When Emily in Paris premiered in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, it felt like the perfect antidote to confinement. The world was locked inside, and here came a bright-eyed American girl arriving in Paris — with fabulous clothes, a dream job, and the promise of a modern fairy tale. Escapism was welcome, and Darren Star, the mind behind Sex and the City, knew exactly what he was offering: a fantasy painted in soft light and perfect filters.

Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) is the quintessential rom-com heroine: ambitious, naive, straight out of Chicago, sent to Paris to bring an “American perspective” to a French marketing firm. She barely speaks the language, commits endless cultural faux pas, yet somehow charms everyone around her. Her Paris isn’t real — it’s a mood board, a fantasy of cobblestones, croissants, and couture. And maybe that’s exactly why the series became such a hit — and such a target.

From day one, Emily in Paris split opinions. Some loved it for its candy-colored escapism; others loathed it for being all gloss and no depth. Lily Collins plays Emily with a self-aware sparkle — she knows this story isn’t meant to be taken seriously — and she sells every outfit, every misunderstanding, every hashtag with a wink. The result? More buzz about her wardrobe than her emotional arc.

The problem is that the paper-thin plot — and the endlessly recycled love triangle with the charming neighbor-chef — wore out quickly. By season two, it was clear that Emily’s indecision had become the show’s whole identity. How many misunderstandings can one woman have before choosing the guy next door? Apparently, a few more. And now, she’s taking her indecision on tour.

Season 5, arriving December 18 on Netflix, sends Emily to Rome. Darren Star promises “a tale of two cities: Paris and Rome,” and while that sounds ambitious, it also feels like a creative reset — a way to stretch the formula with new scenery, new lovers, and new hashtags. Emily will now head the Rome branch of Agence Grateau, juggling love, work, and a looming secret that could change her friendships forever.

The main cast returns — Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo — with new faces like Minnie Driver and Italian actor Eugenio Franceschini as Marcello, the man who might finally teach Emily to slow down. Lily Collins herself said she hopes this season shows Emily “beyond her vacation mode.”

But the truth is, Emily in Paris was never about growth. It was about dreaming of shoes, skylines, and second chances. In 2020, that felt like hope. In 2025, it feels like nostalgia. Yet there’s something hypnotic about watching Emily keep spinning: changing cities, jobs, and boyfriends, but never herself.

Maybe that’s the real secret of Emily in Paris: not reinvention, but repetition. Because not every kind of escapism has to evolve — sometimes, it just needs to stay beautiful.