Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and developed initially for Paramount Network, where it was given a straight-to-series order in September 2018, the series moved to Netflix in July 2020. Filming takes place in Île-de-France, mainly in Paris and its suburbs, and began in August 2019.
Emily in Paris premiered on October 2, 2020, to positive reviews in the United States but criticism in France for negatively stereotyping Parisians and the French.[3] In November 2020, the series was renewed for a second season by Netflix, which premiered on December 22, 2021.[4][5][6] In January 2022, the series was renewed for a third and fourth season by Netflix.[7] The third season premiered on December 21, 2022.[8][9]
Premise
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, an American from Chicago with a Master's degree in communications, who moves to Paris for a new job opportunity. She is tasked with bringing an American point of view and social media presence to a venerable French marketing firm. Cultures clash as she adjusts to the challenges of life in Paris while juggling her career, new friendships, and active love life.[10]
Cast and characters
Main
Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, a 29-year-old who moves from Chicago to Paris for a temporary social media strategy job at Savoir
Ashley Park as Mindy Chen, Emily's first friend in Paris, an American nanny of Chinese-Korean descent and aspiring singer, and the heiress to a Shanghai business magnate from whom she is estranged
Lucas Bravo as Gabriel, Emily's attractive downstairs neighbor, the head chef at Chez Lavaux, Camille's former boyfriend and Emily's lover
Samuel Arnold as Julien, Emily's trendy and theatrical co-worker who forms a comic duo with Luc
Bruno Gouery as Luc, Emily's quirky co-worker, who forms a comic duo with Julien
Camille Razat as Camille, Emily's friend, and Gabriel's former girlfriend who works at an art gallery and is a champagne heiress. Her family, part of the French nobility, owns a château and vineyard
William Abadie as Antoine Lambert (season 2–present;[11] recurring season 1), Emily's client who owns the perfume company Maison Lavaux and is having a long-standing affair with Sylvie
Lucien Laviscount as Alfie (season 3;[12] recurring season 2), an English banker in Emily's French class and Emily's love interest[11]
Recurring
Kate Walsh as Madeline, Emily's boss in Chicago who cannot take the job in Paris after learning that she is pregnant
Jean-Christophe Bouvet as Pierre Cadault, a famous flamboyant French designer and uncle of Mathieu
Charles Martins as Mathieu Cadault (seasons 1–2), a businessman who becomes Emily's love interest
Jeremy O. Harris as Grégory Elliot Duprée (season 2–present), Pierre Cadault's rival
Céline Menville as Jacqueline (season 2–present; guest season 1), Emily's French teacher
Kevin Dias as Benoît (season 2–present), a member of Mindy's band and her love interest
Jin Xuan Mao as Étienne (season 2–present), a member of Mindy's band
Søren Bregendal [da] as Erik de Groot (season 2–present), a photographer and Sylvie's love interest
Melia Kreiling as Sofia Sideris (season 3), a Greek artist who works with Camille and with whom she is having an affair
Paul Forman as Nicolas de Léon (season 3), a businessman and Mindy's love interest, with whom she attended a boarding school in Switzerland
Guest
Charley Fouquet [fr] as Catherine Lambert, Antoine's wife
Camille Japy as Louise, Camille's aristocratic mother
Christophe Guybet as Gerard, Camille's father
Victor Meutelet as Timothée, Camille's younger brother with whom Emily has a one-night stand
Hanaé Cloarec-Bailly and Tytouan Cloarec-Bailly as Sybil and Laurent Dupont (season 1), the two children that Mindy nannies
Arnaud Viard as Paul Brossard (season 1), the owner of Savoir
Roe Hartrampf as Doug (seasons 1 and 3), Emily's ex-boyfriend in Chicago
Claude Perron as Patricia (season 1), an employee at Savoir
Eion Bailey as Randy Zimmer (season 1), a well-known hotel owner
Aleksandra Yermak as Klara (season 1), the representative of Hästens, a Swedish luxury bedmaker
Julien Floreancig as Thomas (season 1), a snobbish French professor of semiotics
Carlson Young as Brooklyn Clark (season 1), a famous young American actress
Elizabeth Tan as Li (season 1), Mindy's best friend who brings her bridesmaids to Paris to shop for bridesmaids' dresses
David Prat as Théo (season 1), the elder of Camille's two brothers
Faith Prince as Judith Robertson (season 1), the head of the American Friends of the Louvre
Isaiah Hodges and Christophe Tek as Grey Space (season 1), a duo of avant-garde designers
Arnaud Binard as Laurent G. (season 2–present), Sylvie's husband
Daria Panchenko as Petra (season 2), a woman in Emily's French class
Ellen Von Unwerth as herself (season 2), a photographer hired for Pierre Cadault's photoshoot
Julien Looman as Gerhard (season 2), Ellen Von Unwerth's agent and Julien's potential love interest
Alice Révérend as Natalie (season 2), a bartender at Chez Lavaux
Luca Ivoula as Raphael (season 2), a sous-chef at Gabriel's restaurant
Emily Cooper's boss Madeline prepares to transition from the Chicago-based pharmaceutical marketing firm, the Gilbert Group, to a French fashion firm, Savoir, when she discovers she is pregnant. The Gilbert Group offers the job to Emily, and she accepts, leaving her boyfriend back in Chicago. Emily moves to Paris even though she does not speak French. She changes her Instagram handle from @emilycooper to @emilyinparis and begins documenting her time in Paris. Emily starts her first day of work much to the chagrin of her new co-workers, who reveal that she was only hired because of a business deal. She introduces the French, who seem very reluctant about her and her American methods, to American social media strategies. Emily accidentally tries to enter the wrong apartment and meets her handsome neighbor, Gabriel. As Emily becomes accustomed to life in Paris, she makes countless faux-pas, and her colleagues nickname her "la plouc" or "the hick". Emily meets Mindy Chen, a nanny from Shanghai, and they become fast friends. After Emily and her boyfriend attempt to have cybersex and the connection fails, she plugs in her vibrator and accidentally short-circuits the block's power.
