Emily in Paris Season One Review

Emily in Paris is the latest show by Darren Star, the creator of shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Sex and the City. As the title suggests his latest show follows a woman called Emily in Paris.

Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) is a Chicago based social media manager who gets an unexpected job opportunity in Paris. She starts a new life in the French capital where she faces challenges both personal and professional.

Emily in Paris can be best described as froth. It’s a show where the audience can admire the scenery, food, fashion, and the pretty people. On a visual level, the show was pleasing to the eye. But beyond that Emily in Paris was nothing more than first-world problems, the TV show.

The show was made as a starring vehicle for Lily Collins – she produced the show as well as starred in it. Collins has a pretty, girl-next-door look and often a likeable presence in films. In Emily in Paris Collins was a manic pixie girl who was able to overcome any challenge thrown at her, comes up with massive marketing campaigns, becomes an Instagram influencer, and draws the attention of some attractive men. It was wish-fulfilment because Emily gets to work with fashion and high-end products.

Emily was essentially an updated version of Carrie Bradshaw. The newspaper columnist was modernised to be an Instagram Influencer and with the right post Emily could make or break a brand and she had the power to make a political statement. Like Carrie Bradshaw, Emily had plenty of suitors, but she was drawn to one particular man.

The series has been criticised by French critics for its portrayal of the people. To be fair to the series the world of fashion and high-end marketing can be elitist. If Emily were a Southern working in New York, or a working-class girl from a city like Liverpool or Newcastle working in London, she would have faced the same attitudes of snobbery. However, less forgivable was showing the majority of French people to be rude, sexual, and sexist – it was like the writers went through a checklist of French stereotypes and made sure they ticked every one.

Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian called Emily in Paris a metaphor for American imperialism. I thought that was just exaggeration but after watching the show that’s an accurate assessment. Emily’s job was to bring an American perspective to the French marketing firm and she pretty much told the French what to do and showed why American values were better.

I will admit I am not the target audience for Emily in Paris. At best it was a chocolate box, audiences can marvel at the famous landmarks and Emily’s outfits. But this was a show that had little substance.