The third season of ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...

'', an American television romantic

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

, aired in the United States on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

from June 4 to October 15, 2000. Based on the eponymous book written by

Candace Bushnell Candace Bushnell (born December 1, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and television producer. She wrote a column for ''The New York Observer'' (1994–96) that was adapted into the bestselling ''Sex and the City (book), Sex and the City'' ...

, the series was created by

Darren Star Darren Star (born July 25, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of film and television. He is best known for creating the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–2000), ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999), ''Sex and the City' ...

and produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Star, Barry Josen and

Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King (born September 14, 1954) is an American director, writer, and producer. He is best known for directing and writing for ''Sex and the City'' and its film adaptations, and for co-creating the television comedies '' The Comeb ...

served as the series' executive producers. The show follows the relationships and sexual escapades of Carrie Bradshaw, a sex columnist for the fictional ''New York Star'', and her friends Samantha Jones,

Charlotte York Charlotte York (formerly Charlotte York MacDougal, later Charlotte York Goldenblatt) is a fictional character on the HBO-produced television series ''Sex and the City''. She is portrayed by actress Kristin Davis, who received two Screen Actors G ...

and

Miranda Hobbes Miranda Hobbes is a fictional character on the American HBO television series ''Sex and the City'', its subsequent film spinoffs, and HBO Max revival '' And Just Like That...''. She is played by actress Cynthia Nixon. Nixon received an Emmy Aw ...

. Season three saw a more serialized approach to the series. Carrie begins dating Aidan Shaw, a furniture craftsman who stands as a polar opposite to Mr. Big, who struggles in his marriage to Natasha as well as seeing Carrie with someone else. Miranda and Steve move in with each other but find themselves going in different directions in terms of maturity. Charlotte dates and later marries Trey McDougal, who turns out to be impotent. Season three, comprising 18 episodes, aired on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m.

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

. The third season saw a rise in ratings from the previous season, averaging a total of nine million viewers. The show garnered acclaim in its third season, winning the Best Comedy Series awards at the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

s and the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Comedy Series is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest ensemble acting achievements in comedy series. Winners and nominees 1990s 20 ...

Production

The third season of ''Sex and the City'' was created by

and produced by Darren Star Productions and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

, in association with

HBO Original Programming Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. The series is based on the book of the same name, written by

, which contains stories from her column with the ''

New York Observer New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

''. The show features production from Barry Jossen,

, and Star. Season three featured writing credits from Star, King,

Jenny Bicks Jenny Bicks is an American television producer and screenwriter, most notable for her work as a television writer on the HBO series, ''Sex and the City'' and the creator and writer of the ABC series, ''Men in Trees''. Her production company is Pe ...

Cindy Chupack Cindy Chupack is a screenwriter and film director who has won three Golden Globes and two Emmys for her work as a writer/executive producer of HBO's ''Sex and the City'' and writer/co-executive producer of ABC's ''Modern Family''. Early year ...

, Becky Hartman Edwards, and

Allan Heinberg Allan Heinberg (born June 29, 1967) is an American film screenwriter, television writer and producer and comic book writer. Heinberg is the screenwriter of the 2017 film ''Wonder Woman'', directed by Patty Jenkins. His television writing and p ...

. The season was directed by Dan Algrant,

Allison Anders Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include ''Gas Food Lodging'', ''Mi Vida Loca'' and ''Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Televisio ...

John David Coles John David Coles is an American director and producer. Coles was nominated in 2015 for an Emmy and PGA Award for his work as an Executive Producer and Director on the Netflix phenomenon, ''House of Cards (American TV series), House of Cards. '' ...

Allan Coulter Allan Coulter (born 15 December 1959) is a Canadian volleyball player. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de ...

, Dennis Erdman,

Nicole Holofcener Nicole Holofcener (; born March 22, 1960) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. She has directed six feature films, including ''Walking and Talking'', ''Friends with Money'' and ''Enough Said'', as well as various televisio ...

Charles McDougall Charles McDougall is a Great Britain, British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning television director, director. Biography McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of American Broadcasting Company, ABC's ''De ...

