Sex and the City Author Candace Bushnell Says TV Show Was "Not Very Feminist"

Candace Bushnell, who wrote the column and book Sex and the City, weighs in on the series and if she plans to watch the reboot And Just Like That….

By Elyse Dupre Oct 18, 2021 4:36 PMTags
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Candace Bushnell is sharing how she really feels about the TV show Sex and the City

The author, who wrote the book Sex and the City, gave her take on HBO's adaptation during a recent interview with the New York Post

"I don't look at the TV show the way other people look at it," she explained. "I don't parse every little bit. It's a great show, it's really funny. But there are fans who…it's like, that show really guides them." 

Finding their own Mr. Big, she continued, should not be viewers' main goal. "The reality is, finding a guy is maybe not your best economic choice in the long term," Bushnell added. "Men can be very dangerous to women in a lot of different ways. We never talk about this, but that's something that women need to think about: You can do a lot less…when you have to rely on a man. The TV show and the message were not very feminist at the end. But that's TV. That's entertainment. That's why people should not base their lives on a TV show."

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Bushnell launched the Sex and the City column for the New York Observer in 1994, which ran for two years. It featured a character named Carrie, who Bushnell based on her own experiences. The column was then turned into a book, which was released in 1996, and sold to HBO that same year.

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The show Sex and the City ran from 1998 to 2004 and led to two movies that premiered in 2008 and 2010. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall starred in the series and films.

In January of this year, HBO Max announced the Parker, Davis and Nixon would be reprising their roles as Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda for its reboot And Just Like That…. Cattrall, however, would not be returning to play Samantha.

The 10-episode series, HBO Max noted, would "follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s."

Parker, Davis and Nixon aren't the only original cast members to appear in the program. HBO Max announced in June that the show will also feature Chris Noth (Mr. Big), Mario Cantone (Anthony Marentino), David Eigenberg (Steve Brady), Evan Handler (Harry Goldenblatt) and Willie Garson (Stanford Blatch). Garson passed away in September following a battle with pancreatic cancer. In addition, fans will meet some new cast members, including Sara RamírezSarita ChoudhuryNicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman.

And Just Like That… premieres in December, and Bushnell told the New York Post she'll be watching. "Of course I'm going to watch it…I hope it runs for six seasons," she said. "I get paid a little bit of money." 

E! News reached out to HBO/HBO Max but did not receive any comment.