Darren Star seems to be having a moment, as Sex and the City is getting a revival, and his 2020 hit, Emily In Paris, is getting a second season. The Netflix series most certainly had a moment, as fans binged the fish-out-of-water adventures of the preternaturally perky Emily at her new job in France... even if many people made it clear that it was more of a SOBIG or a hatewatch than anything.
Emily in Paris, despite being cheerful, escapist, fantasy viewing, has some big problems. Much like Sex and the City, a lot of these problems seem to revolve around a lack of realism - and maybe fans choose to ignore issues of financial impossibility because the show is wish-fulfillment, but there are a lot of other flaws to the series that are harder to ignore.
Unrealistic Expenses (& Lifestyle)
The most obvious criticism of the show was leveled at Emily's presumed income - which just doesn't line up with her status as a relatively junior social media strategist at a marketing company. Sure, it's clearly a company that does well, and she probably had something saved up, but she lives in an incredibly beautiful apartment with a view of the city, in a lovely neighborhood, that is incorrectly described as a 'chambre de bonne'. She seems to have no budget when it comes to eating out, going out, partying, or shopping, and some of her outfits probably cost as much as an average Parisian's rent.
An Influencer With No Clue How Instagram Works
This may be one of the biggest flaws of the series, and it's one that was heavily criticized when the show came out. Emily moves to Paris, snaps a few quick photos for Instagram, and somehow becomes a wildly popular influencer. There seems to be very little to bring people to her account, and her photos are often painfully generic, with dull captions, and yet she is just racking up the followers. No stories, no lives, no real strategy, just some shots of a croissant and a selfie or two.
Boring Character Stereotypes
While many find the characters of Emily in Paris charming, they are also more than a little... overdone. It's hard to find a character that doesn't fit into a well-worn rom com trope, whether it is the mean boss, the flamboyant and dramatic designer, the gorgeous French chef, or the quirky best friend. Perhaps season two will do a little more developing on this front, but especially in the first season, these just feel a bit tired - although they are certainly comfortingly familiar, as a result.
Lack Of Diversity
Unfortunately, especially for a show this recent, Emily in Paris is still pretty painfully white - which Paris most definitely is not. Emily's colleagues at her old firm, her love interests, her clients, and her new colleagues are almost entirely white (and thin, and attractive).
While there are a couple of additions of BIPOC characters in one new colleague and her new Paris friend, this is still something that should have been far more balanced from the start.
Fairly Predictable
Emily in Paris is a pretty straightforward show, and most fans could probably have guessed the ending from the first episode. A fish out of water? Well, of course she is going to make some mistakes, then use her unique perspective to save some big event. A gorgeous chef nearby with a girlfriend? Anyone who has seen so much as a single rom-com can guess that this will lead to a love triangle. Of course, many might argue that this is not a series that is supposed to be wildly original, but it's still a bit frustrating that it is quite so predictable.
Emily Herself Is Incredibly Inconsistent
Emily is never-endingly cheerful, but other than that, she's very inconsistent. Her views and values on relationships and cheating seem to be extremely dependant on how attractive she finds someone, she's supposed to be a brilliant social media manager but she doesn't seem to understand Instagram, she's presumably intelligent enough to be good at her job, but is remarkably unintelligent when it comes to travel... She's somehow an 'independent woman' who leaves her partner for her career in the first episode, but in other episodes, she is a complete damsel in distress. Some level of conflict makes a character human, but Emily seems to be in constant (and confusing) flux.
Cliches Of French Living
Emily in Paris is clear wish-fulfillment for Americans who dream of the picture-perfect Paris life - and all the stereotypes that go along with it. Some of these are just lazy (baguettes! croissants! sexy chefs on every corner!), but some are a little more problematic.
The show seems to buy into the idea that Paris is gorgeous, but full of cheating, seductive men, and mean women, and no-one gets to work before noon. Neither accurate nor flattering, this is hardly the best way to present a city that's name is part of the title.
The Wardrobe
This is linked to the issues of Emily's wildly unrealistic expenses and living situation, but it is so over-the-top that it deserves an entire mention to itself. Emily is decked out, in every scene, in a new and incredibly expensive outfit. She wears sky-high heels daily on the cobbled streets, and has a thing for designer labels - but it's never explained how she can afford this, or why her fashion sense is so hit or miss.
American Saves The Day
The entire premise of the show (at least, the business side of things) is that Emily appears in Paris, and essentially saves a boutique marketing firm with her Fresh - American - perspective. And throughout the show, Emily approaches life with the absolute conviction that her American way of doing things is the better one, without much attempt to really explore the new culture in which she finds herself. Of course, in some areas, this is the point - she is attempting to get the company to do things differently. But most of the time, it's just a bit exhausting to see her approach everything like this.
No One Speaks French
One of the big 'fish out of water' elements of the series is that Emily doesn't speak any French - which, given that the premise is that she was not meant to be the one moving to Paris, actually makes some sense. However, after arriving and using her phone's google translate for a single opening scene, everyone just switches to flawless English around her. There aren't even really any scenes of her working on her French, beyond one or two for cute selfies with bakery owners. Had the show chosen to make a point of her struggle, and to use subtitles more than English, it would be more realistic - and probably more interesting.