Emily in Paris Returns: Can Season 5 Recapture the Magic?
Netflix’s glossy escapist fantasy “Emily in Paris” is making its comeback for a fifth season on December 18, with Lily Collins reprising her role as the bubbly American marketing executive navigating life in the City of Light. This time, Emily’s adventures will extend beyond the cobblestone streets of Paris to the romantic vistas of Rome, following her budding relationship with Italian heartthrob Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini). While the show’s signature elements remain—eye-catching fashion, picturesque European settings, and complicated love triangles—the question looms: can Emily regain the cultural relevance it once commanded, or has its moment passed?
The series first captivated audiences in 2020, debuting during a global pandemic when travel restrictions left millions longing for escapism and fantasy. An impressive 58 million households tuned in during the month following its premiere, making it one of Netflix’s biggest success stories. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect: locked-down viewers craved vicarious travel experiences and the show coincided with the peak of influencer culture, which Emily herself embodied with her carefully curated social media presence. Lily Collins, daughter of music legend Phil Collins, brought both acting chops and massive personal popularity to the role, further boosting the show’s visibility. The series offered exactly what pandemic-weary audiences needed: a beautiful, uncomplicated world where problems were solved in 30 minutes and every outfit was Instagram-worthy.
However, the landscape has shifted dramatically since Emily first arrived in Paris with her oversized ambition and undersized French vocabulary. Season 4 drew just 19.9 million viewers—still respectable by streaming standards but representing a steep decline from the show’s heyday. Social media conversations about the series have evolved from excited anticipation to critiques of its “unnecessary” continuation, with many viewers growing weary of the prolonged love triangles and low-stakes storylines. Critical reception has remained lukewarm, with Metacritic consistently categorizing the show as receiving “mixed or average” reviews. As Lucille Befort, a Parisian cultural entrepreneur who has followed the show since its inception, observed: “Emily in Paris emerged during the pandemic, when audiences were particularly receptive to escapist and visually comforting narratives… As media consumption habits and cultural expectations have evolved, so has the show’s place in the public conversation.”
The series also faces a curious dilemma regarding controversy. In its early seasons, “Emily in Paris” generated headlines for its cultural missteps—from stereotypical portrayals of French people to insensitive depictions of Ukrainian and Chinese characters that drew international criticism. These controversies, while problematic, kept the show firmly in the public discourse. Now that the series has settled into its identity as a glossy escapist fantasy, it no longer generates the same level of cultural debate. Salvador Ordorica, a cultural heritage advocate who splits his time between America and Paris, pinpoints this evolution: “Emily in Paris came during COVID—we all wanted to escape and be surrounded by beauty and fantasy. Influencer culture was hitting its stride, and the show tapped into that. Since then, audiences have changed. There’s more skepticism about influencers and a greater expectation for authenticity. Something that once felt aspirational now feels out of touch.”
Despite these challenges, media literacy expert Lori Bindig Yousman sees potential for a renaissance in the show’s popularity. “Setting season 5 in Italy once again returns the series to its ‘fish-out-of-water’ setup,” she notes, suggesting that placing Emily in a new cultural environment might recapture some of the charm that made the first season so compelling. Additionally, the current politically charged climate might actually work in the show’s favor: “This politically fraught moment may result in audiences searching for comfort shows… Emily in Paris is reassuringly familiar while offering audiences a chance to escape.” The series could potentially evolve by engaging more authentically with contemporary issues while maintaining its escapist appeal—a delicate balance, but one that might reconnect with viewers seeking both substance and style.
Regardless of its cultural standing, the show’s impact on tourism in Paris remains undeniable. A 2024 survey revealed that 38 percent of tourists cited “Emily in Paris” as a factor in their decision to visit the French capital, and the Paris Tourist Office continues to promote filming locations on its official website. The series even achieved the ultimate French endorsement when First Lady Brigitte Macron made a cameo appearance in season 4. For many viewers, Emily Cooper still represents an aspirational fantasy—a young woman who reinvents herself in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, surrounded by haute couture, romantic possibilities, and picture-perfect patisseries. Whether season 5 can recapture the show’s initial cultural impact remains to be seen, but its influence on how a generation of viewers perceive Paris is already written in the stars (or rather, in the Instagram filters) of pop culture history.
