Living Single and the City | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Living Single and the City

The Shocking Similarities Between Living Single and Sex and the City

838
Living Single and the City
Edwin J. Viera

In the 1990’s television reached a golden age with such hit classics like Seinfeld, FRIENDS, Cheers, Frasier, etc. Yet, many other sitcoms, dramas, and comedies are left in a shadow of these shows. One in particular is the FOX sitcom, Living Single.

Living Single ran from 1993 to 1998 and had 118 episodes spread over 5 seasons. It starred Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, T.C. Carson, and John Henton. This show became well-known as one of the greatest shows to star an all African-American cast at that time.

The show was about the lives of four women dealing with life, work, and the pursuit of matrimony. Living Single ended in 1998, the same year another sitcom was starting that would break the boundaries of relationships and sex on television.

HBO's Sex and the City ran from 1998 to 2004 and had 94 episodes spread over 6 seasons. It starred Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon. It was about four women dealing with life, work, and the pursuit of matrimony... sound familiar

Both shows are strangely similar in that they center around four women and that the driving factors are exactly the same. Even the development of the characters is the same. It begs a question; could they be the same show?

One of the main things that keeps Sex and the City separate from Living Single is the fact that it is adapted from a book. The book, Sex and the City is a series of columns by Candace Bushnell which were originally in The New York Observer. Although, as in most cases, the book is very different from the show.

In the book, Sex and the City the characters are very different in both development and characteristics. Yet, on the show it comes full circle to the So how did the show manage to copy Living Single?

For starters, the main characters equal out. On Living Single the main character, Khadijah is the editor-in-chief of her own magazine who loves a guy that she has a difficult time being with, Terrance. In Sex and the City, Carrie's job is to write aa column about relationships and has a hard time being with Mr. Big.

By the end of the series, both characters end up with the man they have had a tumultuous history with. Both also have three best friends that they talk with about their problems. They even have similar personalities.

On Living Single, Khadijah's friend Maxine "Max" Shaw is a lawyer that is also quite judgmental; this is the same personality as well as thee same job of Miranda Hobbes from Sex and the City. Both women end up getting pregnant with a kid for a guy they either couldn't stand or broke up with. In the end, they marry that guy and have a great family.

Synclaire James, Khadijah's cousin, is a bubbly up beat woman who is extremely naive and believes in true love. On Sex and the City, Charlotte York - Goldenblatt is a bubbly naive woman who believes in true love, but Charlotte is an art dealer instead of a secretary like Synclaire.

Finally comes Regina "Regine" Hunter. She is a fashion savvy woman who loves to date as well as have sex. Regine is likened to Samantha Jones who equally likes having sex and has many dates. Throughout the shows both women end up settling into monogamous relationships.

Seeing as how the women are similar now it comes down to the men. Khadijah's boyfriend, Terrance, starts out as her childhood best friend, but they move beyond that; even when he goes on a 6-month tour with a band. His Sex and the City counterpart is Mr. Big. While Mr. Big is emotionally and in later seasons physically unavailable, Terrance isn't.

Kyle Barker is a stock broker that usually spars with Maxine but ends up dating her until he leaves for London at the end of the fourth season. When Maxine decides to become a mother, she gets a super donor but doesn't know it's from Kyle. While the show doesn't specify if they ended up together they appeared on the show Half & Half. Max and Kyle are married with one child.

Kyle and Maxine's happily ever after matches that of Miranda Hobbes and Steve Brady, Kyle's Sex and the City counterpart, Steve Brady. He is a bartender that Miranda falls in love with during season 2 of Sex and the City. It also happens that Miranda ends up pregnant by Steve despite him having one testicle, due to testicular cancer, and her having only one good ovary.

Last but not least comes Overton Jones; the handy man of the brownstone that Khadijah, Synclaire, Regine, and Kyle all live. he ends up with Synclaire and often gives all the characters some down home advice.

Sex and the City, the television show, is preceded by the book which primarily keeps it from being an exact copy of Living Single. All the characters from the book are the same as in the show, yet it went on to do a lot more than Living Single did.

It just seems too coincidental that these two shows would end up being so similar. Especially since the year that Living Single finished is the same year that Sex and the City began. Living Single was the blueprint to Sex and the City, but it seems as though it was just cleverly copied.

Sex and the City went on to do two more movies, and the series is in talks for a third film. Living Single now lives on through YouTube, and in 1990’s sitcom history as one of the greatest not so well-known sitcoms in history.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

185522
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

11764
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

455619
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25184
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments