HBO’s Sex and the City remains one of the most iconic TV shows, even so long after it first aired. Its central focus is the bond between four women: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a fashion-forward sex columnist, and her three best friends, Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), an ambitious lawyer, the sexually liberated PR executive Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), a blue-blooded hopeless romantic. Across its six seasons, the series follows them as they navigate romance, careers, hardships, and adult milestones, all the while being each other’s constants.
At its time, Sex and the City was groundbreaking for the way it revolutionized the way women were portrayed on television, challenging societal expectations. Its main characters were single, empowered women in their 30s (and 40s) who weren’t afraid to talk about sex. Their experiences were relatable to every woman all too familiar with the painstaking process of dating past your 20s. The show may have been highly focused on love and sex, but it also made it clear that it was possible to find fulfillment outside relationships.
This isn’t to say that SATC has aged well with regard to how it handled some topics and its lack of diversity, but the series is widely recognized as a cultural touchstone. It went on to inspire a dozen other similar shows, like Girls, The Bold Type, and Issa Rae’s Insecure. In 2021, the SATC legacy continued with its revival And Just Like That…, which picks up after the franchise’s two movies.
Out of 94 total episodes, these are Sex and the City‘s 10 best, ranked all the way down to the greatest.
10
“The Real Me”
Season 4, Episode 2
“The Real Me” is mostly known for being the episode where Carrie falls flat on her face on a runway and Heidi Klum casually steps over her. The episode follows each woman as they confront their own insecurities in different ways. Carrie walks the aforementioned show, and even after tripping, picks herself up and dusts herself off, ending on a confident, fabulous note. Miranda learns to embrace her sexiness. Samantha celebrated her body with a boudoir photo shoot. As Charlotte becomes more introspective, she dares to take a closer look at herself, examining her vulva in the mirror for the first time.
From “Fashion Roadkill” to Memorable Role Model
The episode reminded women how important it is to never allow their fears, anxieties, and insecurities to get in the way of living life to the fullest. In essence, it was an ode to self-love and self-acceptance. It was a true testament to the fact that it’s not your mistakes, failures, or embarrassments that define you, but how you rise above.
9
“They Shoot Single People, Don’t They?”
Season 2, Episode 4
When Carrie is invited to do a photo shoot for a New York Magazine cover story titled “Single and Fabulous!,” she shows up extremely late and obviously hungover. The magazine winds up printing the photos that were supposed to be test shots, showing a makeup-free Carrie looking haggard while smoking a cigarette. Instead of celebrating her, they shame and humiliate her, changing the issue’s name to “Single and Fabulous?: Eat, Drink, and Never-Be-Married.” The infamous hostile question mark pushes the four friends to question their life choices and wonder if being alone is all it’s cracked up to be.
Never Wait for a Man to Do What You Want
The episode ends with each woman regaining her sense of power and realizing she doesn’t have to settle or meet society’s expectations to be fulfilled. It was one of the first times Sex and the City heavily emphasized that being single isn’t a bad thing. When Carrie ultimately embraced her status by taking herself out to eat alone with “no armor, no books,” she inspired a whole generation of women not to be afraid to do the things they want to do alone.
8
“La Douleur Exquise!”
Season 2, Episode 12
Samantha does PR work for a new S&M-themed restaurant, while Carrie aptly compares her relationship with Big (Chris Noth) to the sadomasochistic cycle of pain and pleasure of BDSM. Miranda discovers a fetish for having sex in public places. Goody two-shoes Charlotte indulges a foot fetishist in exchange for free luxury shoes. The episode ends with Big once again breaking Carrie’s heart by casually informing her that he’s moving to Paris, having never put her or their relationship into consideration.
The Pain of Loving Someone So Emotionally Unavailable
“La Douleur Exquise” is one of the most heartbreaking and relatable episodes of SATC. Every girl who has ever loved felt a splinter in their heart when Carrie pondered, “Did I really love Big, or was I addicted to the pain, the exquisite pain, of wanting someone so unattainable?” It’s an all too familiar ache in the game of love, and Carrie made fans proud when she ultimately chose herself and broke up with Big. Unfortunately, Big would later worm his way back into her life.
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7
“Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda”
Season 4, Episode 11
In “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” Miranda discovers that despite her lazy ovary and Steve (David Eigenberg) only having one remaining testicle, she has gotten pregnant. Uncertain whether she wants to terminate or become a mother, it follows her as she thoroughly considers her choice. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Trey (Kyle MacLachlan) struggle with fertility issues. Carrie opens up about an abortion she had when she was younger, deciding to seek out the man she had a one-night stand with to see what he and his life are like now.
An Important Episode
The experience helped Carrie let go of the shame she still carried regarding her experience and not telling her would-be baby daddy about her abortion. It also renewed her confidence that she had made the right decision. SATC openly spoke about bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and abortion at a time when it was still considered taboo, helping break the stigma. Its exploration into motherhood and struggles with fertility also resonated with a lot of women. All in all, this is one of the most socially crucial episodes of the show.
6
“Hot Child in the City”
Season 3, Episode 15
Charlotte and Trey go to couples therapy and struggle with his erection problems. Miranda, having been diagnosed as a “tongue thruster,” gets braces at 34 and struggles with the inconvenience and insecurity. Meanwhile, Carrie and Samantha’s storylines are the standouts of the episode, with Carrie dating a man-child who still lives at home with his parents, and Samantha butting heads with a spoiled 13-year-old (played by Kat Dennings) who wants PR for her lavish bat mitzvah party.
