • Secrets of the Universe
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Selected episodes are also available as part of the Sex and the City Essentials DVD collection. These are four separately-packaged discs containing three selected episodes that fit a common theme.


  • The Best of Lust: Contains the episodes "The Fuck Buddy", "Running with Scissors", and "The Turtle and the Hare".
  • The Best of Mr. Big: Contains the episodes "Sex and the City", "Ex and the City", and "I Heart NY".
  • The Best of Romance: Contains the episodes "Baby, Talk is Cheap", "Hop, Skip and a Week", and "An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux)".
  • The Best of Breakups: Contains the episodes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", "I Love a Charade", and "The Post-it Always Sticks Twice".
  • The Best of Fashion: Contains the episodes "Secret Sex", "The Real Me", and "Luck Be an Old Lady". This DVD was only released to Target stores in the US and was the only DVD of the "Essentials" collection to have a colored cover instead of a black and white one like the other four.

Soundtrack releases[edit][]

Several CDs have been released to accompany the Sex and the City series. Two of them (the albums from Irma Records) contain tracks used in the show's actual soundtrack.


2000/2001/2002
Sire Records
Includes the main theme from the show, written by Douglas J. Cuomo.
  • Sex and the City – Official Soundtrack (Two disc set)
March 1, 2004
Sony TV
36 hits, including the songs of Kylie MinogueJustin TimberlakeBeyoncéCyndi LauperJamiroquai, and Aretha Franklin, among others.

Films[edit][]

Sex and the City (2008)[edit][]

Main article: Sex and the City (film)

A feature film based on Sex and the City, written, produced and directed by Michael Patrick King, was released in 2008. The four lead actresses returned to reprise their roles, as did Chris Noth, Evan Handler, David Eigenberg, Jason Lewis, and Willie Garson. In addition, Jennifer Hudson appears in the film as Carrie's assistant. The film is set four years after the series finale.[9] The film was released to mixed reviews by critics; at the box office, it was the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the year.[10][11]

Sex and the City 2 (2010)[edit][]

Main article: Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City 2 was released in May 2010. The film starsSarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Chris Noth, who reprised their roles again, as well as Evan HandlerDavid EigenbergJason Lewis, andWillie Garson. It also features cameos from Liza MinnelliMiley Cyrus, and Penélope Cruz. The film is set two years after the events of the first movie. It was critically panned but a commercial success at the box office.[citation needed]

Prequel series[edit][]

The Carrie Diaries is a prequel to the original series, based on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell.[12] The series premiered on The CW on January 14, 2013. AnnaSophia Robb plays the role of young Carrie Bradshaw.

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