Michael Spiller Michael Alan Spiller (born August 1, 1961) is an American cinematographer and television director.Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

played the lead character

Carrie Bradshaw Caroline Marie "Carrie" Bradshaw is a fictional character from the HBO franchise ''Sex and the City'', portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. Candace Bushnell created Carrie as a semi-autobiographical character for her column "Sex and the City" in ...

, a writer of a sex column, "Sex and the City", for a fictional magazine and the narrator of the series.

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe A ...

portrayed Samantha Jones, a sexually confident public relations agent who follows the same relationship rules that men do.

Kristin Davis Kristin Landen Davis (also listed as Kristin Lee Davis; born February 23, 1965) is an American actress and producer. She is known for playing Charlotte York Goldenblatt in the HBO romantic comedy series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004). She ...

played

, an optimistic art museum curator who holds traditional views on relationships.

Cynthia Nixon Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...

portrayed

, an acerbic lawyer with a pessimistic outlook on relationships and a distrust of men. The season featured a number of recurring guest appearances.

Chris Noth Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...

reprises his role as Mr. Big, who is currently married to Natasha Naginsky (

Bridget Moynahan Kathryn Bridget Moynahan (born April 28, 1971) is an American actress and model. Moynahan is best known for her role as Erin Reagan in the police drama '' Blue Bloods''. She graduated from Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts in 1989 and be ...

Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', in the related fi ...

portrayed Carrie's gay best friend and talent manager Stanford Blatch.

David Eigenberg David Eigenberg (born May 17, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Steve Brady on the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' and its revival series '' And Just Like That...'' and as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann on NBC's '' Chicag ...

appears as

Steve Brady ''Sex and the City'' is an American cable television program based on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell. It was originally broadcast on the HBO network from 1998 until 2004. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the sex lives of ...

, a bartender and Miranda's love interest.

John Corbett John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on '' Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003 ...

played Aidan Shaw, a laid-back furniture designer who becomes Carrie's long-term boyfriend.

Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...

of ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

'' fame joined the series portraying Charlotte's boyfriend and later husband Trey MacDougal, a cardiologist from a wealthy family whose marriage to Charlotte is plagued by his impotence and his intruding mother.

Frances Sternhagen Frances Hussey Sternhagen (born January 13, 1930) is an American actress; she has appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.Joy, Car"Frances Sternhagen in Talks to Join Company of Broadway Magnolias" Broadway.com, Nov ...

recurred during the season as Trey's mother Bunny.

Reception

''Sex and the City'' received various awards and nominations during its third season. At the

58th Golden Globe Awards The 58th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2000, were held on January 21, 2001. The nominations were announced on December 21, 2000. Winners and nominees Film The following films received multiple ...

, the series received four nominations, winning two for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, awarded to Sarah Jessica Parker.

and

received their second nominations for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. At the

53rd Primetime Emmy Awards The 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, November 4, 2001, seven weeks later than originally scheduled. The ceremony was rescheduled twice from its original date of September 16 at the Shrine Auditorium because of the September 11, 200 ...

, the show received ten nominations, including a third nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Parker and a second nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Cattrall. The series won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series. At the

7th Screen Actors Guild Awards The 7th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2000, took place on March 11, 2001. The ceremony was held at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California, and was tel ...

, Cattrall and Parker received nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series while the cast won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The show also won Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy at the

6th Golden Satellite Awards The 6th Golden Satellite Awards were given on January 19, 2002, at the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry) – Karl Malden Spec ...

, while receiving nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy at the 17th TCA Awards, the Award for Television: Episodic Comedy at the 53rd WGA Awards for episodes "Attack of the 5' 10" Woman" (written by

) and "Ex and the City" (written by

), and Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series at the 53rd Directors Guild of America Awards for "Cock a Doodle Do!" (directed by

Allen Coulter Allen Coulter is an American television and film director, credited with a number of successful television programs. He has directed two feature films, ''Hollywoodland'', a film regarding the questionable death of George Reeves starring Adrien ...

), among others.

Episodes

Home media

References

{{Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Comedy 2000 American television seasons Sex and the City