Is it the sex or is it the city that has its viewers all rattled up? The popular comedy Sex and the City is playing on HBO in its fifth season, and according to its increasing popularity, is going strong.

A winner of two Golden Globes last Sunday — including best actress in a comedy series for Sarah Jessica Parker, and best comedy series — SATC has gained nation wide recognition.

The show is based on the book Sex and the City, a collection of sex columns written by Candace Bushnell. After the producers of SATC discovered the book, an HBO original series was born.

Noted for its provocative sexual content and daring fashion forwardness, the show caught the attention of viewers and critics alike.

The series is centered on four single thirty-something New York women and their enthralling trials and tribulations. Parker plays the main character Carrie Bradshaw, a neurotic sex columnist who harbors an addiction to expensive shoe wear and is finding herself, as well as what she wants out of love.

Miranda Hobbes, played by Cynthia Dixon, is a sharp, career-oriented lawyer who values her independence above all else.

Kristin Davis plays Charlotte York, an optimist who holds traditional values about love and marriage.

Lastly Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattral, is a confident public relations executive who wants nothing more out of men than sex. So are the four women enough to generate a hit comedy series?

David Davis (senior-public relations) said the writing is witty, and the plots are hilarious.

"The show is thought-out and entertaining to watch. You want to see what's going to happen next."

Some liked the show's creative format and original ideas.

"The show's inventiveness makes it fun. I don't experience what these women go through, so it's fascinating to watch it from another person's perspective," said Dana Schirf (junior-marketing).

"It brings up topics about love and sex that aren't discussed everyday, people think about it, but the show gets them talking," said Rena Polonsky (sophomore-Jewish studies).

The majority of the viewers interviewed were college students, and some felt that it's a show to watch as a preview of what's to come in the future.

Lisa Harrison (junior-marketing) said, "I'm not in my thirties, but I can see myself living the single life like them."

Although SATC is known for its exhaustive look into the life of women, some viewers think the show tends to stereotype women into categories.

"The characters are tagged by labels. Women incorporate more of that than just those groups," said Kathleen Reynolds (freshman-education).

"If this show is supposed to represent women in relationships in general, it's definitely not diverse enough to cover the demographics of all women. The show surrounds four white women sitting around talking about sex; that is not the majority of the female population," said Kacy Gambles (senior-finance and international business).

Schirf thinks that although the relationship aspects are relate-able, their lifestyles are not. "It's not realistic that they live in spacious apartments in New York surviving on the pay that they receive; not considering their expensive designer clothes."

Polonsky thinks the ease that the viewers can relate to the character is a big reason for the show's success. "You can find a bit of yourself somewhere in each woman. I watch the show because I can see myself in their shoes."

Although Parker plays the main lead in the show, the show followers have assorted opinions of their favorite character.

Jessica Smith (sophomore-psychology and women's studies) says she appreciates Charlotte's naiveté and optimism. "Charlotte represents the girls that want to get married. Like many thirty-something women, she wants to settle down."

Davis thinks Carrie is the glue that holds the show together. "She's the most sane one out of the bunch, and we see the show mostly through her eyes."

Harrison prefers Miranda's level-headedness. "She plays the career woman who is realistic about love and has her eyes on her goals. She's an average woman surviving in a competitive society, you've got to give her credit for that."

"Samantha is an entertaining character, although she's a bit more promiscuous than most women, she knows what she wants and how to get it. There's nothing wrong with being bold and showing your aggressive side from time to time," Suzie Otto (sophomore-public relations) said.

But with all aspects considered, a question is still unanswered, which is more vital to the show, the sex or the city?

"Though sex is more prominent in the show because it grabs more attention, it would lose its novelty without the city." Otto says. "They are single and interesting New Yorkers who face the everyday situations in life and romance, and that's why we watch it."