We’ll believe it when we see it
Think back to October: a simpler time when all you had to worry about was a global pandemic, an impending six-month lockdown, and… Netflix’s hottest new series, Emily in Paris. The show, which follows a peppy young upstart as she brings the ‘American point of view’ to a luxury marketing agency in Paris, quickly become renowned for its annoying characters, avant basic fashion, and – bizarrely – its Golden Globes nomination.
Of course, it was commissioned for a second season, and now, thanks to its creator Darren Star, we have some insight into what to expect. Speaking to Variety, Star (who also created a little show called Sex and the City) assured fans that Emily will be less obnoxious in season two, assimilating more into French culture.
“For me, it’s the evolution of the character,” he told the publication. “I think when someone goes to Paris for the first time, they are overwhelmed by the beauty of the city and that’s what they’re seeing.”
Addressing criticisms that accused Emily in Paris of showing a glamorised view of Paris, Star said: “I think, perhaps, a lot of viewers who lived in Paris for a long time didn’t quite understand that this was through the lens of a character who was experiencing the city for the first time. That’s how she was perceiving it – she was really struck by the beauty that was all around her.”
Star added that “the first season didn’t cover that much chronological time”, instead focusing on Emily’s arrival in the city. In season two, the character – played by Lily Collins – “will embrace the city a little bit more”.
“When she got there, she got a bit of a free pass in the beginning, and I don’t think it will be quite as easy for her in the second season,” continued Star. “I think she will be more assimilated, in terms of living in Paris and stepping up to the challenges of learning the language.”
In February, the Golden Globes caused widespread confusion and outrage by nominating Emily in Paris for an award and snubbing Michaela Coel’s powerful drama series, I May Destroy You. In an op-ed for The Guardian, Emily in Paris writer Deborah Copaken joined the uproar, writing that although she was “excited” that Emily in Paris was nominated at the awards, her excitement was “unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub”. She added: “That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.”
There’s no news on a release date for Emily in Paris season two as of yet, but production reportedly started on Monday. Paris print shirts at the ready!