The Lily Collins-fronted Netflix comedy, Emily in Paris, is gearing up for a second season following Netflix's announcement of it being the most popular comedy series streaming on the platform in 2020. 

The first season successfully gave 58 million households across the globe an armchair travel package to Paris in the first 28 days since its October 2, 2020 release. Following suit, the production of season 2 has already begun as the news of its renewal surfaced in November 2020.

Emily Went To Paris With A Star-Studded Roster

The show was originally created for Paramount network before it was acquired by the online streaming giant Netflix. In its first season, the romcom followed Collins as Emily, a young marketing exec who recently moved to Paris, as she discovers the city of love. 

The series features the following roster of talented actors: Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Camille Razat, Bruno Gouery, Kate Walsh, William Abadie, and Arnaud Viard in various roles. 

Apart from playing the lead cast, Collins also executively produced the show alongside the writer Darren Star and the likes of Andrew Fleming, Tony Hernandez, and Lilly Burns. All the while, MTV Entertainment Studio produced it. 

The First Season Did Not Have the Best Ratings 

All that being said, the Netflix release only managed to secure a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and the audience of the same platform ranked it at an even lower 58%. These scores are lackluster, considering that the show is the #1 comedy from Netflix for the year 2020. 

Sadly, it is not just Rotten Tomatoes that paints an unenthusiastic picture of Emily in Paris. The Independent's critic Ed Cummings harshly cited that "anyone who has eaten a croissant," amongst other things, would not enjoy this series.

He also stated that the legendary Phil Collin's daughter as the titular lead was "obnoxious" and that her banter was "faintly agonising." These are certainly not the words any actor would want to be affiliated to. 

Critics' Outrage over Portrayal of Paris

As difficult as it may be to believe, those weren't the harshest words that the rom-com has been described with. The show was called out by multiple outlets and French critics for propagating false stereotypes about the people of Paris. Perhaps, Charles Martin of Premiere summed up the general consensus the best.

In his experience, the show portrayed the French as all bad, dilatory, flirtatious, unloyal, and sexist with a questionable relationship with showering. "No cliché is spared, not even the weakest," he added. 

The Hollywood Reporter went so far as to attribute the show's viewership to those who loved it and those who hate-watched it. The outlet labeled Emily in Paris as "strikingly watchable, an escapist confection brimming with easily digestible plots, costumes and characters."

As all things in the world of cinema go, the review was not all bad, though. One reviewer with AlloCiné believed that it was just a comedy series and people should put too much weight on the clichés. He even added that he found the series funny and light. 

Only time will tell if the show keeps its original gait and decides to just run with it or acknowledge the critics and change course.