Sex and the city tells the story of sex and relationships columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her close circle of friends navigating life and love against the backdrop of the 1990s and early years of New York City. The show offered a moving look at the importance of female friendship and the nuances of modern relationships, offering a groundbreaking female perspective for the time. Although the friendship between Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) and Carie remains the focus, the candidates for best boyfriend in Sex and the city remains a topic of conversation.
The group of women date and marry various men across the country. Sex and the citythere are six seasons. However, there are several standouts, including Samantha's boyfriend, who shaves his head in solidarity as she battles cancer, Carrie's fiancé, who renovates her entire apartment, and Charlotte's second husband, who loves the floor he she steps. Most importantly, there are Carrie and Mr. Big, a man emblematic of his time and highly controversial due to his fear of commitment. It goes without saying that The show's varied depiction of relationships is what continues to resonate with viewers new and old today.
10
Trey MacDougal
Charlotte's first husband
Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) is Charlotte's first husband. After setting a goal of getting engaged within a year, she meets wealthy doctor Trey in the third season of Sex and the city. The two become engaged after dating for a brief period of time, during which they decide to save their intimacy for their wedding night and do not meet with each other's families until post-engagement. Of course, the plan backfired, as there were no important discussions before making such a commitment. Trey is almost out of touch with Charlotte's needs.
He struggles to perform in the bedroom, but the biggest problem is his inability to face his domineering mother, Coelho (Frances Sternhagen). Bunny clearly disapproves of Charlotte, despite Charlotte's privileged upbringing, college education, and illustrious career as an art dealer. Bunny infantilizes Trey and allows him to avoid the important responsibilities of adulthood. Although Trey loves Charlotte and is eager to commit, it's clear he should have resolved his own issues first. Charlotte recognizes this when she finds his mother bathing him.
The two part on generally amicable terms after briefly making their marriage work. Ultimately, they are simply too different and Trey has no social skills. On the bright side, the divorce leads Charlotte to hire a certain divorce lawyer to help her navigate the prenup and find her true love.
9
Big Lord
The On-and-Off Lover and Carrie's Endgame
Big, nickname of John James Preston (Chris Noth), is one of the most divisive love interests in Sex and the city. Big enters the scene early in the show, as a tall, dark, handsome, elusive, well-dressed businessman who first catches Samantha's eye but rejects her at a bar to talk to Carrie. The two travel by car back to her apartment, where she asks him if he has ever been in love, and he responds with his iconic "abso-f*kinlutley." The two begin dating, but Carrie quickly realizes that Big is purposely keeping her at arm's length and separate from his inner circle.
He takes her to dinner in restaurants where they won't be seen. Big tells his mother that Carrie is his friend after they meet her at church. To make matters worse, Carrie does her own snooping and discovers that he cheated on his first wife. His fear of commitment, combined with his lack of understanding of Carrie's free-spirited lifestyle as a writer, is often a cocktail for disaster. The couple is often incredibly toxic towards each other, and had an affair during Big's second marriage to Natasha (Bridget Moynahan).
They tend to bring out the worst in each other, from insecurities to smoking addictions. Their on-again, off-again dynamic causes Carrie a lot of emotional distress, while Big is able to continually move on to other women every time, until the end of the show. THE Sex and the city The finale finds the couple reuniting romantically in Paris after Carrie herself sabotages a series of relationships, making the tumultuous couple strangely the perfect match. This still doesn't make Big a good love interest or character in general, as he sees little growth throughout the series.
8
Aleksandr Petrovsky
Carrie's last boyfriend before her final reunion with Big
Aleksandr Petrovsky is an older Russian artist who Carrie meets through Charlotte, who is an active art dealer. Carrie admires his romanticism and elegance, as he often invites her on extravagant dates and invites her to his home. Petrovsky is refreshing to viewers for his honesty with Carrie and his willingness to open up his life to her, the opposite of Big. However, as the relationship progresses, their differences begin to show.
Their relationship culminates in an extended stay in Paris for an exhibition, where Petrovsky wishes to move for his work and to be closer to his young adult daughter, Chloé (Cécile Cassel) from his previous marriage to Juliet (Carol Bouquet). . This is just the beginning of many surprises for Carrie during her stay in the city.
