# Michael Patrick King
**Michael Patrick King** (born 1954 in [Scranton, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/scranton-pennsylvania)) is an American television producer, writer and director best known as the showrunner of *Sex and the City*, the writer-director of its two feature films, and the creator of *[The Comeback](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comeback-tv-series)*, *2 Broke Girls*, and *AJ and the Queen*, and the initiator of the revival series *And Just Like That...*[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008082604.html) • [2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954, Scranton, Pennsylvania[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008082604.html) |
| Signature franchise | *Sex and the City*: showrunner for five seasons, writer of 31 episodes, director of 10, and writer-director-producer of both films[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/) • [2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king) |
| Films | *Sex and the City* (2008) grossed more than $400 million worldwide; he wrote, directed and produced it and its 2010 sequel[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/274521-Michael-Patrick-King) |
| Created series | *The Comeback* (with Lisa Kudrow), *2 Broke Girls*, *AJ and the Queen* (with RuPaul), *Temporarily Yours*[2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king) • [4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/) |
| Revival | *And Just Like That...* (2021–2025), initiated by King with Sarah Jessica Parker's buy-in; 23 episodes as executive producer and developer, 11 as director[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/) • [4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/) |
| Emmy nominations | Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (2004, *Sex and the City*); Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (2026, *The Comeback*)[8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-patrick-king) |
## Early life and career beginnings
King was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and moved to New York City at age 20, where he waited tables while developing as a playwright and stand-up comic[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008082604.html) • [2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king). A 2000 Los Angeles Times profile traced the same path: he arrived in New York as an aspiring actor, became a playwright and a stand-up comic, dabbled in improv, then moved to Los Angeles to write for television[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-ca-16027-story.html).
His first television work was on *Murphy Brown*, where he is credited as a writer on 10 episodes from 1991, later story editor and executive story editor, and producer on 10 episodes in 1993[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/). He has called writing for *Murphy Brown* "the Yale School of Drama for comedy writing"[10](https://www.moviemaker.com/sex-and-the-city-the-movie-michael-patrick-king-20080522/). In a 2011 Television Academy oral history he described writing for *Caroline's Comedy Hour*, where he hired [Jon Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-stewart), and becoming executive producer of *The Sweet Life* on The Comedy Channel[11](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-patrick-king). He created the short-lived sitcom *Temporarily Yours*, which ran for six episodes in 1997[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-ca-16027-story.html) • [4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/).
## Will & Grace
King worked on *Will & Grace* in its first seasons, credited as consulting producer on 5 episodes in 1998 and writer on 2 episodes in 1999[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/). The Los Angeles Times profile describes him consulting on the first season and punching up scenes during tapings[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-ca-16027-story.html). In his oral history he recalled writing for *Sex and the City* and *Will & Grace* at the same time[11](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-patrick-king).
## Sex and the City
Sources differ on exactly when King joined *Sex and the City*: [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) says he joined at the pilot stage and remained involved until the six-season finale[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/), while Deadline reports he joined after the pilot as a co-executive producer[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/). Both agree on the trajectory: he rose to executive producer and became showrunner of the Emmy-winning series[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/) • [2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king). His credit record on the series (1998–2004) lists writer on 31 episodes, executive producer on 82, co-executive producer on 11, and director on 10[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/).
**The films.** After *The Comeback* ended in 2005, King left television to mount the first *Sex and the City* film, which he wrote, directed and produced; it grossed more than $400 million worldwide[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/). He wrote, directed and produced the 2010 sequel as well[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/274521-Michael-Patrick-King). A third film was penned but never shot, and King has said some of its strands were carried into *And Just Like That...*[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/). In 2010 he signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to return to series television[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/).
## The Comeback, 2 Broke Girls, and AJ and the Queen
King co-created *The Comeback* with [Lisa Kudrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-kudrow); the 2005 HBO comedy earned Kudrow an Emmy nomination[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/) • [2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king). The Guardian describes it as one of his most loved and most underwatched shows[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow).
*2 Broke Girls*, on CBS, ran for 138 episodes from 2011 to 2017, with King credited as writer (created by) on all of them, executive producer on all, writer of 19, and director on 5 in 2015[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/). The SCAD TVfest biography says he co-created the series with [Whitney Cummings](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitney-cummings)[2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king), while IMDb credits him as sole creator; the two records have not been reconciled. The Guardian calls it one of the last major long-running multi-camera sitcoms and notes it was derided by critics for jokes about race, gender and sexuality[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow).
