Sex and the City premiered on HBO in 1998 and was an instant success due to its risqué storylines and empowering female characters. This series gave viewers an honest look at love, dating, intimacy, and relationships and how four women navigate their personal lives in a big, bustling city.
The show was the first of its kind in its rawness and ability to portray relatable characters with realistic issues. Fans and critics alike applauded the show through all of its six seasons and flocked to theaters for the movies, which were released years after the series had its finale episode. Of course, fans can revisit Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte in the film spin-offs, but here are more films to watch if you're missing your favorite foursome.
Updated on December 12th, 2020 by Mark Birrell: Fans of Sex and the City haven't stopped missing the show since its conclusion and are always on the lookout for other stories that can scratch the same itch. With these ever-hungry people in mind, we've added an extra 5 examples to our list of similar movies to Sex and the City to help ease a little more of that pain felt from the show's absence.
Sex And The City: The Movie
This film premiered in 2008, four years after the end of the series. In the movie, Carrie is back with Big and they're apartment hunting. Carrie finds her dream apartment but is nervous to give up her place because she and Big aren't married. Big suggests they make things official by getting married.
What starts off as a simple ceremony, quickly spirals out of control until Big eventually leaves Carrie at the altar and it's up to her friends to help her through her newfound heartache.
Failure To Launch
Sarah Jessica Parker quickly became a staple in the romantic-comedy film genre after her success as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City. For fans who not only love Parker's quirky instincts and comedic timing but also her leading lady sex appeal, the movie Failure to Launch, also starring Matthew McConaughey, would be a great thing to add to your Netflix queue.
Parker plays a love doctor of sorts who helps men in need when it comes to relationships and moving out of their parents' house.
Crazy Rich Asians
This smash-hit movie was adapted from Kevin Kwan's novel of the same name and scored as equally high at the box office as it did with critics.
As the title implies, decadent lifestyles and eye-grabbing fashion feature prominently in the globetrotting story but it's also packed with energetic comedy, and Sex and the City fans should feel right at home within the movie's luxuriously exclusive world of the megarich.
Crossroads
One of the best elements of a show like Sex and the City is the way it depicts healthy, ive female friendships. Films and television shows frequently fall short when it comes to female characters, especially when the storyline is so focused on intimate, personal relationships.
Female characters are often pitted against one another, feuding over a man or a relationship, but that's not the case for this series or for the film Crossroads, which viewers can also appreciate for their strong female leads, and even showcases Kim Cattrall in a ing role.
Confessions Of A Shopaholic
This romantic comedy starring Isla Fisher has a lot of similarities to Sex and the City. Both productions take place in New York, both are based on books, and both center around characters who love shopping and fashion.
Carrie Bradshaw's character influenced so many fashion choices for fans of the show and made designers like Manolo Blank and Chanel household names. Women everywhere wanted to dress like Carrie and looked to the show for fashion tips and trends, much like Fisher's character in this film.
The Devil Wears Prada
Carrie Bradshaw was a freelance writer who had a love and dating column in the New York Times, but had she existed in the world of the hit romantic comedy, The Devil Wears Prada, she definitely would have been working for Miranda, played by Meryl Streep in the movie.
Like Sex and the City, this film focuses on female relationships, especially in the workplace, their personal lives, journalism, and a love of designer fashion.
Sleeping With Other People
Fans of Sex and the City loved following Carrie and Mr. Big's relationship throughout the six seasons to find out if these two lovebirds were actually meant to be.
It seemed like Carrie and Big had all the elements for a perfect relationship, but could never settle down, which is a similar story to that of Lainey and Jake in the romantic comedy Sleeping with Other People. This film also takes place in New York and the city, in a lot of ways, is a character itself in both productions.
13 Going On 30
In this movie, Jennifer Garner plays Jenna, who makes a wish on her 13th birthday and wakes up the next day as a 30-year-old woman living and working in New York City.
It's easy for fans of both this film and Sex and the City to imagine that in an alternate universe, Jenna could have been the fifth member of Carrie's best friend group. Jenna, like Carrie and her friends, loves fashion and dating, and although she may seem a little immature at first, she's a quick learner and can adapt to any situation she finds herself in.
Bridesmaids
Another hilarious comedy, but a little less family-friendly than 13 Going on 30, the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids is all about women having fun together and bonding, though it's by no means all smooth sailing.
Melissa McCarthy's performance was a particular breakout moment and earned the movie one of its Oscar-nominations but it's the movie's offbeat look at friendship and love in middle age that should really appeal to Sex and the City fans.
Little Women
Most fans would agree that Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte were more like sisters than just friends. These women went through a lot together and were always there for one another.
This may remind viewers of the sisterhood between Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in the classic story Little Women. Like Sex and the City, this movie highlights strong female characters and how they relate to one another.
