Ranking All of the Unforgettable Sex and the City Relationships, From Skipper to Mr. Big

With a new chapter in the life of the Sex and the City women officially underway, revisit the iconic series' most famous relationships. To find out who topped E!'s ranking, just keep reading.

By Samantha Schnurr Jul 23, 2021 7:00 PMTags
Watch: "Sex and the City" Cast 21 Years Ago: Live From E! Rewind

And then we had a thought—maybe 2021 won't be so bad. After all, it's the year Sex and the City's return was finally confirmed

After years of speculation over whether fans would ever see Carrie Bradshaw and co. again, HBO Max announced Sunday, Jan. 10 that a new chapter is heading our way in the form of a ten-episode, half-hour series titled And Just Like That...

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), Kristin Davis (Charlotte) and sadly, but expectedly not Kim Cattrall (Samantha), the new Max Original series will still be based on Candace Bushnell's beloved book and Darren Star's resulting iconic series. As for what's in store for the ladies this time around—more than a decade after we last caught up with them in the 2010 movie sequel—strap on some Manolo Blahniks, pour yourself a cosmopolitan and get ready for Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte to navigate "the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s," according to HBO Max. 

Since production is not slated to begin in New York until late spring, it seems unlikely fans will be jumping back into the women's world in the Big Apple by the end of this year, but we can still relish in this much-needed good news. And, while the show promises friendship, a hallmark of the OG series, we couldn't help but wonder what "the even more complicated reality of life" in their 50s means for their equally famous relationships.  

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Sex and the City: 25 Memorable Moments

When fans last left off with the women post-Abu Dhabi disaster, Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) were figuring out life as husband and wife, Miranda was thriving at a new law firm while married to Steve (David Eigenberg) and Charlotte and Harry (Evan Handler) were in the process of raising their two young kids. 

As viewers are left to predict what might be in store for these three pairs 11 years later, we couldn't help but revisit all of the major couples Sex and the City gave us in the course of six seasons—the good, the bad and the post-it note ugly. To find out which one topped our list, just keep scrolling!

Relive the best (and worst) suitors during a special marathon on E!, starting tonight, Friday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. with every episode ever. Binge through Sunday, July 25, followed by the two SATC movies starting at 6 p.m.

16. Samantha and Richard

Ugh, what an a--hole.

Best moment: N/A.

15. Carrie and Berger

It's hard to remember the couple's early banter-filled, cute moments after all the horrible, passive-aggressive crap the writer pulled later on. HE BROKE UP WITH HER ON A POST-IT.

Best moment: None are coming to mind at the moment, Berger. We're sorry, we can't. Don't hate us.

14. Samantha and Maria

No one believed this relationship would last, right? Still, Samantha gave it the ol' college try. 

Best moment: After a night out with Carrie and her new beau, during which Samantha told Big to "back off," Maria told Samantha she couldn't be just friends. 

13. Miranda and Che

Not on fans' bingo cards when they tuned into Max's revival series And Just Like That...? Miranda ending her marriage and following a standup comedian across the country!

Best Moment: TBD...hopefully? Otherwise, for the pure comedy of it all, it has to be Che and Miranda hooking up in Carrie's kitchen while a recovering-from-hip-surgery Carrie peed herself in bed. 

12. Carrie and Petrovsky

Oh, the Russian. Their relationship started off too romantic to be true…and it was. He didn't get along with her friends and Carrie's impulsive move to Paris proved to be a disaster.

Best moment: After too many grand romantic gestures, Carrie literally swooned. So naturally, Petrovsky took her, in her dream ball gown, to McDonald's, where they slow-danced while waiting for fries. We literally swooned.

11. Charlotte and Trey

On paper, Trey was the perfect guy for Charlotte. But, the cracks began to show (overbearing mother, "Trey can't get it up," not wanting kids, etc.) soon after their wedding. Also: he gave her a cardboard cut-out baby. Who does that?!

Best moment: When Trey took Charlotte to Tiffany's so she could pick out her dream ring to make up for the infamous "Alrighty!" comment.

10. Samantha and James

The first relationship Samantha had that wasn't based on sex came to an end because of, well, sex. Or James' small penis, to be exact. 

Best moment: When Samantha told James she loved him. A huge (no pun intended) moment for her.

9. Miranda and Skipper

Poor, poor Skipper. He was kind of like a Steve-lite, and Miranda was able to walk all over him.

Best moment: When he calls her "luminous" during their chance meeting at a bodega.

8. Anthony and Stanford

Sure, it came out of nowhere in the movies that Carrie's BFF and Charlotte's wedding planner-turned-bestie would get together, but it kind of works for us.

Best moment: In their wedding vows, when Anthony said, "It wasn't love at first sight, but it turns out it was love. You are the first man to accept me for the man that I actually am."

7. Carrie and Aidan

Let's face it, Aidan was a great guy but he wasn't The Guy for Carrie…no matter how hard they both tried to convince themselves that he was. However, season two of And Just Like That... may just prove that second chances are the hottest trend this summer. (Yes, we are refusing to acknowledge their dalliance in Sex and the City 2.)

Best moment: Is it weird that we loved their breakup scene—the second one—where they slept on the floor of the apartment they would never live in together?

6. Miranda and Robert

Talk about a catch. Robert was almost perfect: he was a hot doctor for the New York Knicks who watched the same soaps as Miranda. His one flaw? He just wasn't Steve.

Best moment: Their first kiss at their "lockers," (i.e.: mailboxes). Or her taking a personal day for the first time ever for him. OR THE CHICKEN POX.

5. Samantha and Smith

Of all the guys on SATC, Smith Jerrod might just be the best. He was so patient and so giving with the wild Samantha, who fought tooth and nail not to fall in love with the model-turned-superstar. 

Best moment: Who doesn't tear up just thinking about Smith shaving his golden locks for Samantha when she lost her hair while undergoing chemo? 

4. Carrie and Big

Absof--kinglutely. (Curse you, Peloton!)

Best moment: Come on, how can we not choose Big going to Paris to finally tell Carrie she's the one? (Although the fart-in-bed/whoopee cushion prank still makes us smile.)

3. Miranda and Steve

Just as Miranda's feelings for Steve snuck up on her, our love for this couple hit us like a ton of bricks—just like their split in And Just Like That...'s first season. Justice for Steve!

Best moment: If any moment perfectly represents SATC's most low-maintenance couple, it was Miranda's out-of-nowhere proposal and their super low-key wedding in the park. So them. So perfect.

2. Charlotte and Harry

They say love often finds you when you least expect it…like when your sweaty putz of a divorce lawyer turns out to be the man of your dreams and the best father to your children you could've imagined.

Best moment: Their mess-filled, imperfectly perfect nuptials. From the beginning of the series, Charlotte wanted the fairy tale wedding, but what she got was the fairy tale marriage.

1. The Girls

"The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into. And sometimes it's the one you make for yourself."

Best moment: We were SO tempted to choose Carrie walking Miranda down the aisle at her mother's funeral, but we thought a moment with all four girls was appropriate. Our choice? When Miranda doesn't give two shits about her wedding after hearing about Samantha's breast cancer diagnosis, with all four girls tuning out the celebration to just be together. Because that's what friendship is: putting others before yourself. 

(Originally published Jan. 11, 2021 at 8:34 a.m. PT)