2
2
"Masculin Féminin"
Andrew Fleming
Darren Star
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Despite struggling to fit in with French office culture, Emily convinces her boss, Sylvie, to invite her to a work party where she accidentally irritates Sylvie by conversing with Antoine Lambert, a client who turns out to be Sylvie's married lover. As punishment, she is put to work marketing Vaga-Jeune, a lubricant for menopausal women. Annoyed with the gendered nature of the French language, Emily writes a post about the product, which goes viral, causing her to make further inroads at work. Emily's boyfriend tells her that she should return to Chicago as he struggles with a long-distance relationship, and he does not want to visit Paris despite it being a pre-planned trip. She refuses to return to Chicago and breaks off the relationship. She turns to Mindy for emotional support.
3
3
"Sexy or Sexist"
Andrew Fleming
Darren Star
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Emily is invited to the shoot for De l'Heure's latest commercial to take behind-the-scenes footage for social media and is shocked to discover the commercial involves a model strutting nude down the Pont Alexandre III while suited men ogle at her. She argues with Antoine that the ad is sexist while he counters that it is sexy, leading Emily to suggest an online marketing campaign that asks the perfume's customers what they think. When the campaign goes viral, Antoine sends Emily La Perla lingerie as a thank-you gift. Mindy proposes a dinner party to help Emily meet new people, but the party turns into a rager. She meets a French man, and they hit it off, but Emily returns to Gabriel's restaurant for comfort after the man offends her.
While struggling to communicate at a flower shop, Emily is rescued by Camille, a friendly French stranger, and gallery owner who proves to be a lucrative connection. When Emily discovers Sylvie and Antoine arguing at work, she tries to boost Sylvie's credibility at work by pretending that she came up with an idea to pair Antoine's perfumes with luxury hotels. After a miscommunication that renders her work dinner reservation at an exclusive, luxurious restaurant invalid, Emily convinces Gabriel to host them at his restaurant instead. As a gesture of thanks for his help, Emily kisses him, and he kisses her back. Leaving the restaurant, Emily bumps into Camille again, who reveals that Gabriel is her boyfriend.
5
5
"Faux Amis"
Zoe Cassavetes
Ali Waller and Joe Murphy
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
With over 20,000 followers on her @emilyinparis Instagram account, Emily is invited to Durée Cosmetics’ Influencer Lunch, where her witty posts about the brand’s products attract the attention of Durée CMO Olivia Thompson. Emily, however, fails to convince Olivia to have Savoir represent their company again, with Sylvie cited as the reason. Camille invites Emily to a night out with her and Gabriel. When alone with Gabriel, Emily asks that he forget about their kiss the night before, to which he agrees. But later on, he admits that he, too, feels chemistry with her. Initially outraged at seeing Emily’s Instagram posts for Durée, Sylvie demands that she delete her account. Still, when a client becomes inspired by one of Emily’s posts, Sylvie begrudgingly allows Emily to keep her account and leverage her “influencer” status.
