SATC's Longest-Running Love Affair by Episode Count Isn't What You'd Expect
If you think Sex and the City is about happy relationships, you’ve probably never seen it. That’s the only plausible explanation.
Twenty-five years ago, the creators, cast, and crew of the then-new romantic dramedy Sex and the City took a big risk and made a show about fashion, dating, New York City, and strong single women in their 30s.
The risk paid off handsomely: the series became a huge hit, lasted six seasons and 94 episodes, earned 54 Emmy nominations, and spawned two movies and two spinoffs, one of which, And Just Like That..., is gearing up for its highly anticipated second season scheduled for release on 22 June.
What made Sex and the City one of the defining TV shows of its time? First and foremost, its openness. Just like Candace Bushnell's real-life newspaper column Sex and the City, the series was open about professional women's lifestyle, friendship, sex, and, of course, relationships. Whether it was long love stories, romantic storylines with heartbreaking finales, short passionate affairs, or one-night stands, relationships were the foundation of Sex and the City.
When asked today what the main love story was for each of the beloved characters, fans will most likely remember Carrie and Big or Carrie and Aidan (depending on which team they are on), Samantha and Smith, Miranda and Steve, Charlotte and Harry. However, to the surprise of many viewers, none of these qualifies as the longest-running relationship on the show.
If we were to measure the longevity of relationships by the number of episodes they appeared in, the winner would be Charlotte York and Trey MacDougal. Unexpected? You bet. According to People, their romantic storyline, which can hardly be described as happy, lasted 26 episodes.
Even among the eligible bachelors of HBO's hit dramedy, Trey stood out as a weirdo with his physical and emotional impotence, intense mommy issues, and erratic behaviour. And never forget that he gave Charlotte a cardboard baby when they failed to conceive! Even the actor playing Trey, Kyle MacLachlan, admitted in various interviews that his character was pretty much the exact opposite of an ideal romantic interest.
‘[SATC viewers] had every right to be angry with me,’ he told Page Six in 2020. ‘I was angry with me!’
Well, when you think about it, the fact that Sex and the City's longest-running on-screen relationship is one of its most awkward ones shouldn't really come as a big surprise. After all, what would the romantic series be without its quirky side characters? And how would our favourite ladies find happiness without all the heartbreak?