Posted on: Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Syndication will mean less 'Sex' in the city

Associated Press

Expect less sex in the syndicated version of HBO's "Sex and the City."

"We joke there will be no Samantha" after the censors have their way, writer Cindy Chupak said of the sexually voracious character played by Kim Cattrall — who settled down with one man and found love by the series' end.

Syndication pleases star Sarah Jessica Parker, even if the shows are toned down for a broader audience. After six seasons, the last new episode aired Feb. 22.

"I am not sad about a larger audience," Parker, who played columnist Carrie Bradshaw, said Friday at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

Parker, executive producer Michael Patrick King, Chupak and the show's five other writers appeared at the comedy festival, which ended Sunday.

The writers, all women, described how their real-life experiences made their way into the scripts.

In the sanctity of the writers' room, they discussed their dates and relationships.

"Very often that bleeds into story building," said writer Elisa Zuritsky.

Some of the writers said they share the characters' love of expensive shoes. Amy B. Harris acknowledged she has 50 to 75 pairs; Jenny Bicks' collection consists of about 30 pairs.

And Parker's shoe wardrobe? "I can't talk about it," she said with a laugh.