Emily in Paris (2020) Review: Escapism, Well Tailored

Is Emily in Paris worth watching?

Yes, if you take it for what it is. Emily in Paris is a frothy, gorgeous-looking romantic comedy that knows exactly the fantasy it is selling, and it delivers that fantasy with more craft than its critics admit. Short episodes, a bright cast and a steady stream of outfits, romances and workplace crises make it one of the easiest binges on television. The reservation is depth: its heroine changes very little from season to season, and its picture of France is a postcard, not a place.

What is Emily in Paris about?

Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) is an upbeat young marketing executive from Chicago who lands an unexpected posting to a luxury marketing agency in Paris. She speaks no French, treats social media as a second language, and arrives with an American’s faith in enthusiasm, which her new colleagues do not share. Her boss, the formidable Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), is unimpressed; her charming downstairs neighbour, the chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), is a complication; and her new friend Mindy (Ashley Park), a fellow expatriate with a singing voice and a secret, becomes her guide to the city.

Emily in Paris was created by Darren Star and is an American series in English, largely set and shot in France. This review covers the show through its fifth season, 50 episodes in all; the series is ongoing, so its romantic threads remain open.

Built as a fantasy, and honest about it

Darren Star made his name on glamorous, aspirational television, and Emily in Paris is a pure distillation of that style. Every frame is arranged like an advertisement: cobbled streets at golden hour, cafés without queues, apartments with impossible views. The costumes, loud, mismatched and endlessly discussed, are part of the show’s identity, and the series treats fashion as storytelling rather than decoration.

That approach is easy to mock and harder to pull off. The episodes run around half an hour, keep several light storylines moving at once and end on small hooks that make the next one irresistible. As a machine for relaxing viewing, it is precise.

A supporting cast that does the heavy lifting

Lily Collins plays Emily with unflagging brightness, which suits the show’s tone but leaves little room for growth. The more interesting performances come from around her. Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu makes Sylvie the show’s secret weapon, a woman whose elegant disdain barely conceals her own ambitions and vulnerabilities. Ashley Park gives Mindy the most emotional range in the ensemble, and her musical numbers are some of the series’ liveliest moments.

Samuel Arnold and Bruno Gouery, as Emily’s colleagues Julien and Luc, provide dry comic counterpoint, and later seasons expand the romantic field with Lucien Laviscount and Eugenio Franceschini. The show is at its best when it lets this ensemble spar in the office rather than focusing only on Emily’s love life.

Where the fantasy wears thin

The weaknesses are the ones critics have always pointed out. Emily’s professional triumphs come too easily, often through a single social media post, and her cultural blunders rarely have consequences. The French characters can feel like types, and the show’s Paris is so polished that it becomes hard to believe anyone lives in it. Most frustrating over time is the romantic merry-go-round: the central love triangle circles the same questions for seasons, and the drama repeatedly relies on miscommunication to delay decisions.

Who should watch Emily in Paris?

Romantic comedy fans, fashion lovers and armchair travellers are its core audience, along with anyone who wants undemanding television after a long day. With short episodes, even 50 of them go quickly. It carries a mature rating for sexual content and language, though it is far lighter in tone than that label suggests.

If you want more along similar lines:

• Ted Lasso, another American abroad whose optimism slowly wins over a sceptical workplace, with deeper emotional stakes.
• Never Have I Ever for a funnier, sharper rom-com with a heroine who makes messier mistakes.
• The White Lotus for glamorous locations viewed through a far more satirical lens.

Browse more light viewing in our comedy section.

The verdict

Emily in Paris is not trying to be profound, and judged on its own terms it succeeds: a stylish, effortless comfort watch with a strong supporting cast and a clear sense of its own appeal. Its thin heroine and circular romances cap how far it can go, but as escapism it is hard to resist.

Rating: 4/5