He created Netflix's *AJ and the Queen* with RuPaul, a 10-episode 2020 series on which he directed 4 episodes[2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king) • [4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/).
## And Just Like That...
It was King, with buy-in from star [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-jessica-parker), who initiated the *Sex and the City* revival *And Just Like That...*, a 10-episode series that premiered on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) on December 9, 2021[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/). Across its 2021–2025 run he is credited as writer (developed by) and executive producer on 23 episodes and director on 11[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/). The Guardian characterizes the revival as controversial[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow).
## Style and themes
King has described himself as a "repressed Irish Catholic gay man" from Scranton, Pennsylvania[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/). In his Television Academy oral history he explains the importance of fashion in *Sex and the City* and describes how New York functions as its own character in the series[11](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-patrick-king).
He frames his subject matter through social exclusion. "I always believed that the success of the first series was because there was a villain, and that villain was a society that said that single people are lepers," he told The Hollywood Reporter; in the revival, the villain is society's treatment of women over 50, since being 55 is now "not worthy" the way being unmarried once was[7](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/). He has also discussed creating strong female characters across his series[11](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-patrick-king). Critical reception has not been uniformly favorable: beyond the criticism of *2 Broke Girls*, The Guardian characterizes *And Just Like That...* as controversial, while King argues it will "age well"[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow).
## By the numbers
King's series credits span 1991 to 2026. On *Sex and the City* he wrote 31 and directed 10 of the series' episodes across 1998–2004[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/); *2 Broke Girls* ran 138 episodes (2011–2017)[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/); *The Comeback* totaled 21 episodes across 2005–2014, with King directing 8 in 2005[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/); *AJ and the Queen* ran 10 episodes in 2020[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/); and King was credited on 23 episodes of *And Just Like That...*, which ran from 2021 to 2025[4](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/). The 2008 *Sex and the City* film grossed more than $400 million worldwide[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/).
## Awards and recognition
The Television Academy's record shows King nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004 as executive producer of *Sex and the City*, and individually nominated the same year for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the series[8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-patrick-king). *The Comeback* earned Lisa Kudrow an Emmy nomination[5](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/), and King himself received a 2026 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for *The Comeback* episode "Valerie Does It All" (HBO Max)[8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-patrick-king).
## The Comeback's return
The third and final season of *The Comeback*, created by King with Lisa Kudrow, was set to air in March 2026, more than 20 years after the series' original debut[2](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king). The new season returned in April 2026 with a storyline involving AI research and placed Valerie back in a multi-camera sitcom, a format King calls "Valerie's holy grail"; he loves the format, having started his career in it[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow).
## References
1. [King, Michael Patrick, 1954- , Library of Congress authority record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008082604.html)
2. [In Conversation with Showrunner Michael Patrick King, SCAD TVfest](https://www.scadtvfest.com/2026/panel/conversation-showrunner-michael-patrick-king)
3. ['We got cancelled and we're still here!' Michael Patrick King on The Comeback, The Guardian (April 1, 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/01/michael-patrick-king-the-comeback-ai-twist-lisa-kudrow)
4. [Michael Patrick King credits, IMDb Pro](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/)
5. [Michael Patrick King Back In Television With Warner Bros TV Mega-Deal, Deadline (2010)](https://deadline.com/2010/04/michael-patrick-king-back-in-television-with-a-warner-bros-tv-deal-36803/)
6. [AFI Catalog – Michael Patrick King](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/274521-Michael-Patrick-King)
7. ['Sex and the City' Boss on HBO Max Revival, The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sex-and-the-city-boss-interview-hbo-max-revival-1235054858/)
8. [Michael Patrick King, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-patrick-king)
9. [An Outrageous Voice of 'Sex and the City', Los Angeles Times (2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-06-ca-16027-story.html)
10. [Michael Patrick King Talks About Sex, MovieMaker Magazine (2008)](https://www.moviemaker.com/sex-and-the-city-the-movie-michael-patrick-king-20080522/)
11. [Michael Patrick King, Television Academy Interviews (oral history, 2011)](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-patrick-king)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Producers, studio executives, and showrunners › Television producers and showrunners › Comedy and sitcom creators*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license