Emily in Paris is once again dominating Netflix with the first five episodes of its fourth season, despite seemingly still being hated by many critics and viewers. Starring Lily Collins as the titular marketing executive who relocates in Paris for her new job and new life, the light and fluffy series has managed to constantly capture a huge viewership while seeming to please only half the people who watch it, leading to the unanswerable question of why they are still watching?
The main draw of the series comes from the light-hearted approach to Emily’s story, which is told against the sweet, romantic backdrop of gentle Parisian life, and comes with a very fashion-centric aesthetic that appears to be almost impossible to resist. Since its debut in 2020, the series has been a constant viewership winner for Netflix, even if a loud portion of reviewers have been calling for its cancelation from the very first episode.
With Season 4 now easily taking the top spot on Netflix’s global chart, it is clear that even with its almost static 45-50% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the series is resonating with a lot of people – even if they just don’t want to admit it. Perhaps what has also contributed to the initial burst of activity with every season is the continued use of Netflix’s “binge” release model, meaning that fans can blast their way through all of the new episodes and crank up those viewer numbers. This time, the series will be getting a double shot having split the ten-episode season into two parts.
Why Do So Many People Hate Emily in Paris?
As has become common with any streaming release, be it a movie or TV show, Emily in Paris has failed to tick every box for everyone. High viewership is contrasted with a love-it-or-hate-it opinion from both sides of the review pool. Those who love it, really love it, and those that don’t like it abhor it.
The reason for many of the show’s bad reviews comes down to the expectations of audiences. Emily in Paris is not an intricately layered drama series, and it never set out to be. However, while this makes it an easy escapist watch – a plus point in a lot of the more positive reviews – its “dumbed down” approach has been heavily criticized for relying on clichés and lazy stereotypes of the French culture and people.
With the release of the latest season, it appears that nothing has changed in this respect. Only now being four seasons in, the show is also having to handle complaints that it is recycling the same plot points and not delivering anything new to the story – although some would say that is the mantra of TV soaps, and it has served them well for decades.
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In the end, Emily in Paris is doing the one thing that Netflix requires of it to allow it to continue – bringing in viewers. Perhaps with so many other deep, dark dramas on offer, the series’ whimsical air and romanticized vision of Paris is just something people are happy to throw on and get lost in for a few hours.
Although there may have been many shows canceled on Netflix with stronger reviews and seemingly large fanbases, it is a show’s performance in streaming metrics that ultimately leads to its longevity. Even if the formula doesn’t work for everyone, Emily in Paris has defied its haters to become one of Netflix’s longer-running original shows. With another five episodes of Season 4 set to arrive on September 12, we can expect to see Emily on the Netflix chart for several weeks yet.
Emily in Paris
is streaming now on Netflix. The status of Season 5 has yet to be announced.