Summary

• Sex and the City revolutionized TV with compelling characters in awkward situations, essential to its success in capturing cultural interest.
• The show filled a niche by celebrating single women in their 30s, but faced criticism for lack of diversity and outdated femininity standards.
• While flaws exist, the core group dynamic of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha was essential to the heart and soul of the show.

Sex and the City was a revolutionary show, and it wouldn't have been as successful at capturing cultural interest if the main characters weren't compelling, but not all the women are fan favorites. Like any good television show, Sex and the City thrives on conflict, confusion, and putting its characters into awkward and impossible situations. Each of the actresses who played the main characters, Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha, were troopers who were willing to look fabulous and ridiculous in equal measure, depending on what the episode called for.

Sex and the City filled a niche in entertainment that audiences didn't know they needed until the series became an essential piece of popular culture.

The series premiered in 1998 on HBO, and the frank sexuality and celebration of single women in their 30s was still a subject that didn't get a lot of media attention. As one of the best HBO original shows of all time, Sex and the City filled a niche in entertainment that audiences didn't know they needed until the series became an essential piece of popular culture. The series wasn't without its problems and has garnered heavy criticism for its lack of diversity, depictions of LGBTQ+ characters, and the outdated and unrealistic standards of femininity that it perpetuates.

However, this criticism comes from a place of reflection and understanding and doesn't detract from the other valuable parts of the show. Themes of found family, friendship, and learning to accept and elevate platonic love are central in the show. The recent spinoff series, And Just Like That…, attempts to solve some of the problems with the original show, but the revival fails because it lacks the essential group dynamic. For all their faults and shortcomings, the four women were the heart and soul of the show, and the series couldn't have functioned if any of them were missing.

4 Carrie Bradshaw

Played by Sarah Jessica Parker

Carrie Bradshaw is in the difficult position of being the protagonist of the show, so it's easiest to be critical of her simply due to the volume of plotlines that revolve around her misadventures. However, the love-hate relationship many viewers find themselves in with Carrie throughout Sex and the City is part of the show's charm. If anything, watching Carrie make the same senseless and selfish choices over and over again just makes audiences want to keep coming back for more. However, it’s hard not to agree with the other ladies when they tell Carrie to snap out of it.

From breaking things off with Aidan (John Corbett) one too many times to letting Big (Chris Noth) treat her like trash, the frustration felt at Carrie's actions comes close to eclipsing her charm. It's impossible to talk about Carrie without discussing her central relationships. Carrie and Mr. Big's relationship timeline encomes the entire run of Sex and the City, and though their will-they-won't-they dynamic was compelling at first, it's hard not to villanize both of them. When Carrie cheats on Aidan with Big, it's one of the most defining and unforgivable parts of Carrie's character.

This is Carrie's biggest downfall. She doesn't show up for her friends the way they do for her.

However, Carrie was much more than her romantic relationships; all the women were. Although the show centered on the exploits of their love lives, the all-important dynamic of their friend group was what the show thrived on. This is Carrie's biggest downfall. She doesn't show up for her friends the way they do for her. While all the women are hung up on their romantic relationships, Carrie is consumed by hers. She even goes so far as to use her friends as her own personal therapists instead of reciprocating their emotional .

3 Charlotte York

Played by Kristin Davis

Charlotte and Miranda can easily switch places based on the episode. They occupy the firm middle ground between the worst and the best of the main characters, oscillating between the high or low of whatever episode they're in. Money is one of the most taboo subjects in Sex and the City, and though Carrie faces some financial struggles, each of the women seems to have a neverending supply of it. This awkwardness surrounding finances is more a fault with the structure of the show than the characters, but Charlotte suffers the most from a strange and uncomfortable attitude about money.

