Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
20 years ago today, television was changed forever. That’s no exaggeration. Sex and the City debuted on HBO and we’ve been identifying with Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha ever since. The series has inspired multiple generations of women to pack up their bags and try to hack it in the big city of dreams, to dress their most stylish, to pursue even the most questionable of men.
Over its six season run, Sex and the City raked in 54 Emmy Award nominations (winning seven), 24 Golden Globe nominations (winning eight) and 11 SAG Award nominations (winning three). There’s a reason we’re still talking about the series all these years later. It changed the way women were portrayed on television, and gifted us with some of the most iconic looks, lines, and locations of all time.
In honor of the series turning 20, we dug up some fun facts about Sex and the City, from trivia facts about its performers to little secrets involving its iconic looks. Pour out a Cosmo for our favorite foursome. Here are 11 things you probably didn’t know about Sex and the City.
That iconic opening sequence tutu was a steal.
That famous white tulle skirt that Carrie dons in the opening sequence was found in a bargain bucket for just $5. “I was in a showroom and there was a bucket on the floor, for like, five dollars each, and I pull out this tulle skirt,” said the show’s stylist Patricia Field. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know, let’s just take this.'”
Now we don’t feel so bad about it being splashed when that iconic bus comes by.
There's a reason Carrie never gets naked.
Sarah Jessica Parker was the only member of the central foursome that had a “no nudity” clause in her contract. That’s why we only really ever see Carrie in her underwear – and in the case of the other characters, a lot less clothing than that.
The show made Magnolia Bakery a big deal.
After Miranda and Carrie got cupcakes at the Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleecker Street, the store became so popular they started employing a bouncer.
Kim Cattrall was method.
Even if she was shooting scenes that only featured her from the waist up, Kim Cattrall insisted on wearing heels. She revealed it made her feel more like Samantha.
Natasha's all-white wardrobe was intentional.
Mr. Big’s young wife, Natasha (Bridget Moynahan), always wore white to convey her personality was “vanilla”.
Season 5 was cut short.
There’s a reason Season 5 of Sex and the City only has 8 episodes. Sarah Jessica Parker was pregnant with son James Wilkie Broderick, born October 28, 2002. If you look closely, you can catch her bump during Bitsy and Bobby’s Hamptons wedding in the finale!
That famous pond fall was shot only once.
Carrie and Big fall into the Central Park pond in Season 3, Episode 18, “Cock-a-Doodle-Do”, and it turns out they only had to shoot it once. The pond was apparently dredged and cleared of garbage before they shot the scene, but when they did fall in, Parker cut her foot at the bottom. She wound up having to get a tetanus shot as soon as they got out of the water.
9/11 changed the opening credits.
From Season 1 to Season 4, Episode 12, Sarah Jessica Parker’s name appeared in front of the World Trade Center towers. After 9/11, however, her name began appearing with the Empire State Building.
Cynthia Nixon's famous red mane isn't real.
Miranda’s ravishing red hair we’re still raving about? It’s not natural! Cynthia Nixon is actually a natural blonde, and she dyed her hair for the role. Clearly something about it stuck, however, because she’s still rocking a strawberry blonde look during her gubernatorial campaign.
It made TV history.
Sex and the City was the first cable series to ever win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
They never wore the same thing twice.
Costume designer Patricia Field never repeated an outfit on any of the women – except once, with the fur jacket seen in the last sequence, which also appears in the very first episode of the series.
