Sex and the City had a reputation for getting quite risque with the four leading ladies of the series, and its status as an HBO show meant that there wasn't a whole lot that they couldn't get on the airwaves. As it turns out, however, the was a certain instance way back in the first season that went so far that HBO -- yes, HBO -- censored it from ever making it on the air, and that scene just so happened to feature Charlotte's love interest getting oral sex from a dog. Here's how Sex and the City creator Darren Starr described the cut scene:
It was really the end of the story line. He basically was always pushing her head down to give him oral sex. And he had this golden retriever who was always around. In the final scene, she basically let him have it about being offended by his insistence on just wanting a blow job. She accused him of only liking her for that and kind of stormed out. And then she walked back in and saw that his golden retriever was going down on him.
Can I just go ahead and say... ew? It's pretty easy to see why HBO would say no to this particular scene, which was actually filmed before the network shot it down. The Season 1 episode could show the ladies discussing the pros and cons of oral sex as well as Charlotte taking a stand for herself about things she does not like to do with a man, but showing a guy going seriously icky places with his dog was evidently too far. This really isn't what people mean when they refer to dogs as "man's best friend." It may have been for the best that Darren Star had to cut the scene.
The episode was actually the seventh ever to hit the airwaves back in 1998, so Sex and the City was still working out the kinks as it figured itself out. Unsurprisingly, Charlotte's relationship with Michael did not end up as one of the epic romances of the series. Despite the two seeming like a great fit who wanted to be exclusive outside of the bedroom, his expectations for oral sex were too much for Charlotte, and they called it quits. In the episode as it aired, Charlotte dumped him after an argument over whether he could be with her if she refused to perform oral sex. She ended up storming out, and that was that. No canines involved other than the golden retriever happening to be in the area.
In his chat with Vanity Fair, Darren Star went on to express his disbelief that they'd ever gone for that particular twist, saying this:
It's sort of horrifying that we shot that. We shot him putting peanut butter on his penis, and Charlotte walks back in like, 'Oh, I'm being unreasonable,' and then she sees that. . . . I can't believe we even thought about doing it.
I'm going to go ahead and say "ew" again. Something tells me that Sex and the City fans aren't going to be devastated to learn that this scene ended up on the cutting room floor. PETA may have had something to say at even the hint that this was something Michael was into. It's difficult to even imagine Sex and the City doing anything like this at all in its later seasons. Fortunately for Charlotte, she didn't have to go on with her life with that particular image in her head.
If you're now in the mood for some Sex and the City, you can find all six seasons streaming (without any canine oral sex) streaming on Amazon Prime. Our Amazon Prime rundown can point you toward more streaming options, and our summer premiere guide can help you narrow down your other potential shows.
