HBO’s romantic sex comedy Sex and the City was an all-round success, from its premise, cast, and characters. The series helped redefine television by having an all-female lead cast. Premiering on June 6, 1998, Sex and the City aired for 6 seasons until its finale on February 22, 2004. The show went on to birth two successful spin-off series, The Carrie Diaries and And Just Like That….
Besides receiving over 50 Primetime Emmy Awards and winning seven, Sex and the City enjoyed exceptional ratings from critics and audiences. Even after the series’ conclusion in 2004, clamors for a return produced two feature films, Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010). While audiences await the release of And Just Like That… season 3, here’s a look at the original Sex and the City cast that started the decades-long successful franchise and what they have been up to in recent years.
Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw
Sarah Jessica Parker joined Sex and the City cast as its main protagonist and narrator, Carrie Bradshaw. Parker’s character is the show’s central focus, with each episode following her personal life, friendship, and career. She’s a writer for the New York Star, writing their weekly column, “Sex and the City.” Carrie Bradshaw was also introduced as having a tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship with Mr. Big. Besides acting in the series, Sarah Jessica Parker became a producer in 2000 and later a co-executive and executive producer.
With the new spin-off series And Just Like That… premiering in 2021, Sarah Jessica Parker stars in the series, reprising her role as Carrie Bradshaw. Parker had also previously played Frances Dufresne on HBO’s comedy-drama Divorce (2016-2019). Sarah Jessica Parker has also continued working in theater – on Broadway and in Off-Broadway productions. On the big screen, Parker reprised her role as Sarah Sanderson from the 1993 Hocus Pocus in its 2022 sequel, Hocus Pocus 2.
Kristin Davis as Charlotte York
Of the four main female characters in Sex and the City, Charlotte York is the least sexually experienced and innocent. Portrayed by actress Kristin Davis, Charlotte is more traditional and believes in romance and the “happy ever after” life. Charlotte is an art dealer who has been twice married, first to Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) and then to Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler). In television, Kristin Davis led the cast of the 2012 TV movie Of Two Minds.
Davis also reprises her role as Charlotte York in And Just Like That…, where she’s also credited as an executive producer. Since her starring role as Mary Morrison in Deadly Illusions (2021), Kristin Davis will return to the big screen in 2024 in the action film Cash Out. Davis is cast as Amelia Deckard and will star alongside John Travolta, Quavo, and Sean Astin.
Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes
Actress and theater director Cynthia Nixon joined the Sex and the City cast, portraying the character of Miranda Hobbes. Miranda was the red-headed, Harvard-educated lawyer among the four friends. Initially, Miranda had a cynical outlook about men and relationships until she became pregnant by Steve Brady, a bartender and her on-again, off-again boyfriend. As a career-minded woman in New York City, Miranda Hobbes, after the birth of her son, found ways to balance her law career and being a mother.
Since her time on the Sex and the City TV series, Cynthia Nixon’s next starring main role on television was playing Gwendolyn Briggs on Netflix’s psychological thriller series Ratched (2020). Nixon’s last film appearance was in 2019, when she starred in Stray Dolls. However, she also reprises her role as Miranda Hobbes on the Sex and the City spin-off series, And Just Like That…. Cynthia Nixon is also one of the main cast members of the HBO historical drama The Gilded Age, where she’s cast as Ada Brook.
Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones
Samantha Jones is the most carefree and liberated of all four women. Throughout the series run, Jones had earned a reputation for dating multiple men. British and Canadian actress Kim Cattrall portrayed Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. Cattrall reprised the role in the two spin-off feature films. However, she is the only member of the Sex and the City top cast not to reprise her role (besides a guest appearance in season 2) in And Just Like That….
In television, her recent credits include being the narrator (Future Sophie) on How I Met Your Father (2022-2023). She had a recurring role in Queer as Folk (2022) and was one of the main cast in Glamorous (2023). Since starring in the movie sequel Sex and the City 2 in 2010, Kim Cattrall has only appeared in two other feature films, Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans (2019) and About My Father (2023). If you enjoyed this article about the Sex and the City female-led cast, check out The Lipstick Jungle cast and what they’ve been up to.
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