6
6
"Ringarde"
Andrew Fleming
Matt Whitaker
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Emily joins Sylvie and Julien to visit the atelier of haute couturier Pierre Cadault. Pierre is mortified by the gauche charm on Emily's handbag and calls her a "basic bitch" in French, which hinders her credibility in the firm. At Café de Flore, Emily meets French philosophy professor Thomas. They hit it off, and she invites him back to her apartment, where they have sex. Emily and Thomas encounter Gabriel and Camille, and Camille invites them to join them at a tapas restaurant. Thomas and Gabriel do not get along. The next day, Gabriel tells Emily he thinks Thomas is a snob and not worthy of her. Emily discovers Pierre has designed the costumes for Swan Lake, so she invites Thomas to join her. However, he insults her by telling her Swan Lake is a ballet for tourists. Emily realizes that he is a snob, so she leaves him. She sees Pierre at the ballet and walks into his private box to talk to him so he will remain with Savoir.
7
7
"French Ending"
Andrew Fleming
Emily Goldwyn and Sarah Choi
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
8
8
"Family Affair"
Andrew Fleming
Grant Sloss
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Camille invites Emily to lunch and asks if Savoir could take on her family's champagne vineyard as a client. Mindy's friend and five bridesmaids are in Paris for wedding dress shopping. Camille invites Emily to meet her family at their chateau. Gabriel surprises Emily by joining them for the weekend trip, which makes Emily uncomfortable. Emily tours the winery and meets Camille's younger brother Timothée. Gabriel refuses Camille's mother's business loan offer. At a club where Mindy's girlfriends are partying, they force her on stage to sing the song she flubbed on Chinese Popstar. Back at the chateau, Camille and her mother are arguing, so Emily takes refuge by the pool, where Timothée joins her. They drink champagne and eventually have sex. At breakfast, she learns Timothée is not the brother Camille was referring to. Instead, it was her younger, 17-year-old brother. Emily meets Théo, Camille's older and more age-appropriate brother. Emily finally gets an opportunity to pitch her idea to Camille's mother.
Sylvie is unimpressed with Emily's idea to market Camille's family's champagne. Emily meets Judith Robertson, a member of the American Friends of the Louvre (AFL). She is aware of Emily's association with Pierre Cadault and asks if Pierre might be willing to donate a dress to be auctioned at AFL's fundraising benefit. Emily calls Mathieu Cadault to arrange a meeting to ask about the dress donation. They agree to meet at an art opening at Camille's gallery. Sylvie and Luc also arrive at the opening to meet Camille. At the AFL auction, Grey Space, which consists of two avant-garde fashion designers, shows up and bids for Pierre's dress. As Emily models the dress on stage, Grey Space shoots her with paint as a publicity stunt which shocks the audience. The next day, the stunt is featured in all the newspapers and online. Pierre is sad and takes to his bed. Emily visits him to try and positively spin the incident but to no avail. As she leaves Pierre's home, she runs into Mathieu, who makes a pass at her.
10
10
"Cancel Couture"
Peter Lauer
Grant Sloss
October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Mathieu takes Emily on a boat cruise date on the Seine, then shows her the view of Paris from his apartment. Their date is interrupted by a frantic call from Pierre, who threatens to cancel his fashion show. Mathieu informs Emily that Pierre is holed up in his atelier on the verge of a breakdown and won't show his new collection to anyone. Sylvie blames Emily for shaking Pierre's confidence and fires her. Emily's co-workers inform her that it can be a long, arduous process to fire an employee in France so that Emily can use this loophole to her advantage. The next day Mathieu calls Emily about the situation, who tells her that Pierre has requested to see her. Sylvie overhears this and goes with Emily to see Pierre. At the atelier, they see a dress from Pierre's new collection. In need of a venue to launch his fashion show, Pierre hijacks the outside of his former venue to show his new dress collection, which the audience loves and makes him the toast of Fashion Week. To celebrate, Emily hosts a dinner at Gabriel's restaurant for Mathieu and Pierre. Mindy agrees to emcee and sings at a drag bar two nights a week, but when she tells her employers, they fire her, so she moves in with Emily. To pursue his dream of opening his restaurant, Gabriel decides to move back to Normandy. Realizing that this may be Gabriel's last night in Paris, Emily and Gabriel sleep together. However, right before Gabriel leaves, Antoine decides to invest in his restaurant idea, thus keeping Gabriel in Paris.
Emily is confused after her affair with Gabriel and her friendship with his now ex-girlfriend Camille. Even worse, Emily has a weekend getaway planned for St Tropez with Mathieu. The ad account for Champere, Camille's family's champagne brand, goes to Luc even though Emily believes she brought the new business to Savior. Camille shows up to discuss the marketing campaign, though she, Sylvie, and Emily go to lunch instead. Camille teams up with Emily for a night out at the drag bar they previously visited, where Emily's new roommate Mindy performs a solo version of BTS's "Dynamite". When Emily breaks away for her romantic weekend in St Tropez, her boyfriend overhears her cell phone conversation with Gabriel about their sleeping together, which upsets him. As he leaves her on the train departing Paris, he gives Emily the tickets for a romantic weekend with Gabriel, who he says she should invite for the romantic weekend they had originally planned for themselves.