Girls Just Want to Get Stoned
“Hot Child in the City” gives valuable insight into maturity and youth. Samantha has one of her best storylines, which pulls the layers back a bit on her character. Initially jealous of her client’s wealth, she realizes she was luckier, having experienced a real childhood instead of growing up too fast and too privileged. As for Carrie, she comes to discover that although she might feel like a mess often, her life is more put together than most. The episode is one of the most rewatchable and memorable, ending iconically with Carrie, Samantha, and Miranda getting stoned off the stash Carrie stole from her most recent ex-fling.
5
“Running With Scissors”
Season 3, Episode 11
Carrie was at her worst in Episodes 9, 10, and 11 of Season 3. She had started cheating on Aidan, who was a perfect boyfriend, with Big, a married man who never valued her and only wanted her once he saw her with someone else. Things implode in “Running With Scissors” when Natasha (Bridget Moynahan) comes home early and discovers a half-naked Carrie lingering in her apartment after indulging in a nooner with her husband. It leads to a short chase that ends with Natasha falling down a set of stairs and breaking a tooth.
In Which Carrie Realizes She’s the Problem
It was refreshing to finally see Carrie recognize the consequences of her actions. She may be the main character of the show, but she is no perfect heroine, and it’s not often that she practices self-awareness. The ordeal made her understand how much she had been hurting others and degrading herself. For audiences, it was a proud moment to see her end it with Big (and admit the truth to Aidan in the next episode). Bonus points to this episode for using Samantha’s storyline to shine a light on the importance of getting tested for HIV.
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4
“A Woman’s Right to Shoes”
Season 6, Episode 9
When Carrie attends her friend Kyra’s (Tatum O’Neal) baby welcoming party, she’s asked to remove her shoes before coming in. By the end, someone had taken off with her $485 pair of Manolo Blahnik stilettos. Naturally, Carrie checks in with Kyra to see if they have turned up or if anyone accidentally took them. Kyra offers to pay for them, but then becomes incredulous at the price and shames Carrie for her exorbitant spending. However, she doesn’t stop there, going on to insinuate that compared to someone who’s a mother, Carrie’s life lacks any meaning.
A Feminist Banger
After all the money Carrie shelled out on celebrating Kyra’s heteronormative life decisions over the years — engagement, wedding, baby showers — she’s understandably irked. In the ultimate power move, she leaves Kyra a voicemail announcing that she’s getting married to herself and is registered at Manolo Blahnik, getting her shoes in the end. The episode is beloved among the SATC fandom for its celebration of women who have chosen not to become mothers. While characters like Miranda and Charlotte depict the great joy some find in becoming parents, the show highlights the fact that children aren’t needed for a woman to find fulfillment.
3
“My Motherboard, My Self”
Season 4, Episode 8
A lot goes on in the eventful “My Motherboard, My Self.” Carrie struggles with having Aidan in her space after exchanging keys. When her laptop crashes, erasing all of her work, she reacts angrily and selfishly to Aidan’s (John Corbett) attempts at helping her, calling the hard drive her “whole life,” further underlining the fact that she doesn’t truly factor him into her future. Meanwhile, Charlotte redecorates her penthouse, and Samantha provides comedic relief when she seemingly loses her orgasm. As for Miranda, her loss is much bigger, as her mother dies of a heart attack.
A Heart-Wrenching Episode
This episode is so special for being by far the deepest exploration the show ever does into any of its characters’ family life. Cynthia Nixon is at her best as Miranda, showcasing her abilities as her character struggles simultaneously with grief and the sorrow of not having a partner to hold her through it. When Miranda’s friends show up for her, it’s a warm reminder that she does have the support she needs, waking the audience up to the fact that while they may lack romantic love, there’s still so much love in life. Friendship and family can transcend romance.
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2
“An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux”
Season 6, Episode 20
The two-part series finale follows Carrie as she moves to Paris with the artist Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov). Samantha gets her bearings back after battling breast cancer and finds a way to move forward with Smith (Jason Lewis). Charlotte adopts Lily and finally gets the family she always wanted. After Steve’s mom has a stroke, Miranda agrees to become her caretaker, showing her deep love of Steve and their family.
The Perfect Ending to the Show
In Part Deux, Carrie finds that her life in City of Lights isn’t what she envisioned and that the man she moved there with isn’t the man of her dreams. Staying true to who she is and what she wants, she breaks up with Aleksandr. Unbeknownst to her, the girls have rallied around Big and urged him to “go get our girl.” When he arrives in Paris, the episode goes into cheesy romcom territory, but it’s splendid. Some fans may not agree with Big being the best for Carrie, but their ending made sense for their arcs. The revelation of his real name — John — finally sets the couple on equal footing. The finale ends with Carrie meeting the girls at their diner, indicating that they’ll always be each other’s big loves.
1
“Ex and the City”
Season 2, Episode 18
“Ex and the City” sees all four women come to terms with an ex, but the main focus is on Carrie’s on-again, off-again toxic relationship with Big. This is arguably where her and Big’s storyline should have ended, but alas. After their breakup in the Season 1 finale, they get back together in Season 2, only to break up again shortly after. In the season’s penultimate episode, Carrie is shocked when she runs into him in the Hamptons with the 26-year-old Natasha on his arm. The season finale frustratingly sees her trying to become friendly with Big and leave the past in the past.
A Melancholic, But Powerful Episode
All seems to be going well over Cosmos and Scotch, building up to the insane possibility that the exes could truly be friends, until Big unceremoniously reveals that he’s engaged to Natasha, only months after telling Carrie that he was incapable of factoring a real relationship into his life. Understandably, Carrie explodes in the middle of the restaurant. The next day, she gives Big a bittersweet goodbye outside the Plaza. The catharsis in the scene made it the show’s most iconic. It was also a moment in which Carrie displayed some of her biggest growth. Sadly, Big would be back to drag her down.
