I began watching Sex and the City right around age sixteen when we finally got digital cable with On Demand in our house.  Ever since watching that very first episode, I’ve been hooked.  What began as a guilty pleasure (I attended boarding school and didn’t know any other guys who watched the show) soon turned into an unabashed love affair. 

At this point, four years after the show has ended, I have seen every single episode at least twice, some as many as ten times, and can recite many of the plot lines just from the name of the title. 

This sort of obsessive behavior might be understandable, if not normal, were it coming from, say, a single woman in their twenties or thirties.  But alas, I am not a single woman in my thirties.  In fact, I am not a woman at all; I am a guy just barely in my twenties who grew up in suburban New Jersey.  Why then do I so love the series? 

Well, first off, it showed me that there was another world outside of the stultifying surroundings of New Jersey.  This world was glamorous not only because of the parties and couture shopping, but most of all because the four main characters lead such independent and self-determined lives. 

For me, the show represented adulthood in all its most appealing and exciting aspects.  There were fabulous dinners and chic parties as well as mature relationships, real friendships and fulfilling careers. 

In short, it was everything to which I aspired, even at that age.  While other guys played fantasy baseball, I fantasized about having a Carrie-style apartment and living life on my own terms. 

Since moving to New York one year ago this month from France, I have only grown to enjoy the show even more as I still watch old episodes from On Demand. 

While some credit the show with helping shift the social paradigm of what it means to be a single woman, for me it has just been about the freedom to live your life the way you want.  Whatever the message or inspiration you derive from the story, there is no denying that it smart, funny and at its core, entertaining—all the things one could want in a series.

All this said, I already have my ticket bought for the 12AM Thursday night opening here in New York.