Go behind 'Sex and the City' with Candace Bushnell in Patchogue

Writer Candance Bushell, originator of the column/book "Sex and the City" that inspired the HBO series, has become a Long Islander. Although still single and living in Manhattan, she purchased a weekend home in Sag Harbor in 2016.

"I love Long Island," says Bushnell, 65. "Sag Harbor is great because it’s very lively all year-round."

Often, she can be seen dining at The American Hotel, enjoying a spinach salad and some flounder with a familiar drink order. "I still do the cosmo!" proudly states Bushnell nodding to the signature drink of the series.

On Nov. 8, she will bring her one-woman show, "Candace Bushnell: True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City" to the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts. "It’s the origin story of ‘Sex and the City’ mixed with my life story," says Bushnell. "I talk about how hard I worked to get there, why I invented Carrie Bradshaw and what happened to me afterward."

CANDACE = CARRIE

Bushnell has lived a life close to Carrie Bradshaw, the lead character portrayed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker in the HBO series and films. Like Carrie, Bushnell wrote a column called "Sex and the City" for the New York Observer [the New York Star in the series].

"Each column was about a different relationship phenomenon," says Bushnell. "There was a big pack of friends who I interviewed for different stories and different columns."

These talks were similar to the ones Carrie has with her girlfriends Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) at the brunch table in the series where the conversation is quite colorful. "Oh, it always got bawdy," says Bushnell. "Funny, but very bawdy."

All innuendo and sass aside, Bushnell had a mission with her column.

"I’ve always been a feminist and my goal was to give women a different way to think about their lives," she says. "To not be pushed into thinking that they had to get married and have kids. The column gave them a bigger, more expansive outlook."

FROM PRINT TO SCREEN

After only publishing six columns, Hollywood came knocking to turn "Sex and the City" into a series or a film. The project debuted HBO June 6, 1998.

"About 90% of the lines from the pilot come right from my book, which is fun. Carrie’s voice is my voice," says Bushnell, who worked in the writer’s room for the first two seasons. "It was pretty faithful for the first couple of seasons, then it went off in its own direction."

Mary Schenck, who grew up in Smithtown, was immediately hooked from the first episode.

"I related completely to it because I worked in Manhattan behind the beauty counter at Macy’s," says Schenck, 63. "That whole scene was like my friends and I. We were all trying to get out in the dating world and meet the one."

Even Generation Z can learn from the Fab Four.

"I feel like the show presented the idea of being single in a way that I hadn’t thought about before," says Katherine Quinn, 23, of Rockville Centre, who binge watched the show during the pandemic. "The women in the show are both beautiful and accomplished while having these fun lives. It made me feel more comfortable about being single."

PERSONALITY PLACEMENTS

Very often viewers connect with one or more of the characters’ personalities dubbing themselves "a Carrie" or "a Miranda."

"I’m probably more of a Carrie because she overthinks things sometimes and becomes her own worst enemy," says Karen Schindler, 63, of Rocky Point. "But I aspire to be more like Miranda."

Meanwhile, Schenck has been told she’s like Samantha, which she only half agrees with.

"Samantha is straightforward and direct like me," says Schenck. "But I relate more to Miranda, who is smart, strong-willed and opinionated."

FAVORITE EPISODES

When it comes to the show, everyone has their favorite episodes and the messages behind them.

In "Unoriginal Sin," episode 2 of season 5, Charlotte goes to a motivational speaker who blames her for her marriage failing because she wasn’t trying hard enough.

"Charlotte stands up for herself and Carrie defends her," says Quinn. "It shows how these women are willing to advocate for one another. This resonates with the general theme of the show, which is women being each other’s soulmates."

Schindler likes "The Real Me," episode 2 of season 4, when Carrie falls on the runway becoming fashion roadkill.

"Carrie face-plants in the middle of everybody but she still gets up and finishes the walk. I love that," says Schindler. "The message is, even if you stumble, you must forge forward and keep going."

GET IN THE GAME

During her live show, Bushnell plays a game with the crowd called, "Real or Not Real." During this interactive portion, Bushnell puts up a clip from the show and asks the crowd, "Is this real or not real?"

"There are a lot of things in the TV show that happened in my real life, for better or worse," she says. "The crowd cheers whether they think it’s one or the other before I reveal the truth. Sometimes people yell things out, which I love."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.