The sixth and final season of the American television romantic

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...

'' aired in the United States on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, 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 based a ...

. The show 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 ...

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 Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

portrays the lead character

Carrie Bradshaw Caroline Marie "Carrie" Bradshaw is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO media franchise ''Sex and the City'', portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. In the television series and subsequent films, Carrie is a New York City-based newspa ...

, while

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British, Canadian, and American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...

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 in the HBO romantic comedy series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004). She received no ...

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 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...

played her best friends Samantha Jones,

Charlotte York Charlotte York (later Charlotte York MacDougal and Charlotte York Goldenblatt) is a fictional character in the ''Sex and the City'' media franchise. She is one of the four central characters in the HBO television series ''Sex and the City'', its ...

, and

Miranda Hobbes Miranda Hobbes is a fictional character from the HBO television series ''Sex and the City'', its film adaptations, and the sequel series '' And Just Like That...''. The character is portrayed by Cynthia Nixon, whose performance earned her a Pri ...

. 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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

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 (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

, in association with

HBO Original Programming Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, 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 based a ...

. 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 New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

''. 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 pro ...

, King, Julie Rottenberg, and Elisa Zuritsky. New writers enlisted for the season included Nicole Avril,

Jessica Bendinger Jessica Bendinger (born November 10, 1966) is an American screenwriter and novelist. Education Bendinger graduated from Columbia University in 1988. She is a classmate of screenwriter Andrew W. Marlowe. While at Columbia, Bendinger interned for ...

, 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 Adrien ...

, 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). M ...

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 ...

, Michael Engler, and

David Frankel David Frankel (born April 2, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He directed '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), '' Marley & Me'' (2008), '' Hope Springs'' (2012), '' Jerry & Marge Go Large'' (2022), and the first and fourth episodes of the Netflix mi ...

. 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.

portrays

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

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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, 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'' (1990–1995), 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 Firefighter/Lieutenant/Captain Christopher Herrma ...

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

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 series ''Sex and the City'', in the related films ...

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 particularly known for her role as Magda in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', which sh ...

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

Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, singer, and television host. He is best known for his numerous stage shows. He played Anthony Marentino in '' Sex and the City'' and Terri in '' Men in Trees'' (2006– ...

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 best known for playing Peter Gibbons in ''Office Space'' (1999) and Captain Lewis Nixon III in the miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'' (2001). Liv ...

reprises his role as Jack Berger, a writer and Carrie's love interest.

Sean Palmer Sean Gregory Palmer (born January 23, 1973) is an American stage and screen actor, singer, and dancer. Palmer's most recognizable role on television is that of Stanford Blatch's boyfriend, Marcus, on the HBO series ''Sex and the City''. Career ...

appears as Stanford's boyfriend and client Marcus.

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

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, the relationship between the performer and audience, the limit ...

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, enter ...

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 channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. 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 ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene ...

'' 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 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. 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 to ...

, ''Sex and the City'' received 11 nominations (8 of them for major awards) with Parker winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Nixon winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. 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 ("brush"). Twelve species ...

series ''

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

''. ''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. Costume designer

Patricia Field Patricia Field (born February 12, 1942) is an American costume designer, stylist, and fashion designer working in New York City. Early life Field was born in New York City to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, who emigrated from Plomari, L ...

won the

Costume Designers Guild Award for Best Costume Design – Contemporary TV Series Costume is the distinctive style of clothing, dress and/or cosmetics, makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used ...

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. Cate ...

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 Just Like That...'' and its film adaptations, and for co-creating the tele ...

), "Hop, Skip & a Week" (directed by Michael Engler), and "Boy Interrupted" (directed by

Tim Van Patten Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American television director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and two Directors Guild of America Awards as well as n ...

) - 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 seasons