The Sex and the City series perfectly illustrates the story tropes of post-Depression romantic visual media that Stanley Cavell describes in Pursuits of Happiness. SATC centres around four women living in New York who have different approaches to dating and marriage. Most of the central characters are notably in their 30s, an age range that Cavell describes as ‘neither young nor old, experienced yet hopeful.’ This provides such characters the freedom to comfortably socialise in different settings whilst still having the potential to develop throughout the series. One of the show’s main appeals is its characters’ ‘unmistakably wealthy’ lifestyles, as they tend to spend their free time shopping for designer clothes and eating at expensive restaurants. Each character, by Cavell’s definition, has the leisure to talk, relish in and even write about human happiness whilst satisfying the audience’s viewing pleasures by providing them with a sense of escapism.
Cavell highlights how the genre of remarriage became one of the definite forms of early romance films, another notable factor that the series explores. For example, the show’s leading lady, Carrie, has an inconsistent relationship with a divorcee. Much like the heroines of traditional early romance films, as Cavell describes, she is unable to ‘claim’ her central love interest, as this is the main driving force that influences a lot of her behaviour throughout the series. So too does another central character, Charlotte, struggle to acquire a suitable husband as she marries twice whilst making desperate efforts to conceive a child.
The clip I have included demonstrates how the series manages to both comply and contradict with the romantic genre traditions identified by Cavell. Here, Carrie encounters her ex-boyfriend, who she refers to as ‘Mr Big.’ However, not only is Mr Big remarried at this point, but so too is Carrie revealed to be in a serious relationship with someone else. This is the main source of tension within this clip. Neither the leading man nor woman can ‘claim’ the other despite Carrie and Big seeming to have remaining feelings for one another. This is followed by Carrie spilling coffee over Mr Big, which serves as the comic relief action that unbinds this tension.
I agree that SATC is an excellent example of the comedy of remarriage, especially regarding the characters’ lavish lifestyles. Viewers may live vicariously through the depictions of their wealthy habits, even while they occasionally cringe at their romantic missteps, like the one depicted in this clip. Ultimately, we love watching rich people and all the drama of their lives, whether they get a happy ending or not — though of course, in the comedy of remarriage, they will.
Good point, I think this is a prime example of having characters be wealthy, not as a key part of the story, but as an excuse for drama filled plot lines. It is also one of the few examples of a romantic comedy in the form of a television show that I can think of, I wonder why there is not more of them…
I loved your analysis of Sex and The City! I would suggest watching a video-essay I recently watched that contextualizes the metropolitan brand of feminism that the series propagates—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIbIcJHKnXM. I think it’s interesting that in the postmodern zeitgeist of the 2010s, an analogous series of four women and their sexual exploits (I am, of course, talking about HBO’s Girls) doesn’t similarly mirror the comedies of remarriage. Are we too cynical for the rom-com in the 21st century?
Your observations on SATC connect well to Cavell’s view of romance and remarriage. I agree that the characters’ position in society also enables them to entertainingly navigate the dating (and marriage) world as depicted in the show.