Although Carrie gets along well with Juliet, Chloé's snobbish attitude towards her makes her feel even lonelier living in Paris. Because Petrovsky works long hours at the gallery and Carrie gave up her column to move to Paris with him, she is left jobless and friendless in a foreign country. Petrovsky is an interesting character, but another Sex and the city man with little character growth. He doesn't have much of a personality outside of his art, and his incompatibility with Carrie and his general snobbery place him low on the show's list of love interests.
The pair have a heated argument over this which leads to Petrovsky slapping Carrie, effectively marking the end of their relationship. As Carrie struggles to deal with everything on her own, Charlotte catches Big leaving a voicemail on Carrie's answering machine when she goes to check on her vacant apartment. This causes Big to meet up with his friends in New York City, telling them "the three of you know her better than anyone. You are the loves of her life." Finally, having earned their respect, Miranda tells him to "go get our girl."
7
Maria Diega Reyes
Samantha's first and only girlfriend
Maria Diega Reyes (Sônia Braga) is a lesbian artist that Samantha knows through Carlota. Samantha is the only character in Sex and the city original race whose sexuality is constantly evolving. She begins a revealing relationship with Maria and it is as passionate as it is fleeting. It is clear that Maria takes her relationships much more seriously than Samantha.
In today's world, this arc would have been handled with much more care. Samantha breaks up with Maria after realizing that she prefers men romantically, leaving the relationship feeling like an experiment. Now, LGBTQ+ characters tend to be written with much more complexity and understanding of the community, as seen in Miranda's journey in Sex and the city sequence Is that so.
Now, LGBTQ+ characters tend to be written with much more complexity and understanding of the community.
Although Maria takes Samantha out of her comfort zone, allowing her to feel more in tune with herself, they are ultimately incompatible, and Maria deserves someone ready to step in with her. Its storyline could have been fleshed out more into an interesting character arc, but television didn't have as much understanding about how to navigate LGBTQ+ storytelling at the time.
6
Steve Brady
Miranda's husband
Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) is a charming Queens bartender who meets Miranda at his bar when she drops by for a glass of wine after Carrie leaves her for Big. The pair exchange witty banter and eventually begin a relationship. However, their relationship quickly becomes dynamic and on-and-off in a very different way than Carrie and Big's. Although Steve starts off as a lovable, handsome, and down-to-earth character, he also has many toxic moments.
All over Sex and the citySteve feels threatened by Miranda's success. Miranda is a Harvard-educated lawyer, has her own apartment in Manhattan and has a thriving social circle. When they meet, Steve is a working-class bartender with no major ambitions. Although he eventually opens his own bar with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), his own inadequacies get in the way of his relationship with Miranda. On the other hand, Miranda faces her own trust issues and strict methods.
Steve has his moments of great immaturity for a 30 year old man. He leaves underwear and dirty dishes lying around, watches cartoons all day, and is initially unconcerned with Miranda's concerns about becoming a partner in his company while pregnant with their son. Steve also cheats on Miranda in the 2008 film Sex and the city, which he admits as the couple enters therapy together. While Steve eventually changes his ways and becomes a great father to Brady and an understanding partner to Miranda.it is always at his expense that she compromises most for him (including moving to Brooklyn).
5
Dr. Robert Leeds
Miranda's last boyfriend before marrying Steve
Robert Leeds (Blair Underwood) moves into Miranda's building and the two begin a friendship that evolves into a relationship. Robert is a doctor who works for the New York Knicks and is Miranda's first and only love interest to truly measure up to her. He is intelligent, polite and encourages Miranda to take time to breathe and enjoy life. She worked so hard. He's also more than willing to step in with Brady.
Ultimately, Miranda realizes she's not over Steveand leaves Robert for him. Steve returns to the building briefly before purchasing and renovating a house in Brooklyn. This causes a lot of tension between the couple and Robert, and it appears that his childish reaction seemed intentional in inspiring viewers to side with Steve. If Robert had had more time Sex and the cityhe definitely could have evolved into one of the best characters in the series.
