The Creator of 'Sex and the City' Never Wanted Carrie to End Up With Big

"The show was never about a woman getting her man."

Sorry (not sorry) for the spoiler, but the ending of HBO's beloved series, Sex and the City, with Carrie Bradshaw falling head-over-Manolo Blahniks in love with Mr. Big (real name John James Preston) was never what the show's creator had in mind. Speaking to Vulture, Darren Star explained how that huge Parisian to-do leaned too far into traditional rom-coms for his liking.

Bustle notes that Star was a showrunner for SATC's first three seasons and eventually went on to be a consultant on the series (he also worked on masterpieces like Younger, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, and Emily in Paris). He praised Michael Patrick King, who took over for him, saying that "he did an amazing job," but added that he always wanted Carrie to end up happy by herself.

“Shows evolve and Carrie certainly evolved. But I always felt the show was never about a woman getting her man: That’s a traditional romantic comedy,” Star said. “It was about how women can define themselves 100%, that they didn’t have to be defined by marriage.”

Fans will remember that Charlotte, Carrie's friend, suggested that the women be each other's soul mates, saying that "we can let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with." Star would have loved that, he noted, but he knows that audiences probably wouldn't have.

“But if that were the ending, I’m not sure the audience would’ve loved it,” he said. “The show had a real audience-pleasing ending.”

Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie and continues to play her on Max's And Just Like That..., also weighed in on the show's conclusion, saying that while the show always championed friendships, finding a man to marry didn't take away from that message.

“I don’t think of it as someone diminishing herself by letting a man marry her—it always felt that she had arrived at that on her own,” she told Yahoo! Style back in 2016, years after the show wrapped up in 2004. “But the beauty is we can all have lots and lots of opinions about lots of choices Carrie made that we object to or that we stand by. If that’s Darren’s feeling, I think it’s interesting!”

After the show's final episode, fans were treated to a film in 2008 and a sequel in 2010. Now, viewers continue to follow Carrie and Co. with And Just Like That..., which is set to return with its third season in 2025.

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