Emily in Paris: Creator Darren Star ‘not sorry’ for ‘clichés’ after widespread backlash

Comedy drama has been a hit with some viewers despite terrible reviews

The creator of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, Darren Star, has defended the show for including clichés about French people.

The series, which arrived on Netflix earlier this month, stars Lily Collins as an American expat who travels to Paris for work. It has proved a hit for Netflix despite receiving a barrage of bad reviews from critics.

French critics, in particular, condemned the show for its “insulting” depiction of Parisians as “vile snobs”.

“It reduces the capital’s inhabitants to vile snobs sporting Birkin handbags who light up a cigarette the minute they’re out of the gym,” MadmoiZelle wrote in its review.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Star refused to apologise for his series’ perceived stereotyping of French people.

“The show is a love letter to Paris through the eyes of this American girl who has never been there,” he said.  

“The first thing she is seeing is the clichés because it's from her point of view. I’m not sorry for looking at Paris through a glamorous lens. It’s a beautiful city, and I wanted to do a show that celebrated that part of Paris.”

Many TV fans were upset that Emily in Paris aired on Netflix given the cancellation of acclaimed shows such as GLOW.

In a one-star review, The Independent’s Ed Cumming warned anybody who had ever been to the French capital to “steer clear” of the “dire” new show.