4
Stephan
Charlotte's pastry chef boyfriend
Stephan (Dan Futterman) would have been a Gen Z favorite Sex and the city boyfriend. He starts out as friends with Charlotte, who she assumes is gay due to his personal style and work as a pastry chef. He then reveals that he is heterosexual and romantically interested in her. Confused, Charlotte is open to pursuing a relationship with him, but remains confused by his version of masculinity. His relationship with Charlotte comes to a screeching halt when he screams in fear because of a mouse in his apartment.
In today's world, heterosexual men in creative fields have become much more commonand this plot wouldn't have followed the same path. Stephan clearly values Charlotte as a person and understands her career as an art dealer, which makes them very compatible. The only reason the character didn't last is that he didn't live up to the stereotypes of masculinity present in the popular media of the 1990s and 2000s. Given his stable lifestyle and emotional availability, Stephan could have been a great partner for Charlotte if the character had more time in the series.
3
Aidan Shaw
Carrie's fiancé between adventures with Big
Aidan Shaw, a furniture designer, meets Carrie when his friend Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) invites her to his furniture showroom. Carrie falls for his all-American charm and even gives up her iconic smoking habit for him. It is clear that Aidan will push Carrie out of her comfort zone and into maturity and healthy habitsbut Carrie often can't find Aidan where he is.
Aidan is mature and ready for a serious relationship and marriage, while Carrie is too, just not with him. Carrie is often torn between Aidan's stability and Big's unpredictability.and finally cheats on Aidan with Big. The two later reconciled and became engaged, with Aidan helping her renovate her apartment. Carrie is constantly put off by her body habits and even her choice of an engagement ring at first, and it becomes clear that despite Aidan's great intentions and strength of character, they simply don't match up.
After Big's shocking death in Is that soCarrie returns to Aidan, now divorced and father of three. It's unclear how their relationship will develop in the new series, as they've both grown and matured, but Carrie doesn't have the experience raising a family that he does. Although they share history, they continue to have very different perspectives.
2
Harry Goldenblatt
Charlotte's second husband
Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) is Charlotte's second husband, whom she met when he serves as her divorce lawyer, managing her separation from Trey. Their unlikely union comes after Harry declares his love for Charlotte once the divorce is finalized. The pair strike up a friendship throughout the legal process, and Charlotte, feeling grateful for his affection after her debacle with Trey, initially begins a casual relationship with him. The two quickly develop romantic feelings for each other, but with one obstacle: Harry is Jewish and wants to marry a Jewish woman.
This selfless act, along with Charlotte's newfound self-awareness, drives the couple forward.
Charlotte decides to convert to Judaism, in part for Harry's sake and her personal journey, while the couple are briefly separated. This selfless act, along with Charlotte's newfound self-awareness, drives the couple forward. In marriage, the couple is without a doubt the healthiest couple in the world. Sex and the city. Despite their differences, they love and understand each other for who they are. Unlike many other couples on the show, the pair's commitments seem much more equal.
1
Smith Jerrod
Samantha's last boyfriend
Smith takes the cake for best love interest in Sex and the city. He is introduced as an up-and-coming actor who works at a high-end restaurant to make ends meet. When Carrie is invited to the restaurant opening, she brings her girls, and Samantha is immediately attracted to the handsome Smith Jerrod. Samantha, who works in public relations and has the most casual relationships of all the women on the show, finally meets her match in Smith.
The couple's relationship starts out casual, while Samantha also helps Smith book modeling and acting opportunities. He is kind and hard-working and progresses in the local theater scene while maintaining sobriety from alcohol. He is one of the most stable and self-sufficient men in the world. Sex and the citydespite being younger than most of the other love interests. As Samantha tries to push him away, he is the only man who has truly broken his tough exterior.
She feels comfortable being emotionally vulnerable with him for the first time on the show, and he offers unconditional support, even when she briefly rekindles with her manipulative ex-boyfriend, Richard Wright (James Remar). This all culminates when Samantha battles breast cancer and begins to lose her hair during chemotherapy. Known in the entertainment world for his long blonde hair, Smith voluntarily shaves his hair in solidarity with Samantha. It's clear that Samantha feels safe in a relationship for the first time, and the other men in Sex and the city I certainly could have taken notes.