It symbolizes the strict and traditional characteristics that make Charlotte difficult to relate to on Sex and the City. Charlotte juxtaposes the modern sensibilities of the other women and represents audience who want a conventional nuclear family. There's nothing wrong with this desire, but she frequently sets aside her wants and needs for the sake of the man she's in a relationship with, especially during her first marriage. She grows throughout the series and sees the flaws in her worldview, but for many seasons, she avoids complicated subjects so much that it puts her immaturity on full display.

Though Charlotte is more understanding than she is given credit for, when she doesn't understand or agree with what's being said or done by her friends, she can be nonconfrontational to a fault, a characteristic that hurts the other women.

When Charlotte meets Harry (Evan Handler), her character improves immensely. It's in these later episodes she sures Miranda in some ways. However, even though Harry is the best boyfriend on Sex and the City, and how Charlotte changes to be with Harry are compromises rather than sacrifices, she still puts much of herself and her life on hold for him. Though Charlotte is more understanding than she is given credit for, when she doesn't understand or agree with what's being said or done by her friends, she can be nonconfrontational to a fault, a characteristic that hurts the other women.

2 Miranda Hobbes

Played by Cynthia Nixon

Miranda pretends she isn't as enthralled by men and is determined to care more about her career and personal success. However, this is often a form of denial rather than an actual representation of her true feelings.

Miranda's worst quality is her judgmental attitude. Sometimes, her anger and frustration at the other women are justified, and it's a relief to have a character in the story say what the audience is thinking. Miranda pretends she isn't as enthralled by men and is determined to care more about her career and personal success. However, this is often a form of denial rather than an actual representation of her true feelings. In her attempt not to need anyone, she pushes away the people she loves, namely Steve (David Eigenberg). Fortunately, she learns to open her heart later on.

Miranda's character development in And Just Like That… has sparked many interesting conversations. However, when she's viewed through her role in Sex and the City, the issues with the characterizations in And Just Like That… come through. In Sex and the City, Miranda stands out because of her complicated but realistic friendship with Carrie. They are the closest in the series, and because Miranda has difficulty opening up to people in general, the love and trust she shows for her friends is almost more meaningful because of the strength it takes for her to let people in.

One of Miranda's worst moments is her outburst when Carrie gets lunch with Big in season 3. It's one of Carrie and Miranda's biggest fights on Sex and the City. Though she says some borderline unforgivable things, her anger comes from a place of love because she doesn't want Carrie to get hurt again. Though that isn't an excuse for her actions, it's the other side of Miranda's best quality: her loyalty to her friends. Her harsh reactions come from the fact that she would never lie or keep things from her friends and wants them to reciprocate that vulnerability.

1 Samantha Jones

Played by Kim Cattrall

Consistently, the other women shame Samantha for her choices, sexual liberation, and lifestyle, even though Samantha would never dream of judging them.

Few characters are as iconic and have influenced pop culture as much as Samantha Jones. The fact that Kim Cattrall is missing for And Just Like That... is a significant reason why the spinoff has failed to capture the magic and vibrance of Sex and the City. Many of Samantha's moments prove she was Sex and the City's best character, and many of those come down to the fact that she was the best friend on the show. Consistently, the other women shame Samantha for her choices, sexual liberation, and lifestyle, even though Samantha would never dream of judging them.

Although she shows up for them and readily forgives them despite their jabs, the ladies rarely extend the same courtesy. It's easy to forget that Samantha is a few years older and that her outlook on life comes from experience in the world and the refusal to compromise on what she wants and will make her comfortable. While Samantha is often in the most sexually risky situations, it's never one that she doesn't want to be in. If anything, Samantha's relationship with her body and physical intimacy are aspirational because she accepts herself for who she is and enjoys it.

Sometimes, Samantha's character is underdeveloped, but that's the case with most of the characters besides Carrie. However, Samantha's part is the best-written and the most consistent in Sex and the City. She goes through character growth and development throughout, changing and becoming more evolved, but she never goes back on the core tenets of her personality. She learns to accept love and embrace emotional intimacy but refuses to compromise her life and wants for a man. The other women might look down on Samantha, but they have much to learn from her.