Five Reasons Sex and the City is the Best TV Show of the 00's

At a recent screening of the cute rom-com, "Valentine's Day," the previews featured a trailer for the forthcoming "Sex and the City 2" movie. The audience, comprised of mostly girls (of course) gasped, giggled and cheered as the realization hit that SATC 2 was but mere months from coming to a theater near them.

The original "Sex and the City" TV series bowed on HBO in the summer of 1998. Based on the Candace Bushnell book of the same name (a compilation of her newspaper columns), the show was a frank and often raunchy commentary on love, sex and dating in the urban jungle. The 30-something lead characters bucked societal norms by not lusting after Mr. Right, but rather Mr. Right Now.

While the show garnered great buzz during its inaugural season, it would be its second season that firmly cemented "Sex and the City" as a cultural touchstone for women and to a certain degree, men. Since the show left the air in 2004, it has gone into (toned-down) syndication and spawned a blockbuster movie (chatter about a third and final installment in the movie series are unsubstantiated).

Whether there is a third movie or not, "Sex and the City" remains an iconic postcard to being single, sexy and fabulous. Here are five reasons why "Sex and the City" is the best TV show of the 2000's.

1. Darren Star

Conventional wisdom says heaps of praise should be showered upon "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell for penning the tome that invited us to share in the adventures of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. The truth is, if you never read the book, you're not missing much. Bushnell's writing style tends to be unfocused and after a while, you grow tired of trying to figure out what character is supposed to be based on what (in)famous New Yorker.

The book is mainly of interest to hardcore fans curious about the character's origins (Charlotte is a British journalist, Samantha a movie producer and Miranda, a little-seen cable TV executive). Props to series creator, Star, a friend of Bushnell's, for having the vision and skill to transform a shallow and frankly boring book, into one of TV's most compelling shows. Though much of the first season uses the same scattershot approach to storytelling as the book, it's no accident that once the show decided to focus on the travails of the four women, it took off into the stratosphere.

2. Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha

While the characters have been criticized for being shallow and self-absorbed, the truth is, we envied the bond the women shared. From their Saturday morning brunches to their forays into Manhattan's wild nightlife, to being each other's family, women everywhere were inspired to cultivate their own circle of girlfriends and adventures. While everyone had their "favorite" or woman they "were most like," there was a little Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha in each of us. Throughout the show's run, there was something each woman journeyed through that we could all identify with; the elusiveness of Mr. Big, marrying Mr. Wrong, letting in Mr. Right or dating a younger man. Regardless of which woman you like the most, "sex" wouldn't be the same without these four "in the city."

3. The Men

"Sex and the City" turned the tables on men, relegating them to the "girlfriend" role usually occupied by women in most movies and TV shows. In the world of "Sex and the City," men weren't the main event; they were eye candy, side dishes, the perfect clutch to go with that little black dress. We laughed at the freaks the women encountered (Miranda dates a guy who'll only have sex in public places) and cringed over the boorish behavior of others (like Charlotte's boyfriend who wanted a ménage a trois). However, it was the lasting romantic relationships the women formed that gave the show another dimension. You were either an Aiden or a Big person (the Russian doesn't count); you thrilled to Smith's devotion to Samantha, you cheered when Miranda finally gave Steve a chance and fell hopelessly in love with Harry. The meaningful connections the women made gave us all hope that not all guys were jerks.

4. The Clothes and the Shoes

There are countless things that "Sex and the City" made it "ok" to do: be single, not want kids, have sex. The list goes on. Perhaps one of the most overlooked was the right to go through life sans pantyhose. "Sex and the City's" whimsical and sometimes wacky (courtesy of costumer, Patricia Field) approach to fashion changed the way we view what's stylish. Much the way the four women's personalities spoke to us, they way they dressed also gave us something to ponder; Carrie's kooky blend of high-fashion and thrift shop finds; Charlotte's classic lines; Samantha's flair for color (who says New Yorkers only wear black?) and Miranda's eclectic edge, gave us permission to experiment with different styles, colors and textures in our own wardrobes. Not to mention, it gave us the right to shoes. Many memorable moments on this show revolved around shoes (Carrie's held up at gunpoint for her shoes, Carries shoes are stolen from a party, Charlotte encounters a shoe salesman with a foot fetish and so on). Though we couldn't afford those $500 strappy sandals from Manolo Blahnik, don't you wish YOU'D come up with the idea to register for a pair?

5. He's Just Not that Into You

"Sex and the City" was noted for its sharp, insightful writing and witty one-liners. However, it was a line uttered by Carrie's writer boyfriend, Berger (Ron Livingston) that has gone on to become a part of the national lexicon (not to mention a bestselling book and popular movie). When Miranda relayed the details of a date she thought had gone great, including that the guy had yet to call her, Berger piped in that the guy's "just not that into you." Berger explained that if a guy likes you, he's booking the next date then and there. And if not, well, he's just not that into you. This bit of information was a revelation for women everywhere who'd spent untold hours and days waiting for a phone call that would never come. We were now liberated and free to move on to the next guy who just MIGHT be into us. And if not, so what? There was always another one around the corner.