It's the end of an era - Sex And The City bows out on Friday and women everywhere will be throwing their Manolo Blahnkits at the box. Is there anything that can take its place as must-see TV?

THE New York Sex And The City girls are casting aside their Manolos and sashaying sexily off into the night. It's the end of an era.

And with Seattle's most famous radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane hanging up his mike and the pals of Central Perk departing in a few weeks' time, Channel 4, which screens all three in Britain, will be left with some large holes in its schedule.

Andrew Canter, head of broadcasting at the Media Planning Group, says the next 18 months will be a big challenge for the channel. ''There's a real dearth of quality programming coming out of the States at the moment, and that is going to affect broadcasters like Channel 4.''

Rosie Bosworth at Channel 4 agrees it is the end of an era, but remains upbeat. The channel, together with E4, will continue to screen new seasons of big name US series like The Sopranos, Will And Grace and Six Feet Under, as well as the new plastic surgery hit Nip/Tuck.

In addition, the channel has three new drama series - The OC, hailed as Beverley Hills 90210 for the 21st century, Line Of Fire and Without A Trace.

Bosworth says: ''We are confident that this year's programmes will prove just as successful with viewers. Series such as Nip/Tuck and Line Of Fire have already enjoyed success in the US and, backed up by existing shows such as Will And Grace and Six Feet Under, 2004 should prove an exciting year.''

GMTV television reviewer Richard Arnold also believes sitcom and drama fans should be optimistic. ''To be fair, it was about time Friends, Sex And The City and Frasier bowed out," he says. "Friends, in particular, was beginning to look well past its sell-by date - the stars were just too old to be credible in the roles. There are a number of strong new sitcoms being offered and Will And Grace has yet to peak and remains one of the funniest shows on the box.''

Arnold believes British TV fans should also look closer to home for future comedy hits. ''BBC Three has some real gems such as Nighty Night, which stars Angus Deayton," he says. "It's a dark comedy and is certainly as uncomfortably funny as The Office to watch and I hope it will prove as big. Little Britain is also fantastic. US imports have their place but there are some really good home-grown comedies and dramas, which are too often forgotten.''

And if all that doesn't satisfy viewers, there will, no doubt, always be repeats of Frasier, Friends and Sex And The City to enjoy.

Here are the shows to watch on Channel 4:

WITHOUT A TRACE

A NEW criminal drama series, starring Murder One Emmy-award winner Anthony LaPaglia, who plays dedicated senior agent Jack Malone. He heads a special task force which hunts for missing persons by applying advanced psychological profiling. Malone's team includes Vivian Johnson, played by British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who shot to fame in Mike Leigh's Secrets And Lies. The drama surrounds their investigations into the victims' lives in order to trace them and discover whether they've been abducted, are missing by choice, were murdered or committed suicide.

THE OC (ORANGE COUNTY)

A TEEN drama in the same mould as Beverley Hills and the recently departed Dawson's Creek. When Ryan Atwood, a tough, guarded, yet intelligent 16-year-old, moves to the privileged community of Newport Beach, he soon discovers the ruling families of Orange County are every bit as territorial as the tough crowd he used to run with. The series deals with the day-to-day trials and tribulations of Atwood's presence in the community and the family he moves in with. The family - idealistic Sandy Cohen, his wife Kirsten, the linchpin of OC society, their awkward adolescent son, Seth, and troubled girl-next-door Marissa Cooper all have their own secrets to hide.

NIP/TUCK

DRAMA set in a south Florida plastic surgery clinic called McNamara and Troy. Sean McNamara, played by Dylan Walsh, is having problems at home with his wife Julia, played by British actress Joely Richardson. If that wasn't enough, McNamara also has to contend with his sex-crazed business partner Christopher Troy, played by Julian McMahon, who uses his ''charm'' to lure in potential female customers. It has had rave reviews in the US.

LINE OF FIRE

DESCRIBED as a cross between The Sopranos and The Shield, the drama revolves around the world of organised crime in a regional FBI office, focusing on both a powerful crime syndicate and the ambitious agents who try to crack it. The gritty show stars Leslie Hope of 24 fame.

l The last episode of Sex And The City, preceded by a farewell review of the series at 9.30pm, is at 10.30pm on Friday; Friends ends on May 28.