12
2
"Do You Know the Way to St. Tropez?"
Andrew Fleming
Grant Sloss
December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22)
Emily ends up staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in St Tropez and quickly calls Camille and Mindy to join her. Emily meets a famous gay fashion journalist who claims to know M. Cadault, and he offers to model some promotional marketing fashion shots with Emily's new luggage, which features a lifesize likeness of M. Cadault etched onto its metal surface finish. Upon seeing these marketing pictures, the Instagram response upsets Cadault, and Mathieu calls Emily to ask her to remove the promotional fashion shots immediately. Her girlfriends arrive, and they go for a night out, and Gabriel calls Emily on her mobile when she is with Camille. Camille refuses to take the call, and Emily says she will call him later. Camille then quickly hooks up with a new love interest at a poolside party at the hotel. Later in the evening, Emily discovers that Sylvie has come to St Tropez and that she is married to Laurent, and the two exchange words. After a bad night, Camille calls Emily in the early morning to pick her up at a church. Camille tells Emily that her evening plans for a tryst went badly, and she still has feelings for Gabriel. After breakfast, Emily meets Laurent, a restaurant manager at the Four Seasons Hotel, and he tells Emily of Sylvie's younger jet-setting days on the Riviera. Emily and her friends walk on the pier and find the famous journalist who tricked them earlier but is now on his yacht, and Emily gets him to invite them on board as his apology for lying about M. Cadault. The girls have a great time relaxing on the yacht's lounge chairs.
13
3
"Bon Anniversaire!"
Andrew Fleming
Alison Brown
December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22)
Camille takes Emily to a Moroccan bath house to meet her friends for a nude steam bath. All the girls are nude except Emily, who insists on wearing a full-length cotton robe for modesty. Later, Emily and Mindy make plans for Emily's birthday, inviting Camille and Gabriel to attend, where Emily hopes they will reconcile. The planning takes all day; the evening eventually comes off, with Gabriel helping Emily with the dinner preparations. During the outdoor evening dinner party, everything goes well. Camille returns to Emily's apartment for more champagne from Emily's fridge. When she gets the champagne, she discovers that Gabriel's favorite frying pan (with his engraved initials on it) is on Emily's stove, and she concludes that for a chef to make of gift on his favorite pan to a girl can only have the worst implications for Camille's future with Gabriel. She returns to the evening party and says she has a toast that everyone eagerly waits for. Camille denounces Emily as a turncoat for having an affair with their boyfriend, which Emily finds that she cannot deny.
Emily returns Gabriel's gift of his chef's frying pan and goes to the office to give her presentation about Champere to Camille, who is still upset about Emily sleeping with Gabriel. Camille insists that the presentation must be in French, and Emily's inability to speak conversational French requires Luc to take over. Emily meets a tourist from Kiev in her conversational French class. Mindy gets invited to sing with a duo of street musicians. Emily is then assigned to take a new account to promote leeks as the new potato for the French kitchen. She bumps into Gabriel on the way home, who tells her he has a terrific recipe for leeks, which he makes for her in his restaurant. Emily goes shopping with her new friend from Kiev, who becomes a shoplifter. Gabriel wants to talk to Camille and finds her at an art gallery opening, telling her he wants to patch things up. Luc invites Emily to see Jules and Jim to help improve her French, but Emily does not quite connect with the ménage à trois. Emily tries to write a letter in French to Camille to reconcile their differences using a machine translator, which works poorly. The leek farmers ad campaign goes in a new direction—targeting America's dietary health drinks market. Camille writes back to Emily at the ad company. Sylvie intercepts the letter and translates it to Emily with Camille writing: "I don't understand why you did what you did. Just like I don't understand a word of your silly letter. Leave me alone, you illiterate sociopath." At her next French language class, Emily switches to a new place to sit and introduces herself to a young bank executive visiting Paris from London.
Emily dreams of standing at the Eiffel Tower and discussing her dilemma regarding deciding whether to work for both Madeline and Sylvie. When she wakes up from this dream, it turns out she's working for both of them; Emily feels she cannot quit as it would entail telling a pregnant Madeline that she would prefer to work for Sylvie. Madeline learns the truth from Luc, and later that evening, she interrupts a business dinner at the Eiffel Tower, where Sylvie's new company is making a pitch to a prospective client, who is one of Emily's contacts. Madeline's water breaks, and she is taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Sylvie fires Emily, who arrives late to the farewell party she planned for Alfie. After seeing her hesitation about their relationship, Alfie says goodbye and gets in a cab, leaving Emily alone.
