The sixth and final season of the American television romantic comedy-drama ''

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

'' aired in the United States on HBO. The show was created by Darren Star while Star, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, series lead actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Chupack, and Jenny Bicks served as executive producers. The series was produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Sarah Jessica Parker portrays 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 ...

, while

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 Awa ...

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). Sh ...

and

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 ...

played her best friends Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, 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 ...

. The final season marks dramatic changes in the ladies' lives. While Carrie's book career is on the rise, she dates Jack Berger, a struggling writer, and Alexandr Petrovsky, a renowned Russian artist. Samantha starts a long-term relationship with a struggling actor, who becomes her client, while battling breast cancer. Miranda dates a doctor living in her building before reuniting with Steve, who she later marries. Charlotte converts to Judaism, marries Harry Goldenblatt, and tries to get pregnant through fertility treatments. While critical reception for season six was mixed to negative, ''Sex and the City'' won and was nominated for many awards during the season. All four actresses received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, with Parker and Nixon both winning Emmy awards. The series also reached viewership highs, with the finale reaching ten million viewers in the United States and nearly five million viewers in the United Kingdom.

Production

The sixth season of ''Sex and the City'' was 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 Candice Bushnell, which contains stories from her column with the '' New York Observer''. The show featured production from Antonia Ellis, Jane Raab and series star Sarah Jessica Parker, also an executive producer alongside Michael Patrick King, John Melfi, Cindy Chupack, and Jenny Bicks. Episodic writers return for the fourth season included Bicks, Chupack,

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 ...

, King, Julie Rottenberg, and Elisa Zuritsky. New writers enlisted for the season included Nicole Avril, Jessica Bendinger, and Amy B. Harris. The season was directed by returning directors

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 Adrie ...

, King,

Charles McDougall Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director. Biography McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's ''Desperate Housewives'' (which includes the unaired pilot as well) ...

Michael Spiller Michael Alan Spiller (born August 1, 1961) is an American cinematographer and television director.Alan Taylor. Directors new to the series included

Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...

Michael Engler Michael Engler is an American theater director, and a Directors Guild of America and Emmy nominated television director and producer. Theater His Broadway credits include '' Eastern Standard'', starring Dylan Baker, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Con ...

, and

David Frankel David Frankel (born April 2, 1959) is an American filmmaker. Most known as the director of 2006 film, '' The Devil Wears Prada'', he is an executive producer and the director of the first and fourth episodes of the Netflix miniseries ''Inventing ...

. Confirmed as the last season of the series, ''Sex and the City''s sixth season aired twelve episodes during the summer of 2003 and eight episodes from January to February 2004. The season was filmed from May 2003 to January 2004.

Cast and characters

Like the previous seasons, season six features the same principal cast and characters. Sarah Jessica Parker portrays

, a fashionable middle aged woman who writes about sex and life in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in her column, "Sex and the City", with the fictional ''New York Star''.

played the promiscuous public relations agent Samantha Jones.

portrayed

Charlotte York Goldenblatt 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 ...

, an optimistic, straight laced former art curator who remains the most traditional amongst her friends in terms of relationships and public decorum.

acted as the acerbic and sarcastic lawyer

, who holds a pessimistic view on relationships and men. The sixth season featured a number of recurring and guest actors whose characters contributed significantly to the series plotlines.

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 ...

reprised his role as Mr. Big, a sly businessman who at this point remains friends with Carrie despite their previous romantic relationships.

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 '' Chic ...

portrayed Miranda's on-off boyfriend, bar owner and father of her child

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 ...

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 ...

appeared as entertainment manager and Carrie's gay friend Stanford Blatch.

Evan Handler Evan Handler (born January 10, 1961) is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce attorney and later husband of Charlotte York on ''Sex and the City'' (2002–2004) and its revival series ''And Just Like That…' ...

plays Charlotte's Jewish boyfriend and subsequent husband Harry Goldenblatt.

Lynn Cohen Lynn Harriette Cohen (née Kay; August 10, 1933 – February 14, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles in film, television and theater. She was especially known for her role as Magda in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', which she ...

reprises her role as Magda, Miranda's foreign housekeeper.

Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and singer with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including ''Chappelle's Show''. He also played Anthony Marentino in ''Sex and the City'' and Terri in ''Men In T ...

recurs in the season as Charlotte's gay friend and former wedding planner Anthony Marantino. Jason Lewis joins the series, portraying Smith Jerrod, a burgeoning actor and Samantha's client and boyfriend.

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series '' L.A. Law''. Underwood has ...

acts as Dr. Robert Leeds, Miranda's neighbor and subsequent boyfriend.

