Paris vs. Rome: The Battle For Netflix’s ‘Emily In Paris’

The American television series Emily in Paris has something to boast: it has led to a rise in French tourism, but as the show prepares for its fifth season, the lead character, Emily, will be moving to Rome. According to Netflix, Emily is leaving the “City of Love,” but French President Emmanuel Macron is fighting a battle to ensure she remains in Paris, saying France will “fight hard” against having the show relocate its filming to Italy’s capital.

The mayor of Rome shot back with a playful jab, saying that Emily is “doing great in Rome.” The kidding aside, one’s question now is: Why are these European nations suddenly fighting so hard to own the TV series.

What’s it all about?

Emily in Paris is about Lily Collins’ character, Emily Cooper, an American marketing executive who moves from Chicago to Paris and revels in the charms of that great city. The show, which premiered during the pandemic in 2020, is now one of Netflix’s most-watched. For the show’s fifth season, showrunner Darren Star said Emily will “have a presence in Rome.” Now, while the series makes life in Paris seem so romanticized, it has been criticized for the level of stereotypes and lack of representation of the city’s less affluent areas. As Telerama noted, “It’s a saccharine series filled with stereotypes, and yet we can’t get ourselves to totally hate it.”

What did Macron say?

President Macron was recently interviewed by Variety and shared his take on the show, saying, “We will ask them to remain in Paris; Emily in Paris in Rome does not make sense.” Macron has been an enthusiastic fan of the series well before now, given that his wife Brigitte will appear in a cameo for season four, an appearance that left him beaming with pride over the show’s contribution to France’s positive image. He quipped, “Emily in Paris is very positive in terms of attractiveness for the country. For my own business, it’s a very good initiative.” But Macron has no plans to appear on the show himself, joking that, “I’m less attractive than Brigitte.”

How has Rome reacted?

Following the Macron’s comments, the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri tweeted, “Dear Emmanuel Macron, don’t worry: Emily is doing great in Rome”. And anyway, one cannot control the heart: let’s let her choose. He also indicated that Macron should deal with more vital problems and even added that “I would like to believe, at least I would like to hope, that Macron was joking because he ought to know that a production company like Netflix does not take orders from heads of state.” Gualtieri also remembered a light-hearted conversation he had with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on the issue, saying both cities should keep calm about the decisions taken by Netflix.

Why are the countries fighting over the soap?

According to reports by France’s National Centre of Cinematography, it goes on to state that apart from protests from viewers complaining about its portrayal of Parisian life, this means that the show has already strongly impacted tourism. One study found that close to 10% of tourists were inspired to travel to France following a particular film or series, and *Emily in Paris* was the ultimate inspiration for 38%. The Paris tourist board published a list of ten must-see destinations featured in the show. An example is a high budget movie that adds about 31% on average. The Macron government could explain why Macron was opposed to the idea when Emily relocated to Rome.