22
2
"What's It All About..."
Andrew Fleming
Alison Brown
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Madeline gives birth to a baby boy named Jack, and Emily tries to prove her loyalty. They meet with one of Savoir's clients, but Sylvie also arrives. Madeline tells them they can't take Savoir's clients due to a non-compete clause in their contracts, putting Sylvie's new company in jeopardy, as that means their only remaining client would be Pierre Cadault. Emily finds out Alfie is now working for Antoine as his new CFO but chooses not to tell her. Emily and Luc convince Madeline to rehire Sylvie as Savoir's president. Sylvie refuses, only to immediately discover she has no clients, as Pierre Cadault has sold his company to the luxury conglomerate JVMA, which handles their marketing in-house. Later, JVMA contacts Sylvie, offering her a position with the company, which includes allowing her to bring along her staff, but she declines after discussing it with Luc and Julien. It's Solstice Night in Paris, and Emily takes Mindy's microphone and sings to Alfie to show how much she cares about him, leading to a reconciliation between the two.
23
3
"Coo D'état"
Andrew Fleming
Joe Murphy
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Sylvie is threatened with eviction by her landlord as she has been using her apartment as an office. With Luc's help, she speaks with the building manager of the Savoir building to force Madeline and Emily to leave. Mindy feels nervous about performing in a club and discovers that having sex with Benoit helps. Camille and Gabriel have been encountering issues since she moved in, and with Alfie's help, they share a romantic dinner at the restaurant. After the elevator and heat in the Savoir building are sabotaged, Madeline tells Emily that the Gilbert Group has approved them to leave the building and work at her hotel. The following day, Emily discovers Madeline plans to return to Chicago and has also bought a plane ticket for her. Emily tells Madeline she wishes to stay in Paris and resigns from her position. The episode ends with Sylvie and her team returning to their old building and establishing a new company named Grateau, and Emily walking out of Madeline's hotel after saying goodbye.
24
4
"Live from Paris, It's Emily Cooper"
Erin Ehrlich
Sarah Choi
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
After becoming unemployed, Emily starts vlogging around Paris, needing to stay busy. Meanwhile, she is hired temporarily as a waitress at Gabriel's restaurant. Still, after she accidentally causes a client to have an allergic reaction due to her limited (but improved) French, she is fired by Gabriel, making her realize this is not the right situation for her. Luc and Julien tell Sylvie they used Emily's ideas for a customer, making her uncomfortable. However, after speaking with Camille's mother, she feels encouraged to seek out and rehire Emily. Camille feels guilty for not respecting her pact with Emily, and an artist called Sofia at the art gallery shows romantic interest in her.
25
5
"Ooo La La Liste"
Erin Ehrlich
Robin Schiff
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Emily is dealing with her work visa application as she fears being deported and does her best to promote Grateau. Alfie gets a new apartment and has a housewarming party, where Emily sees Camille kissing Sofia on the rooftop. Nicholas from JVMA and Mindy see each other, and they turn out to be old boarding schoolmates, making Benoit jealous as Nicholas is interested in Mindy. Emily shares what she saw on the rooftop with Mindy, but Mindy suggests she should not get involved, as she was previously blamed for the breakup between Camille and Gabriel. Mindy is about to perform with Benoit for the first time when she receives flowers from Nicholas, causing Benoit to break up with her. Emily appears on La Liste, along with Gabriel, which upsets Sylvie.
Emily travels with Gabriel and Alfie to Antoine's bastide in Bonnieux, Provence, to seal a deal. Alfie and Emily are both invited by Gabriel to a restaurant he wants to visit, but Antoine makes Alfie cancel at the last minute. Emily feels uncomfortable after the meal when the waiter considers them a "lovely" couple. Laurent, Sylvie's husband, arrives, upsetting Erik, who leaves for Paris. That same night, Sylvie and Laurent are attacked by bees and escape by stripping and jumping into a pool, where they end up having sex. Emily discovers from Alfie that a mistake ruined most of Antoine's perfume, "juice". Emily suggests that the good batch be released as a limited edition to maximize profits, which Antoine eventually agrees to after hesitating. Camille continues her affair with Sofia, who invites Camille back to Greece. Camille declines, claiming she still loves Gabriel. Sofia tells her that it's possible to love more than one person. After the event, Alfie asks Emily for the receipt for the lunch to expense it, but she remembers the staff's written message complimenting her and Gabriel as a couple, so she lies and says she doesn't have it. Emily and Alfie leave for Paris in the limited edition McLaren that Antoine bought.
