Sex and the City was a television staple of the late 90s and early 2000s, but there are still questions about why it ended after season 6. Throughout its impressive run, Sex and the City brought together a wide audience who loved the snarky sex-related drama and romantic elements, making it one of the most popular HBO shows of its time. The show chronicled the many sexual escapades and relationships that the main characters had while living in Manhattan, and the winning formula proved such a hit that it led to multiple movies and a sequel series, And Just Like That.
Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) narrated and lead the cast of Sex and the City, and the show’s modern take on femininity and sexual empowerment was refreshing, garnering a loyal fan base. It became iconic due to the seemingly never-ending New York City drama and the fashion choices, which went on to influence lots of adoring fans of the show. Sex and the City came to an end in 2004 after airing on HBO for six seasons. There is no evidence of the show being canceled. However, some speculate that it was cut short instead of ending naturally.
Why Sex & The City Continued With Movies, Not Another Season
Financial Disputes Brought The Show To An Abrupt Halt
It’s been rumored that the show came to an end because of Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall’s money-related SATC feud. They were wrapped up in gossip columns and publications discussing their friendship; allegedly, they would not talk to each other while on set. According to Kim Cattrall, battles over money played a large part in the show coming to an end. She described that it was time for all the actors on the show to “participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City.”; it seems HBO executives didn’t agree.
There was a third film in the making, but it was canceled due to Warner Brothers not being able to meet Kim Cattrall’s demands.
When Sex and the City ended in 2004, a movie based on the show was already in the works. However, production was put to a halt when Cattrall did not want to be a part of it. In 2008, her demands were met and production started up again; two years later, a sequel was released.
There was a third film in the making, but it was canceled due to Warner Brothers not being able to meet Kim Cattrall’s demands. It was easier to cancel the project than to make the movie without a vital character, but previously, it had been easier to make a movie than to continue with the show.
Sex and the City is one of the most well-known shows to have ever graced television. The reason for its abrupt ending is certainly odd, but with all the follow-ups and spinoffs that have been made throughout the years, it’s clear that the show has not lost its spark.
How The Final Sex And The City Season Was Received
Fans And Critics Had Mixed Reactions
Big is always set up to be the love of Carrie’s life on paper, but he doesn’t feel like it in practice.
Though the final season of Sex and the City had more than twice as many episodes as the fifth season of the series, the consensus is very much that it felt rushed, and that maybe it wasn’t originally slated to end there. The writers wanted to give Carrie a happy ending with Big, but it came up quickly following relationship arcs with characters the audience wasn’t particularly interested in. In fact, one of the relationships is the reason so many reviews of the final season are so mixed.
She Knows points out one of the biggest problems with the final season:
For a show that supposedly tells women that they don’t need a man to complete them or make them happy, why couldn’t the series be complete without all of its women finding men?
While the audience was thrilled to see Samantha find love with Smith because she finally was with someone who treated her like an equal, and someone who understood her, they didn’t understand why someone like Carrie would settle for Big. Big is always set up to be the love of Carrie’s life on paper, but he doesn’t feel like it in practice. Carrie is the kind of character who the audience sees at her best when she’s single, working, and pursuing her own happiness. It would have made sense for her to end the series that way.
Also praised in the final season of Sex and the City is Samantha’s storyline dealing with a cancer diagnosis. The woman who is always stronger than everyone else in the room has to be vulnerable and let her guard down, which she does with Smith, but she also does it in front of an audience. Her speech at a benefit in which she admits to her use of a wig is considered one of the perfect sequences in the final season.
While Samantha’s arc is praised in the final SATC season, Carrie’s arc is usually torn apart by fans of the show.Reddit commenters looking back on the show are mostly in agreement that while Carrie and Big’s final moments are full of “grandiose gestures,” they don’t erase how incompatible the two characters really are. It’s hard for the audience to praise Samantha, hate Carrie’s choices, and then see Miranda and Charlotte fall somewhere in the middle with satisfactory conclusions for the season, but perhaps not as exciting of ones.
Of course, for those who found fault with Sex and the City’s final season, there is still more story for them to enjoy in the sequel series.
And Just Like That Continues The Franchise
Carrie & Co Returned Thanks To The Sex And The City Spinoff
While Sex and the City ended after season 6 and the movies didn’t become a trilogy as intended, the franchise managed to live on when, in 2021, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte returned for the sequel spinoff And Just Like That (although Kim Catrall’s Samantha was notably absent). The second show in the Sex and the City franchise was set 11 years after 2010’s Sex and the City 2 movie, and was a refreshing take on the central characters.
And Just Like That
chronicles how Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and the rest of the remaining characters navigated the ups-and-downs of relationships and friendships while middle-aged.
Rather than being single women in their 30s as they were in Sex and the City, And Just Like That chronicles how Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and the rest of the remaining characters navigated the ups-and-downs of relationships and friendships while middle-aged. Seeing them in their 50s opened up a wealth of new stories to tell and dynamics to explore, and the anticipation was clearly high, as it became Max’s most-watched series debut.
And Just Like That wasn’t without its controversies, however. In addition to the absence of Samantha in the first season, which some fans felt disrupted the chemistry of the cast, decisions like the death of Mr. Big struck a chord with viewers — and not always positively. While this certaintly created conversations, it didn’t impede the success of the spinoff, as evidenced by the fact that And Just Like That season 3 is confirmed and on the way after season 2 arrived in 2023. While Sex and the City ended on season 6, the franchise is still far from dead.