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Sex and the City season 1

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Sex and the City
Season 1
Promotional poster
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseJune 6 (1998-06-06) –
August 23, 1998 (1998-08-23)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of Sex and the City, an American television romantic comedy-drama, aired in the United States on HBO from June 6 to August 23, 1998. Based on the eponymous book written by Candace Bushnell, the series was created by Darren Star and produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Star, Barry Josen and Michael Patrick King served as the series' executive producers. The show follows the relationships and sexual escapades of Carrie Bradshaw, a sex columnist for the fictional New York Star, and her friends Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes.

Season one, comprising 12 episodes, aired on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, except the pilot episode which aired at the same time on a Saturday night. The season garnered mixed reviews from critics. The first season garnered strong ratings for HBO in America, as well as Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, where it landed among the top 30 weekly most-watched programs. The show received several major award nominations, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and a SAG award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Parker.

Episodes

See also: List of Sex and the City episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Sex and the City"Susan SeidelmanDarren StarJune 6, 1998 (1998-06-06)101
22"Models and Mortals"Alison MacleanDarren StarJune 14, 1998 (1998-06-14)102
33"Bay of Married Pigs"Nicole HolofcenerMichael Patrick KingJune 21, 1998 (1998-06-21)103
44"Valley of the Twenty-Something Guys"Alison MacleanMichael Patrick KingJune 28, 1998 (1998-06-28)104
55"The Power of Female Sex"Susan SeidelmanStory by : Jenji Kohan
Teleplay by : Darren Star		July 5, 1998 (1998-07-05)105
66"Secret Sex"Michael FieldsDarren StarJuly 12, 1998 (1998-07-12)106
77"The Monogamists"Darren StarDarren StarJuly 19, 1998 (1998-07-19)107
88"Three's a Crowd"Nicole HolofcenerJenny BicksJuly 26, 1998 (1998-07-26)108
99"The Turtle and the Hare"Michael FieldsNicole Avril & Susan KolinskyAugust 2, 1998 (1998-08-02)109
1010"The Baby Shower"Susan SeidelmanTerri MinskyAugust 9, 1998 (1998-08-09)110
1111"The Drought"Matthew HarrisonMichael Green & Michael Patrick KingAugust 16, 1998 (1998-08-16)111
1212"Oh Come All Ye Faithful"Matthew HarrisonMichael Patrick KingAugust 23, 1998 (1998-08-23)112

Crew

The first season of Sex and the City was created by Darren Star and produced by Darren Star Productions and Warner Bros. Television, in association with HBO Original Programming. The series is based on the book of the same name, written by Candace Bushnell, which contains stories from her column with the New York Observer. The show features production from Barry Jossen, Michael Patrick King, and Star. Season one featured writing credits from Star, King, Jenny Bicks, Michael Green, Jenji Kohan, Susan Kolinsky, and Terri Minsky. The season was directed by Michael Fields, Matthew Harrison, Nicole Holofcener, Alison Maclean, and Susan Seidelman.

Cast

See also: List of Sex and the City characters
Lead actresses Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis.

Season one featured four actors receiving star billing. Sarah Jessica Parker played the lead character Carrie Bradshaw, a writer of a sex column, "Sex and the City", for fictional magazine and the narrator of the series.[1] Kim Cattrall portrayed Samantha Jones, a sexually confident public relations agent who follows the same relationship rules that men do.[2] Kristin Davis played Charlotte York, an optimistic art museum curator who holds traditional views on relationships.[3] Cynthia Nixon portrayed Miranda Hobbes, an acerbic lawyer with a pessimistic outlook on relationship and a distrust of men.[4]

The season featured a number of recurring guest appearances. Chris Noth appeared as the slick, elusive business man and Carrie's love interest known as Mr. Big.[5] Willie Garson portrayed Carrie's gay best friend and talent manager Stanford Blatch.[6] Ben Weber played Skipper Johnson, Carrie's friend and Miranda's on-off friend with benefits.

Reception

Critical reviews

Season one garnered mixed reviews from television critics, receiving an aggregated score of 52 (out of 100) at Metacritic.[7] Caryn Lucas of The New York Times called the series "slight, breezy", "fresh and funny" while highlight Parker's performance.[8] Terry Kelleher of People Weekly praised Parker in her role, but was against the elements of New York mixed with the theme of sex.[9] Phil Gallo of Variety gave a mixed review of the series, criticizing the script but praising the performances of the main cast. Gallo also deemed the subplot of Carrie and Mr. Big's attraction "compelling."[10] Earl Crassey of DVD Talk deemed the DVD release of season one "Highly Recommended", writing that "However those not easily offended should give it a spin; you will find an enjoyable and refreshing new comedy series from HBO." Crassey noted that the frank sexual dialogue and topics discussed in the series set it apart from the other sitcoms.[11]

Viewership

In the United States, Sex and the City debuted on June 6, 1998 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone (Saturday) with the premiere episode "Sex and the City". The episode garnered a 2.9 household rating, translating to 2.8 million households. The encore episode achieved a 3.0 rating (2.96 million households).[12] The episode was watched by 3.84 million viewers.[13] The season finale "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" was watched by 4.44 million viewers.[14] The first season averaged a total viewership of 6.9 million viewers.[15] In the United Kingdom, the series debuted on Channel 4 on February 3, 1999 to 4.53 million viewers, ranking as the third most watched program on television on the week ending February 7, 1999. The following episodes attracted between 2.5 and 4 million viewers.

