It's been 20 years exactly since "Sex and the City" premiered on HBO and viewers were introduced to Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones, played, of course, by Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall, respectively.
While some of the lessons the show imparted remain eternal (never forget that Carrie once mused: "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."), other moments feel a bit more dated.
"Good Morning America" explored some of the more anachronistic plot-points and we couldn't help but wonder: How would "Sex and the City" change if it had been made in 2018?
Sarah Jessica Parker says there's 'no catfight' with Kim Cattrall Sarah Jessica Parker publicly backs Cynthia Nixon in her bid for New York governor1. Carrie would be more tech-savvy: Technology did come up from time to time throughout "Sex and the City" -- Miranda gushed to the women about her new Palm Pilot and TiVo, Samantha told Carrie she had to "get online, if only for the porn," and Charlotte turned to Amazon to buy a self-help book she was too embarrassed to be seen with in public. But Carrie was essentially a Luddite who only signed up for e-mail after Miranda suggested she use it to contact an ex-boyfriend. Carrie, a journalist who spent most of her working time on a computer, also had never heard of backing up her work, refused to shop online, and only carried a cell phone after Miranda bought one for her. All of this would have to change for a more modern version of the show, and perhaps Carrie's job would've shifted too. It's easy to imagine that the newspaper columnist would be transformed into a blogger, and at the very least, she'd have to own a cell phone to try out dating apps for work, text her dates, or arrange a ride share.
Social media would play a major role, too. For example, in season two, Carrie is flabbergasted to discover that Mr. Big has gotten engaged during his work trip to Paris. In the 2018 version, she would've inevitably seen a picture of him with his beloved on Instagram.
2. Answering machines would no longer play a role: In one episode, Mr. Big left Carrie a message on her answering machine that she re-played roughly 1,000 times as she tried to figure out from his tone whether he wanted to get back together. In another, Miranda complained that she couldn't make Carrie her in case of emergency contact because the sex columnist screened so many of her phone calls. None of this is applicable today. As previously mentioned, Carrie would have a cell phone, and while she wouldn't necessarily pick up every call (who does?), her phone -- and thus, texting -- habits would most definitely evolve.
3. There would be fewer meet-cutes: Here are a just few places Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte met romantic prospects: at the gym, at yoga class, while shopping, at an art museum (more than once!), at Weight Watchers, and of course, just walking down the street. It's safe to say that dating has changed dramatically since the rise of the internet and smartphones, and that would be reflected in an updated version of the show.
4. Miranda might be OK with her move to Brooklyn after all: When Miranda moved to a Brooklyn brownstone with her husband, Steve, and their son, Brady, she had a complete breakdown. "I'm a Manhattan girl. I don't like anything not-Manhattan!" she insisted before coming to her senses. So much has changed about New York City since the episode aired in 2004, perhaps most notably that the population of Brooklyn continues to rise, topping out at 2,648,771 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census. Changing boroughs may be tough, but moving into a three-bedroom house in Brooklyn hardly feels like a sacrifice.
5. Conversations around fertility would be deeper: Throughout season four, Charlotte and her first husband, Trey, struggled to conceive a child at a time when infertility wasn't nearly as discussed as it is now. Worse yet, her friends weren't always so supportive. (At one point, when Charlotte frets that she'll never be able to have a baby, Samantha snaps at her: "I'm sorry. I thought this was brunch, not a fertility seminar.") Her subsequent miscarriage at the end of season six was also not a big talking point. Today, conversations around these topics have come more to the forefront, and presumably, it would be dealt with differently on the show, too.
6. Charlotte could have more evolved views of feminism: Charlotte was the most traditional of the four women. During the series, she had a tough time asking out men, believed that it was more "normal" for men to earn more than their wives, and had a tough time going out by herself on Saturday, or "date night." Possibly, with rise of the #MeToo movement and the conversations being had regularly about feminism, her strongly-held beliefs could be shaken a bit.
7. New York City's diversity could be more apparent: Yes, Miranda did date Dr. Robert Leeds, played by Blair Underwood, and Samantha had a brief affair with Brazilian artist Maria Diega Reyes. But the majority of the relationships the women had in the show were with white men. According to a report from New York University's Furman Center, which studies housing, neighborhoods and urban policy, New York City has become increasingly more diverse since the show premiered. The group's analysis of the 2010 census showed that in 51 percent of the city's census tracts, at least two racial or ethnic groups each made up 20 percent or more of the population, up from 38 percent of census tracts 20 years prior. "This analysis of changes in the racial/ethnic makeup of New York City's neighborhoods shows that while the city's white and black residents remain quite concentrated, they are becoming less so over time," the report read, in part. "The share of neighborhoods that we classify as majority white declined, showing some progress toward desegregation, and the share of mixed-minority neighborhoods increased, reflecting larger trends." Ostensibly, if the women were exposed to more men of varying ethnic and racial backgrounds, they might be open to dating some of those people, too.
8. The women would be more aware of social issues: In season three, Carrie dates a politician, and it's revealed that she's not registered to vote. Samantha always votes for the most attractive candidate, and Charlotte views politics as a good way to meet men. Given the current state of affairs in this country, it seems to be a given that they'd have more evolved political beliefs, and that would likely lead to a greater awareness of social issues, too. One social media account, @everyoutfitonsatc, has developed a trope around this theory, #WokeCharlotte, in which Charlotte corrects politically incorrect things that characters said throughout the series.
