Season 5 of the hit HBO television Show: Sex and The City (A Shortened Season)

Season 5 of Sex and The City came along differently than previous seasons, mostly because of the personal lives of some of the stars. Real life pregnancies complicated the shooting schedules for two of the leads (Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon) and it ended up hurting the show along with disappointing a legion of die-hard fans. The end result was a very shortened season, with only 8 episodes hitting the airwaves on HBO that season. On the one hand, it didn't allow any filler episodes in order to bridge the gaps between serious plot-lines, and it actually let the writers get to the point in less time. I think that actually worked to the benefit of the show, and the production of some very funny episodes really made it a season to be remembered. Not only that, but it really packed an emotional punch as a season too, and some might consider it the best yet.

For the unfamiliar with Sex and The City, it is of course the story of 4 women amidst the stressful dating scene within New York City. The primary star, and narrator to the show, is Sarah Jessica Parker in the role of Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie writes a sex column for a major New York newspaper, and through it tells the story of sex and dating within the city. Of course she draws from personal experience to find article topics, and through the article she also learns life lessons. Her three friends are played by Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes. All four are quite intelligent women, who are strong in the professional world, but have had issues with finding the perfect guy along the way. It of course leads to a lot of dating and talk of sex between the friends, as they all head down different roads trying to find "Mr. Right."

The fifth season picks up with all of the girls finding themselves single, and facing the difficulties again of traversing New York City in the hopes of finding love. Miranda has her new baby (Brady) to deal with and is frustrated that she is doing it alone, while Carrie works on publishing a book about the work she did working for the newspaper. Charlotte and Samantha are also dealing with the problems of being single, with Charlotte hoping that she can find someone else, but really stressing that she might never succeed. Samantha also has a tough time dealing with a beau that she isn't as interested in as he is with her. Funny moments abound in their efforts to get back into the dating scene, and each of them faces different problems along the way. The realism works quite well with how their stories evolve, and it is interesting to watch the dynamics of each character worked through.

There was a lot to offer in Season 5 of Sex and The City, and though it was short on episodes, it did offer some quite memorable moments. At first the season may have seemed like a very expensive purchase to fans, selling at the regular season price for only 8 episodes, but over the years the price has come down to a quite reasonable option. Season 5 has some of those episodes that fans of the show have got to see, and if you haven't made it to Season 5 yet, this is a must-have selection in your television show DVD collection. There are a few bonus features on the DVD, but they don't stand out as being particularly brilliant, and the remaining allure in this season is that the 8 episodes can be watched in a very enjoyable afternoon of Sex and The City. Had the set been selling for full price still I might have to knock it down to 4 stars, but at its current price, the shortened season is worth the 5 star recommendation.