As a straight single male who confesses to being baffled by most women's personalities, I found this first series was full of intrigue and some surprises. It would seem that single women, as well as men, lead lives of (sometimes) quiet desparation. Here you have 4 women, 3 of which constantly claim to be looking hard for "Mr. Right" for the fulfillment of marriage. The 4th's closet tendencies in this direction come to light as well. So, what are some of the earth shaking problems several of the oft-cited otherwise PERFECT men have (which make them unacceptable husband material)? One twenty-something just isn't quite smooth and sophisticated enough - somewhat puppy-like socially. Another (how shocking) would like to have his partner engage in oral sex with him. A third commits the unpardonable sin of being "too small" - and sadly the solution his very experienced partner comes up with is crying instead of talking to him about it. And finally, the dreaded failure to commit to lifelong plans soon enough, despite being completely candid about where he stands and some of the negative life-experiences he's had to explain his position. Sorry girls, but if this is even a vague hint of the truth, it's little wonder it's so hard to find "true love" these days. There are no "perfect" men (or women) of course. There are certainly epiphanies one can understand and relate to. The classic stereotype of the 30-something woman waking up after a sleepover sex-date in the CLASSIC 20-something bachelor's apartment, and morning drivel-macho-rant he spouts was a riot, and right-on for far too many of my former friends in bygone years, for example. The too-sad pregneant suburbia mom-to-be that we learn how much she HATES her post-single-wild life, despite all her bluster to the contrary to her new-mom peers the day before sounded like it had a ring of truth. Looking forward to the second season DVD release (I never watch HBO). I hope the characters and the subjects continue to develop, and explore a wider variety of themes.I am 29 years old and I just now decided to start watching Sex and the City. Since we have HBO shows on Prime I thought I would see what all the popularity was about. I remember watching some of it when I was much younger, around 12, when the whole idea of sex was foreign to me - the girls equivalent of looking at your dad's dirty magazines lol. It was interesting then to say the least! I don't think my parents would have approved. Anyways, I decided to re-visit much later. Wow! The most interesting aspect of this show isn't so much the story lines and insight into the female conscious but the New York back drop in the late 90's early 2000's. It's amazing how the times have changed. That could also be said for the female characters. This show was created during a pivotal moment for many working women, gays, and singles. I had to explain to my husband what made this show so progressive because now days women are much more liberal and free spirited. Back then it was still fairly taboo to discuss sex so openly as women.I do find the plots to be slow developing but I am on season 2 now and it has progressed well. The whole story with Mr. Big, will they won't they, it goes on and on. I will say that their relationship was interesting but it's starting to get boring. I feel myself yelling at how stupid Carrie is at times. Samantha is by far the most developed character in my opinion. Carrie has the narrative thoughts by default, but Samantha is much more interesting to me. She is simply her own person but has faults just the same. It is fun to watch all the many scenarios she lives. Miranda is the funniest and has the biting wit. Charlotte is funny in a naive way but can be so dull and "safe." which I guess helps balance the group. Carrie is a combination of all of them but I find her to be blind for someone the same age (roughly) as myself however she is a coming-of-age character. Late 20's are definitely an interesting period where women develop into a more mature and grounded person. The episode where she does nothing but make out with the younger guy and then wakes up the next day to understand the difference between the early 20's vs late 20's is spot on.I love watching this show when I have nothing better on like GOT or TWD, and I find it to be insightful at times. I understand it isn't real but the whole notion of a sex columnist affording rent and high fashion in New York these days is laughable. It is a good show for escapism and the occasional moment when you realize how spot on the observations are about women, men, relationships. I would say it is like the Seinfeld of female drama shows with a bit more depth and emotion. I could write a whole essay on this show which I am sure has already been done so I will just say it is fun to watch at least once around and offers its female audience the opportunity to pause and think about their own experiences. I even find my husband entertained by its observations and humor at times.I missed this series in the 90's since I didn't have cable, and I was too busy to watch it anyway. I'm actually kind of glad I'm watching it 20 years later, because if I had watched it in my 20's, it might have influenced me to take more risks in my sex life, and as a result I would probably have herpes or some other STD. Regardless, this is a very entertaining series about four beautiful, professionally successful women in Manhattan who dish together on a regular basis about the current men in their lives. (These women change men like they change shoes, but they all have their favorites.). One of the women, Carrie Bradshaw, writes a regular newspaper column about sex and relationships in New York City. Each episode has a storyline that complements the theme for her column that week. Some of the themes include: sex with younger men; pros and cons of performing certain sexual favors; looking for Mr. Right vs. settling for great sex and no relationship hassles; break-ups; couples vs. singles vs. trios; motherhood vs. no kids; masturbation--and more! It's fun to re-live the 90's, including seeing the fashions, lack of cell phones, and music. I would appreciate seeing an episode or two that deals with safe sex and STD's. I'm worried that younger women may watch the series and see the strong female characters as role models, and seek to follow suit with similar sexual explorations (and not considering the possible consequences as carefully as they should!) Watching this series is a guilty pleasure, and I look forward to finding out what happens in the seasons that follow.The first series started the TV phenomenon at the end of the 1990s, with the successful transition to TV screen of Bushnell's "Sex and the City", with our protagonists Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha at the helm, over the course of twelve episodes spread over two discs.If you enjoy the repeats on satellite channels, or haven't seen what all the fuss is about, here is a great place to start your journey with the girls, who question women's sexual roles in the modern setting of New York City.The series has been repackaged (I presume to streamline the collection), but as a result, the extra features that featured on the original NTSC package seem to have been sucked out and replaced with a dull, inanimate episode menu - contrasting greatly to the animated menus that feature on later box sets. This is a minor quibble however.Break in your Manolos, pour yourself a Cosmopolitan and get ready for many an hour laughing, crying and cringing in the company of these four fiesty women.Featuring language audio in French, Italian and Spanish.Subtitles in English, French, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch.I didn't watch this at the time (was I the only female in the world who didn't see the series?), even though I was that age group. Got put off by the hype... thought I would give it a go now. Even though I didn't think it would be for me, it's one of those you just can't stop watching. Only thing is don't know if it's just mine but it seems very poor quality picture, will have to see if it gets better further in. Other than that, if you didn't see it first time around like me, you must try it .. if the quality was better I would have given 5 stars.It's hard to imagine a time without Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda now, but this time was 1998, when the show's first season started. The First season covers all that was taboo in the 90's and explores the complex relationship between men and woman, being far too young to have seen the first series originally it was good to have a look at were it all started. I haven't written much as i don't want to give to much away. The only downside is there are only 12 episodes and no extras. The episodes are only around 25 mins long which means i ploughed through them in two evenings.Oh well.... I'm a Native New Yorker... and so... what can I say? It's a feast for the eyes of a native new yorker, living in exile in another part of the world.Even now 20 years later, (and I didn't enjoy watching it when I was younger in the late 90's.. it seemed trite to me then.. but now... all those images of the city I love. Like Woody Allan's films.. Manhattan and Annie Hall.)This was the first time that the girls, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte graced our screens as the straight talking, sex talking career girls of New York that we all wanted to emulate in one way or another. It's great to look back and so how the series changed and developed as the seasons wore on. And it's still great to watch. If you are going to collect the box sets... then this is a good place to start!