UK ratings

All viewing figures and ranks are sourced from BARB.[16]

No. in Episode Air date Time slot
(EST) 		Viewership
series season in
millions 		Weekly
rank
1 1 Sex and the City February 3, 1999 Wednesdays
10:00 pm 		4.53 #3
76 2 Models and Mortals February 10, 1999 3.28 #14
77 3 Bay of Married Pigs February 17, 1999 3.90 #7
78 4 The Valley of Twenty-Something Guys February 24, 1999 3.45 #14
79 5 The Power of Female Sex March 3, 1999 3.18 #13
80 6 Secret Sex March 10, 1999 2.52 #20
81 7 The Monogamists March 17, 1999 3.13 #9
82 8 Three's a Crowd March 24, 1999 2.54 #24
83 9 The Turtle and the Hare March 31, 1999 2.56 #19
84 10 The Baby Shower April 7, 1999 2.71 #17
85 11 The Drought April 14, 1999 — —
12 12 Oh Come All Ye Faithful April 21, 1999 — —

Awards and nominations

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Sex and the City

At the 56th Golden Globe Awards, Sarah Jessica Parker received a nomination for award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.[17] At the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series while Parker received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.[18][19] Sex and the City received seven nominations from the Online Film & Television Association for the OFTA Television Awards, including awards for Best New Comedy Series, Best Cable Series and Best Ensemble in a Cable Series.[20]

Home media release

The DVD boxset for the first season was released by HBO Home Video in the United States on May 23, 2000, nearly two years since it completed its broadcast on television. The season boxset, in addition to the twelve episodes, includes features such as commentary from the cast and show creator, episode previews, and an inside look at the show. The boxset was popular in the United States, selling 1.1 million copies by 2003.[21]

Sex and the City: The Complete First Season
Set details Special features[22]
  • 12 episodes
  • 2-disc set (DVD)
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • Subtitles: English, French,
  • English: Dolby Surround 5.1, Dolby Surround Stereo
  • Spanish: Mono
  • Episode Previews (approx 0:30 each)
  • Inside "Sex and the City" (3:49)
  • "Research" (0:31)
  • Cast & Filmmakers (5 cast members and show creator)
  • Awards & Nominations
DVD release date
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
May 23, 2000 (2000-05-23)[23] July 11, 2005 (2005-07-11)[24] October 2, 2008 (2008-10-02)[25]

References

  1. ^ "Carrie Bradshaw played by Sarah Jessica Parker". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Samantha Jones played by Kim Cattrall". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Charlotte York played by Kristin Davis". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Miranda Hobbes played by Cynthia Nixon". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Mr. Big played by Chris Noth". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Stanford Blatch played by Willie Garson". HBO.com. Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Critic Reviews for Sex and the City Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. ^ James, Caryn (June 5, 1998). "TV WEEKEND - In Pursuit of Love, Romantically or Not". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  9. ^ Kelleher, Terry (June 8, 1998). "Picks and Pans Main: Tube". People Weekly. 49 (22). Time Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  10. ^ Gallo, Phil (June 3, 1998). "Review: 'Sex and the City'". Variety. Los Angeles: Penske Business Media. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  11. ^ Cressey, Earl (June 25, 2000). "Sex and the City: Season One". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Basic Cable Programs Ranked by Household for the Week of 6/1-6/7 by Nielsen Media Research". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original on December 17, 2001. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  13. ^ Lowry, Brian (June 10, 1998). "NBA Finals Lead NBC Past Slumping Opponents". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  14. ^ Lowry, Brian (August 12, 1998). "'Philadelphia' Helps to Push CBS to the Top". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  15. ^ Mansfield, Stephanie (May 28, 2000). "Sarah's Sexy Success". The Nevada Daily Mail. Nevada. Rust Communications. p. 7. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Top 30 Programmes". United Kingdom: BARB. select channel and relevant week
  17. ^ "The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999)". HFPA.org. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  18. ^ "51st Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners - Outstanding Comedy Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  19. ^ "51st Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  20. ^ "Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1999". DGA.org. Directors Guild of America. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  21. ^ Sullivan, Brian Ford (March 13, 2003). "DVD Sales Place Six Sets Over One Million Copies Sold". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Sex and the City - The Complete 1st Season". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  23. ^ "Sex and the City: Season 1". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  24. ^ "Sex and the City: The Complete First Season [DVD]". Amazon UK. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  25. ^ "Sex and the City (Season 1)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
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