27
7
"How to Lose a Designer in 10 Days"
Katina Medina Mora
Joe Murphy
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Mindy is invited by Nicholas to watch "How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days" at a park, and she invites Emily and Gabriel since Alfie is in London and Camille is in Greece with Sophie. Nicholas struggles to work with Pierre Cadault because they have different ideas, and Emily offers Grateau's help as Pierre is uncomfortable with JVMA. Emily and Gabriel leave the movie as a friend of Nicholas starts hitting on them. They enter a balloon exhibition, where they continue to have fun while taking pictures. At the night's end, Gabriel shares with Emily how his relationship with Camille is falling apart. Mindy and Nicholas admit they both like each other and share a kiss. Nicholas calls Emily and shares with Grateau that he plans on firing Pierre and replacing him with Grégory Elliott Duprée, whom Pierre despises, and hopes they relay the news to Pierre. Emily tries at the last minute to stop Pierre from joining them for lunch, but as he is crossing the street, he is hit by a motorbike taxi.
28
8
"Fashion Victim"
Katina Medina Mora
Alison Brown
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Pierre recovers in the hospital after his accident, while Grateau cannot tell him about his firing. Nicholas plans to announce Gregory Dupree as the new face of Pierre Cadault during a new store opening, even though Emily asks him to wait for Pierre to get out of the hospital out of respect. Sylvie meets with Nicholas's father, Louis, Sylvie's former boss, and asks him to delay the announcement. It is implied that Louis abused his power when Sylvie worked for him. Nicholas gets upset about the meeting and claims he won't change his mind. Emily gets a call from Gabriel saying he needs a friend, and he tells her how he thinks Camille will break up with him after seeing some pictures of her partying with other guys in Greece. He confesses he still loves Emily, making the cab ride awkward. Sylvie and Emily break the news about JVMA replacing Pierre with him. Emily has an idea: make people believe Pierre has died, to have him appear at the event and tell everyone he will continue his work without JVMA, which embarrasses the Deleon family. The next day, Emily finds Gabriel happy, as he tells her that Camille is back from Greece and everything is fine between them.
29
9
"Love Is in the Air"
Andrew Fleming
Grant Sloss
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Alfie returns from London, and Emily is disappointed that he didn't mention their relationship to his family. Grateau's new client is a romance company, suggesting a couple to get engaged in a public way and get paid. Julien is annoyed by Emily's interference, but Sylvie dismisses his claims. Laurent is away, but he surprises Sylvie by attending their date at the opera. Gabriel offers to propose to Camille and asks Antoine for help in the restaurant. Camille and Gabriel get engaged, and Emily proposes a new idea using hot air balloons. Nicholas prepares a party for Mindy, and Emily asks to make amends with him. Alfie confesses not telling his family about her, and they decide to make their relationship public.
30
10
"Charade"
Andrew Fleming
Darren Star
December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21)
Gabriel renames his restaurant after his grandmother, Gigi, who dislikes Camille. Emily wants Gabriel to have a Michelin Star in the restaurant, and Luc contacts his ex, Marianne, a food critic, to taste the food and provide the star. Alfie tells Mindy about Nicholas kicking Emily out of a party, and she speaks to Nicholas about her need for sacrifice for a future together. Sylvie is told by Laurent that he wants to open a club in Paris with Louis Deleon, Nicholas's father. Julien gets upset when Emily gets involved in a campaign idea, and he yells at her and walks away. Mindy and Nicholas plan to go to Gabriel's and Camille's engagement party, but Benoit arrives and submits a song for her to the Eurovision Song Contest. Gabriel and Camille decide to get married at the party, and everyone gathers for the ceremony. Camille interrupts Gabriel during his vows, saying she knows he loves Emily and broke a pact she made with her not to pursue him. She also announces that she’s pregnant. Alfie breaks up with Emily, suspecting something is between them and that he will not be her second choice.
