Sex and the City changed the face of TV for good when it ran from 1998 to 2004. The series revolutionized the way American women talked about love, sex, and everything in between. But despite the fact the series is still one of HBO Max’s hottest offerings, a newcomer is shoring up Darren Star’s iconic series. And if you’ve been keeping track of this fall’s hottest TV offerings, you might be familiar with the name.
The Sex Lives of College Girls, Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s coming-of-age comedy, has taken the lead over Sex and the City on HBO worldwide. The show remains the second most popular offering on the streaming platform, outranking other sitcom classics such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory. The only series to outpace Kaling and Noble’s immense hit is, somewhat unsurprisingly, HBO’s Gossip Girl reboot.
The Sex Lives of College Girls takes place in a New England college where four teenage freshmen experiment with love and sex across their everyday school experience. Part drama and part comedy, the series isn’t afraid to tackle topics like cheating, UTIs, and navigating closeted lesbian desire. It has more in common with Sex Education than Sex and the City as a result, which might explain the show’s widespread popularity since its mid-November premiere.
Over in the U.S., The Sex Lives of College Girls slips behind Succession, which maintains the first place slot on HBO Max today. However, the series still beats out Sex and the City and Larry David’s iconic post-Seinfeld sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm in the States, suggesting Kaling and Noble’s series clicks for the show’s target U.S. demographic. With the comedy renewed for a second season, expect The Sex Lives of College Girls to continue to bring newcomers to HBO Max in the years ahead.