Thinking Weekly

There is so much to learn from every relationship, friendship, conversation, fight, and every single second in Sex and the City. After finishing my seventh rewatch of 2024, I wanted to do a deep dive into some of the most important lessons learned in the show.

The first (and most important) lesson of the show is the importance of friendship. While it’s obvious the show focuses on the romantic relationships of the four women, the friendship between the girls is equally or even more important than their boyfriends. The show teaches you how to navigate through the most difficult times of a friendship. What to do if you don’t like your friend’s boyfriend, how to help your friend after they’ve lost a loved one, how to balance friendship and romance, the list could go on for ages. The show is a reminder that showing up for your friends is crucial and that, at the end of the day, there will always be people to fall back on if all goes wrong.

Another big lesson is taught through Samantha: we are constantly evolving. Samantha goes almost the entire show with the mindset that while men are important for sex, the relationship aspect is where things get too complicated. While she may have the most “partners” of the girls, she also had the fewest actual serious relationships. So when she falls in love with Richard Wright, her whole mindset changes. In Season 2, Samantha says, “I’m more forgiving and realistic about human nature” when discussing cheating. But when she finds Richard in bed with another girl, she does a complete 180° in her reaction. And when she finally ends up with Smith, she experiences the exact love she deserves, which (in my opinion) shows how constant personal growth is needed before you can settle.

The show also expresses how you cannot change someone. No matter how hard the women in the show try to fix the men in their lives to mold them into what they deserve, it never ends up working. Charlotte’s first husband, Trey, was clearly unfit for her, but she tried and tried again until she finally let go. Mr. Big had too many flaws to count, but repeatedly, Carrie tried to fix him until she eventually just settled. The constant pattern shows how there is no happiness to be found in situations you truly don’t belong in.

At the end of the day, Sex and the City is so much more than just a show about love and romance. It’s a guide to navigating life not only alone but with the people around you. Teaching us to value friendships, embrace personal growth, and recognize when it’s time to let go. These lessons are why the show still holds up today, and the rewatch value is never ending.