Emily's chambre de bonne residence, a top-floor garret, 1 place de l'Estrapade (fr)La Boulangerie Moderne,[15] a bread and pastry shop, 16 rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques (fr)The restaurant,[16] ("Les Deux Compères"), 18 rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques (fr)
The series was created by Darren Star, who has a multi-year overall deal with ViacomCBS and develops for ViacomCBS and for outsider buyers via MTV Entertainment Studios.[17] Star was also expected to serve as an executive producer alongside Tony Hernandez. Jax Media was reported to be involved in a producing role.[10][18][19][20] On September 5, 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of 10 episodes. On July 13, 2020, it was reported that the series would move from Paramount Network to Netflix.[21] On November 11, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.[4] On January 10, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third and fourth season.[7]
Casting
On April 3, 2019, Lily Collins was cast in the eponymous role.[22] On August 13, 2019, Ashley Park had joined the main cast.[23] On September 19, 2019, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Camille Razat, and Bruno Gouery joined the cast in starring roles, while Kate Walsh, William Abadie, and Arnaud Viard were cast in recurring roles.[24] On May 24, 2021, Lucien Laviscount was cast in a recurring role, while Abadie was promoted to series regular for the second season.[11] On April 10, 2022, Laviscount was promoted to series regular for the third season.[12]
Filming
Principal photography for the first season, in Paris and its suburbs, began in August 2019.[25] Additional photography took place in Chicago in November 2019.[26]
Filming for the second season began on May 3, 2021,[34] and concludes on July 19, 2021.[35] New filming locations for the second season include Monnaie de Paris, Musée des Arts Forains, Huatian Chinagora, Saint-Tropez, Palace of Versailles, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, and other locations in France.[36][37][38][39][34] Filming of the second season in Paris caused problems within the 5th Arrondissement, with the residents deeming the crew as brutal, threatening and too intrusive.[40]Lily Collins stated that the second season was set in a COVID-19-free world, as the decision was made by the producers to ensure escapism through joy and laughter. In scenes that involved crowds, masks were off when they were on-camera and back on once completed, which Collins stated was difficult to pull off. Filming for the third season began in June 2022.[41] On June 6, 2023, it was reported that filming for the fourth season has been delayed due to the writers strike.[42] Filming for fourth season began on January 19, 2024.[43]
Soundtrack
In October 2020, Ashley Park's "La Vie en rose", sung as a cappella by Mindy Chen in episode six,[44] debuted at number one on Billboard's Top TV Songs chart.[45] Kid Francescoli [fr]'s "Moon", sung in episode four, debuted at number four, and Cavale's "Burst Into Flames" from episode ten debuted at number seven.[45] Alter K,[46][47] a French music publisher and distributor, made significant contributions to the soundtrack, with half of the songs in the series being from its catalog.[48][49]James Newton Howard composed the series' theme music and score.[50][51]
Release
The series' first season was released by Netflix on October 2, 2020, followed by a DVD release on November 9, 2021.[3][52] The second season was released on December 22, 2021.[6] The third season had its premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on December 6, 2022,[53] and was released on December 21.[8]
Reception
Audience viewership
For the week of October 5, 2020, Emily in Paris reached the top ten list of most watched streaming shows per Nielsen. On May 3, 2021, Netflix revealed that the series had been watched by 58 million households in the month after its debut.[54] The series remained in UK top 10 list for 40 consecutive days after its release.[55]
For the first season, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 61% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Though its depiction of France is très cliché [sic], Emily in Paris is rom-com fantasy at its finest, spectacularly dressed and filled with charming performances."[56]Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[57]
The second season has a 61% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critics' consensus states, "Emily in Paris remains a sugary soufflé, but it's liable to give a toothache to viewers seeking anything more profound than a frivolous romp."[58] On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 64 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[59]
For the third season, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 67% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Emily in Paris' bubbly watch ability keeps threatening to go flat in a third season that seems content to spin its wheels, but this gallic travelogue will still be a pleasant enough journey for fans."[60] Metacritic gave the season a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on ten reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[61]
Daniel D'Addario of Variety described the series as "a delight that poses the question of what it really means to grow up, against a truly inviting backdrop", and that Collins is "an inherently winsome performer who has never been quite as well used as she is here".[62] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a "B" and wrote, "If you need a five-hour brain vacation, Paris is a worthwhile destination."[63]The New Zealand Herald considered the show "visually delectable" and that "Collins has a pixie-ish charm which makes her endearing", but also that the show is "as ephemeral as fairy floss".[64] Kristen Lopez of IndieWire praised Collins for being a "jewel, make no mistake" and that "Emily in Paris is only as watchable and frivolous as its leading lady," but criticized the series as a whole, writing: "Emily in Paris is like scrolling through Instagram. It's a great way to waste time looking at pretty pictures with no depth."[65]
