She didn’t make much effort to learn French before relocating from America to work in Paris. And she managed to rent the biggest chambre de bonne, one of the smallest bedsit types in the French capital, ever seen. Once upon a time a chambre de bonne would have been used as a tiny maid’s quarters, but in Emily’s case her quarters were at least the size of a one-bedroom flat. It didn’t stop her from thriving in her job and finding love, as well as annoying French natives on and off the screen throughout the 10 episodes of Netflix’ Emily in Paris.
And now she is back.
The American streaming platform has announced that season 2 of the hit comedy show has started its production in Paris, St. Tropez, and other locations across France.
Created by Darren Star, the producer behind two popular HBO series, Younger and Sex and the City, Emily in Paris stars Lily Collins as, you guessed it: Emily. She is an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago who lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company. Emily is tasked with revamping their social media strategy and dealing with top clients, despite her knowledge of the local language basically consisting of two words: ‘oui’ and ‘croissant’.
The impossible scenario of nice apartments, easy fame (Emily also became an overnight digital ‘influencer’) and swiftly navigating new romances is what seems to have attracted the attention of 58 million households around the world that, while in lockdown last year, chose to binge on ‘Emily in Paris.’ As a result, the show became Netflix’s most popular comedy series of 2020 during its first 28 days – the network confirmed during a recent Academy of Television Arts & Science panel.
Lily Collins, a British-American actress and daughter of English musician Phil Collins, acknowledges the show as an escapism tool in a year when most people couldn’t travel much further than their front door.
“As an actor, an artist, and a creative, the most meaningful gift is to connect with people through your art in some way. It’s an honour to be associated with a project that provided people with some much-needed relief during a trying time when everyone was looking for a reason to smile and laugh. Not only did playing Emily teach me more about myself, but also about the world around me. I couldn’t be happier to be back in Paris for season 2 to expand upon those lessons, to continue to grow, and learn even more about this beautiful city and all of its character with Emily.”
Darren Star, the show creator, adds: “From the beginning we always wanted to create this beautiful cinematic view of Paris. The timing of the series release was fortuitous for us as everyone around the world was able to become armchair travellers and live vicariously through our cast. We could not be prouder and are excited to bring more joy to our fans as we start production on Season 2.”
‘Emily in Paris’ is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, Darren Star Productions, and Jax Media. The people at Netflix tasked with marketing the show certainly live in the same fantasy world that made Emily a success: the press release announced a resumption of shooting season 2 by including a note from Sylvie Grateau, Emily’s boss at the Savoir Agency in Paris (magnificently played by French actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), highlighting the details of the leading lady’s latest assignment and how essential she is for the company!

The truth is that for anyone who watched at least five minutes of the show, the chance of a French boss praising an American employee she despised for a solid 10 episodes is as believable as Emily’s spacious apartment once being inhabited by a maid working for a middle-class family in the 19th century.