After Emily in Paris Season 1 hit Netflix last year, the streamer confused everyone by announcing that the show’s title should be pronounced with a French accent. The name of the City of Lights is supposed to rhyme with the name of Lily Collins’ title character. However, series creator Darren Star, who also created Sex and the City, said the pronunciation doesn’t really matter.
A month after Emily in Paris Season 1 was released, Netflix decided everyone was pronouncing the title wrong. “Friendly reminder Emily in Paris is supposed to be pronounced with a French accent so ‘Emily’ and ‘Paris’ rhyme,” the company tweeted. But Star told Entertainment Weekly ahead of Season 2’s release that he’s not a stickler. “For those who like to pronounce it that way, I’m all for it,” he said. “But for me, it’s Emily in Paris.”
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Emily in Paris stars Collins as a 20-something student from Chicago who moves to Paris to work at a French marketing firm. Emily’s total misunderstanding of French culture annoyed critics, but the show was a hit for Netflix and quickly earned a second season. Fans embraced the show, which even earned two Emmy nominations. The second season hits Netflix on Dec. 22.
In his interview with EW, Star admitted that he understood people could be “irritated” by Emily’s depiction as a tone-deaf American in Europe, but that’s part of the story. “It’s part of her learning curve, and that’s where the tension in the show lies,” he explained, with Collins adding that Emily is also in on the jokes about her. “She is the first person to poke at herself,” the star said.
Collins has also shaken off the criticisms of the show. Some of the stories were “pulled” from their personal experiences, noting that some of the situations are based on real things that happened to members of the show’s team. Star also doesn’t think people are really just “hate-watching” the show. “I don’t really feel like people waste time watching things that they hate,” he said. “I give people more credit than that.”
The new season will pick up right where Season 1 ended. Emily slept with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) before he planned to leave Paris. Gabriel’s ex-girlfriend Camille (Camille Razat) is also hoping to reconcile with Gabriel, but that could get complicated with Emily involved. Emily’s life is now in “chaos,” Star told EW. “I don’t think she’s a person who’s ever been involved in any sort of messy relationship. And the more she tries to control things, the more they actually get out of hand.”
