Editing Sex and the City (section)

==Development==
The show is based on writer [[Candace Bushnell]]'s column "[[Sex and the City (newspaper column)|Sex and the City]]", published in ''[[The New York Observer]]'', which was later compiled into a book of the same name. Bushnell has mentioned in several interviews that the character of [[Carrie Bradshaw]] in her columns is her [[alter ego]]. Initially, she wrote the column from her first-person perspective but later invented Carrie, introduced as Bushnell's friend, so her parents would not realize they were reading about her own sex life. Both Bushnell and the television version of Carrie (who had no last name in the column) share the same initials, further emphasizing their connection. Like Bushnell, Carrie writes columns for the fictional ''New York Star'', which are eventually compiled into a book within the series, and later becomes a writer for ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kurutz |first=Steven |date=2018-06-06 |title=It's an It Girl! The Birth of 'Sex and the City' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/style/how-did-sex-and-the-city-start.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206195245/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/style/how-did-sex-and-the-city-start.html |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=2022-02-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Bushnell collaborated with television producer [[Darren Star]], whom she had met while profiling him for ''Vogue'', to adapt the columns for television. Both [[HBO]] and [[ABC Network (United States)|ABC]] expressed interest in the series, but Star ultimately chose HBO for the creative freedom it offered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yes, journalist Candace Bushnell really did live the 'Sex and the City' life |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2018/06/11/yes-journalist-candace-bushnell-really-did-live-the-sex-and-the-city-life/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629184427/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2018/06/11/yes-journalist-candace-bushnell-really-did-live-the-sex-and-the-city-life/ |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |access-date=2022-02-06 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Star wrote the pilot with Sarah Jessica Parker in mind for the role of Carrie. According to Parker, "I was flattered but didn't want to do it. He convinced me, begged me to do it, and I signed a contract."<ref name="tv">{{cite web |title=365gay.com |url=http://www.365gay.com/entertainment/feature/022706feature.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323111952/http://www.365gay.com/entertainment/feature/022706feature.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2006 |access-date=March 16, 2006 |work=Sarah Jessica Parker |df=mdy-all}} available at the</ref> The pilot episode was shot in June 1997, a year before the series premiered.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Karla |date=2018-05-07 |title='Sex and the City' Boss Darren Star Offered Kristin Davis the Role of Carrie |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/sex-and-the-city-darren-star-offered-kristin-davis-carrie-role/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504000117/https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/sex-and-the-city-darren-star-offered-kristin-davis-carrie-role/ |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |access-date=2019-01-27 |publisher=Usmagazine.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2010-05-14 |title=Hair Changes, Nudity Clauses and Sarah Jessica Parker's Reluctance: How Sex and the City Painstakingly Came Together &#124; E! News Australia |url=https://www.eonline.com/au/news/939792/hair-changes-nudity-clauses-and-sarah-jessica-parker-s-reluctance-how-sex-and-the-city-painstakingly-came-together |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023093758/https://www.eonline.com/au/news/939792/hair-changes-nudity-clauses-and-sarah-jessica-parker-s-reluctance-how-sex-and-the-city-painstakingly-came-together |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |access-date=2019-01-27 |publisher=Eonline.com}}</ref> However, Parker initially disliked the pilot, stating, "I hated the look, the clothes ... I didn't think it worked" and feared it might end her career.<ref name="tv" /> She even offered to work on three HBO movies unpaid to be released from her contract. Though Star refused to release her, he listened to her concerns and made significant changes before shooting the first season. Reflecting on the experience, Parker said, "The funny thing, after the first episode of season one, I never looked back, and the rest is history. I never thought, though, that the show would become what it has become."<ref name="tv" />