Some people criticized Emily's character. Emma Gray from HuffPost called Emily a bland character, stating, "The show doesn't even make an effort to quirk her up or give her a more relatable, girl-next-door roughness: she's always immaculately coiffed and made-up and garbed in effortfully eye-catching outfits. But there's not much to the character except for enormous self-confidence and the inexplicable ability to attract new friends and love interests on every street corner."[66] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian gave the series one out of five stars: "[...] if it is an attempt to fluff up the rom-com for the streaming age, then it falls over on its six-inch heels."[67] Rachel Handler opined "Darren Star has done it yet again: centered an entire show on a thin, gently delusional white woman whimsically exploring a major metropolitan area in wildly expensive couture purchased on a mid-level salary."[68]
Sarah Moroz of Vulture.com opined, "The most egregious oversight [...] is Emily herself, who shows zero personal growth over a ten-episode arc. [...] Emily's vapidity baffles anyone who has moved from their native country."[69] Sonia Rao of The Washington Post compared Emily to the heroines of the Amy Sherman-Palladino universe: "Like the Gilmore girls, Emily is strong-willed and refuses to let anything get in the way of her schemes. Like Midge Maisel, her actions can be quite rash, but she still wins over her fictional acquaintances while utterly baffling viewers."[70] Megan Garber of The Atlantic was critical of Emily, writing, "An expat who acts like a tourist, she judges everything against the backdrop of her own rigid Americanness. You might figure that those moments are evidence of a show poking fun at its protagonist's arrogance or setting the stage for her to grow beyond her initial provincialism. But: You would be, as I was, mostly incorrect. Instead, other people change around her. They grudgingly concede that her way (strident, striving, teeming with insistent individualism) is right. The latest show from Sex and the City creator Darren Star—sells several fantasies. Primary among them is the notion that Emily can bulldoze her way through France and be celebrated for it."[71]
Some critics, such as Jo Ellison, writing for the Financial Times, appeared ambivalent. On the one hand, she expressed admiration for the way Darren Star manages to depict "a version of womanhood in which promiscuity, bossiness, and shopaholics are depicted as qualities to be celebrated"; on the other, "the major plot lines might have been written in the 1940s and the Frenchies are routinely cast as vain, preening and parochial." She concludes, "Cliché-ridden and completely outdated: Darren Star's 'Sex and the Cité' will no doubt be monstrously successful."[72]
Many French critics condemned the show for negatively stereotyping Parisians and the French.[73] Charles Martin wrote in Première that the show unfairly stereotyped and depicted the French as "lazy [individuals who] never arrive at the office before the end of the morning [...] are flirtatious and not really attached to the concept of loyalty [...] are sexist and backward, and [...] have a questionable relationship with showering".[74][75][76][77][78] A reviewer at Sens Critique wrote: "Emily in Paris projects the same twee, unrealistic image of Paris that the film Amélie does".[79]RTL.fr wrote: "Rarely had we seen so many clichés on the French capital since the Parisian episodes of Gossip Girl or the end of The Devil Wears Prada."[79]
Cultural influence
The show's popularity has reportedly increased tourism in Paris, with hotels and restaurants benefiting from "the Emily effect". Tours of locations that appear on the show are available. An American living in Paris complained of "dozens of raucous 'Emily in Paris' pilgrims who now swarmed [Café de Flore], taking Instagram-ready selfies".[80]
Controversies
Depiction of Ukrainian character
The second season was met with controversy in Ukraine over the depiction of a Ukrainian character named Petra (a name not used in Ukraine), who was depicted as a petty thief and shoplifter, with the hashtag "Ми не Петри" (We are not Petras) trending for a few hours.[81] The Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, wrote on the social media platform Telegram, "In Emily in Paris, we have a caricature image of a Ukrainian woman that is unacceptable. It is also insulting." He also wrote a letter to Netflix complaining about the depiction of Petra.[82][83] According to Tkachenko, Netflix sent a response saying that they had heard the dissatisfaction of Ukrainian viewers, and that Petra would be shown in a different context for the third season.[84]
Bribery allegations at the Golden Globe Awards
The show received two nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, but prior to the ceremony, it was reported that 30 members of the voting body had been flown to Paris, where they spent two nights at The Peninsula Paris and were treated to a private lunch at the Musée des Arts Forains, with the bill reportedly paid by the show's developer, Paramount Network.[85] This led some critics to question the impartiality of the voting body,[85] as Emily in Paris was considered to be a critical failure,[86] and its nomination was a surprise.[87][88] In contrast, critically acclaimed shows, notably I May Destroy You, were not nominated.[89]
Andrew Fleming, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, Darren Star, Alison Brown, Grant Sloss, Stephen Joel Brown, Shihan Fey, Jake Fuller, Lily Collins and Raphaël Benoliel
Anne Seibel, Beniôt Tételin and Christelle Maisonneuve (for "The Cook, The Thief, Her Ghost and His Lover"; "Scents & Sensibility"; "French Revolution")
^"Ancienne boucherie Terrenoire". POP : la plateforme ouverte du patrimoine. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021. Formerly an ancient butcher shop Terrenoire, now an italian restaurant Terra Nera
^"Benvenuto". TERRA NERA: restaurant italien. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022. 18, rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques 75005 Paris
^"Terra Nera". Getty Images. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