Ron Livingston Ronald Joseph Livingston (born June 5, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for playing Peter Gibbons in the 1999 film ''Office Space'' and Captain Lewis Nixon III in the 2001 miniseries '' Band of Brothers.'' Livingston's other roles include ...

reprises his role as Jack Berger, a writer and Carrie's love interest. Sean Palmer appears as Stanford's boyfriend and client Marcus. Mikhail Baryshnikov appeared in the last episodes as Alexandr Petrovsky, a famed Russian artist with whom Carrie becomes romantically involved. Serbian

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

ist

Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audi ...

was asked to play herself and perform her piece ''The House with the Ocean View'' in an episode, which she refused. She was eventually portrayed by Beth Lapides.

Reception

Viewership and ratings

Season six of ''Sex and the City'' debuted on June 22, 2003 with the episode "To Market, to Market". Garnering a 4.9 Nielsen rating, the episode was seen in over 5.18 million households. "To Market, to Market" attracted 7.30 million viewers, and marked a slight decrease from the fifth-season premiere. Airing on a

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

summer-winter schedule, the first twelve episodes were broadcast in the summer. The majority of the episodes maintained a viewership above six million viewers, with only two episodes falling below the threshold. The summer season finale, "One", was viewed by 7.65 million people and registered a 5.0 Nielsen rating, eclipsing the 4.9 rating of the season premiere and becoming the highest rated episode of the series. The finale eight episodes were broadcast between January 4 and February 22, 2004. The winter premiere "Let There Be Light" attracted 6.36 million viewers, registering the lowest rated premiere since the season four premiere episode "The Agony and the 'Ex'-tacy". The series finale "An American Girl In Paris" (Part Deux) was viewed by 10.62 million viewers, achieving the highest viewership of the series, as well as achieving the highest household rating with a 6.5. In the United Kingdom, season six episodes consistently ranked among the top ten viewed programs on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. The series finale achieved a viewership of 4.71 million, the highest the series has received and ranked number two for the week it aired.

Critical reviews

Phil Gallo of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote a negative review for season six. Gallo noted that the characters have turned "one-dimensional and single-minded" and that the overall quality has declined, deeming the series a "dull rehash of a casual sex maniac searching for prey, an annoying frustrated single mother and a perky divorcee trying to understand Judaism." Tom Shales of '' Eugene Register-Guard'' gave the episode "Let There Be Light" a mixed review, calling it a "slapdashy, mishmoshy affair in which some of the humor feels forced, as well as being inconsistent with the witty-wacky tone of the show." Shales was more positive with the next episode "The Ick Factor", which he stated was "full of snap and fizz and one certifiable shock."

Awards and nominations

As a result of the split season, ''Sex and the City'' received Golden Globe award nominations for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Sarah Jessica Parker in 2004 and 2005. At the

61st Golden Globe Awards The 61st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2003, were held on January 25, 2004 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The nominations were announced on December 18, 2003. '' The Lord of the Rin ...

, Parker won the award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy while Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon were all nominated for the award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. The series also received nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2004 and 2005 for the season, winning at the

10th Screen Actors Guild Awards The 10th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2003, were presented at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California on February 22, 2004. The nominees were announce ...

. Parker received another nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the

11th Screen Actors Guild Awards The 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2004, took place on February 5, 2005. The ceremony, for the 9th consecutive time was held at the Shrine Exposition Center in Lo ...

. At the 3rd PGA Golden Laurel Awards, Michael Patrick King, Cindy Chupack, John P. Melfi, Parker, Jenny Bicks and Jane Raab won the award for Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic - Comedy for their production work on the series. At the

56th Primetime Emmy Awards The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Garry Shandling and was broadcast on ABC. The HBO miniseries ''Angels in America'' had the most successful night. It became the first program ...

, ''Sex and the City'' received eleven nominations (eight of them for major awards) and won awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, awarded to Parker for her portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, awarded to Nixon for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes. The series was also nominated for the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for the sixth time, but lost to the freshman

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

series ''

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

''. ''Sex and the City'' was also nominated for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Costumes for a Series, both for the fifth time. Cattrall and Davis were both nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for their respective portrays of Samantha Jones and Charlotte York Goldenblatt, being Cattrall's fifth nomination and Davis's first. The series finale "An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux)" received nominations for four awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netw ...

. Costume designer Patricia Field won the Costume Designers Guild Award for Best Costume Design – Contemporary TV Series at the 7th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. At the 2003

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

s, three episodes from season four - "Great Sexpectations" (directed by

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 ...

), "Hop, Skip & a Week" (directed by

), and "Boy Interrupted" (directed by

Tim Van Patten Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of ''Perry Mason'', '' Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', '' Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacifi ...

) - were nominated for the award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series. Van Patten won the award in 2003 for "Boy Interrupted" and in 2004 for the episode "An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux".

Episodes

Ratings

United States

United Kingdom

All viewing figures and ranks are sourced from

BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...

Home release

References

{{ScreenActorsGuildAwards EnsembleTVComedy 2000–2009 2003 American television seasons 2004 American television seasons Split television seasons Sex and the City