The 10 best episodes about sex in Sex And The City

It’s been 23 years since the show premiered, but the discussion around Sex And The City has never really died down—especially as new generations of viewers consume a show that once offered some of the most candid depictions of sex on TV to go with its celebration of female friendships. The pendulum has swung between plaudits and criticism, but even with all the sexually frank series and women-led comedies that have premiered since Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis first strutted around New York City together, there’s still a lot to enjoy about Sex And The City.

SATC’s portrayal of sexual encounters and conundrums, which could often be retrograde, still yielded many memorable moments. With a revival, And Just Like That…, premiering on HBO Max on December 9, the quartet-turned-trio will have a chance to make amends for the past and greater strides. But for our latest Inventory, The A.V. Club revisited the original series and found 10 episodes about sex that still hold up more than 20 years later.

“The Big Journey” (season five, episode seven)

After five seasons of watching Charlotte struggle with sexual satisfaction, solo and within her marriage to Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), we finally get to see her get some and enjoy it! This episode is really about Charlotte, with Miranda M.I.A. while Carrie and Samantha take a train across the country in search of some sex. Harry’s (Evan Handler) introduction is really wonderful because he’s not as conventionally attractive as the men usually seen on the show; at first, Charlotte seems repulsed by him. But “The Big Journey” shows that attraction can be surprising and found where you least expect it. Harry praises Charlotte in a way she’s never experienced on the show, and in a way she deserves. In the process, Charlotte challenges her own ideas that women cannot crave pure sex, and need emotional attachment to enjoy it. [Gabrielle Sanchez]