Everything you need to know about "Emily in Paris" Season 2 (and it's release date!)

"Emily in Paris" Season 2 with its stars Lily Collins and Lucas Bravo is in the pipeline and we can hardly wait to see how the plot around the somewhat "overconfident" American assistant Emily will continue in the French capital. One thing is for sure: the hot night with lover boy Gabriel finally happened and it "was the best" thing that ever happened to Emily. So much for the dirty talk of the series, which was an absolute gutter sweep during the last lockdown year. During a time of limited travel, it was an invitation to indulge and dream - to a pandemic-free world that seemed very far away. 

And this was gladly accepted by many: In 2020, the series was the most successful comedy series on the streaming service Netflix! 58 million households tuned in to it in the first four weeks. A record! 

But the series also struck a chord in other ways. People lashed out at Emily's fashion as well as the somewhat clichéd portrayal of France and its inhabitants. As a party-going, seldom-working people who pass the time "full-time" with champagne and romances, not all viewers could be won over. But these controversies only added to the circulation of "Emily in Paris". 

Now Netflix has the second season up its sleeve, which will be available on the streaming service from 22 December 2021. Perfect for the holidays when we want to unwind.

Lucas Bravo aka Gabriel is the new male lead in the series. Especially in season 2, he finally conquered the heart of Emily, who already tells us in the trailer for the new season that she "spent the best night of her life" with him. By the way, she has not yet found out that he is still the boyfriend of her Parisian friend, which of course promises a lot of drama. 

Meanwhile, Lucas Bravo's life seems to be drama-free. Due to the suddenly immense attention, he can look forward to more roles than ever before! The Frenchman, who, like his role in "Emily in Paris", also completed an apprenticeship as a chef, can be seen in several films next year. And they have star power! 

At the moment he is in front of the camera for several films. He has been booked for "Ticket to Paradise" with Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, "The Honeymoon" and "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" (yes, really!) and we will see him on screen more often in 2022. 

Are there any new characters we can expect in season 2? 

There are some new faces joining us in the second round. The handsome Lucien Laviscount will be playing the charming businessman Alfie, with whom Emily develops a rather antagonistic relationship. First up. Actor Jeremy O. Harris has a guest role as aspiring fashion designer Elliott Dupree, who was once Pierre Cadault's protégé. The third new face is French actor Arnaud Binard. He plays a nightclub owner in St Tropez whom Emily meets through her job at Savoir.

The new additions join the original cast of the first season, which includes Ashley Park and Camille Razat, who play Mindy and Camille. Lucas Bravo will of course reprise his acclaimed role as Gabriel, and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Sylvie), Samuel Arnold (Julian) and Bruno Gouery (Luc) also return. Overall, we hope to delve deeper into the world of the characters of Emily in Paris in the new season. Will Mindy continue to flee her life in China, has Emily always been so self-confident and who is Sylvie really underneath her tough exterior? We arm ourselves with popcorn and remain curious.

The new season delves deeper into the world of Emily

In the second season, the plot and the character of Emily gain a little more narrative depth. Collins explains: "In the first season, we only had ten episodes to really get to know Emily, her new friends at work and the people she meets outside of work." So in season two, we learn more about her past and dive a little deeper into the different facets of her character, which some critical viewers have found too one-dimensional. Ultimately, we also learn about her family in the US and even her childhood. 

Producer Darren Star also confirmed that Emily 2.0 will have developed a certain maturity and will deal with many situations more steadfastly. "In season 2, she will be more part of the fabric of the world (in Paris) that she lives in. She becomes more of a resident of the city." He finally revealed that the second season is "by far a stronger season" than the first. This statement makes us curious, as we know that the narrative quality of a series tends to decrease after the first season. So we can look forward not only to a new season of Emily in Paris, but also especially to an improved version of it.

Will Emily finally learn French? 

Seriously, Emily's joyful Bonnjurrrr! already had an iconic status. However, in the new season, we want to see the American beauty really settle into her life in Paris. And that includes, above all, getting behind the French books and learning the language. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Darren Star explained why there is actually so little French spoken in the series: "Because the show was originally produced for an American network, I didn't know how much subtitled French an American audience would tolerate. Now that we're targeting a global audience, there's a lot more subtitled content in the second season." So we can look forward to even more French charm and, of course, especially Sylvie's face as Emily flirts with her new knowledge.

Will the secret between Emily and Gabriel finally be revealed?

It's a question we've all been asking ourselves since the first chance meeting of the three of them outside Gabriel's restaurant. At the heart of the series, alongside the daring move and the office drama, is without doubt the ups and downs of Emily's love life, for which Darren Star is known as the creator of "Sex and the City". So the exciting love triangle between Camille, Emily and Gabriel goes into the next round with the second season. 

The enchanting Camille Razat, who not only has her first name in common with her role, but also her charming manner, tells Collider in an interview how Gabriel and her namesake could continue: "I think he (Gabriel) needs to see me face to face and tell me why he's leaving me. And if he really leaves me, we understand that we have a problem with each other," Camille Razat told Collider. "He needs to tell me properly. He needs to end it properly." 

The criticism of the series was very loud despite all the enthusiasm

The series has not only been met with enthusiasm from the viewers. The actors and producers were sitting at home in Lockdown when a wave of criticism hit the production. At one point, it was no longer clear whether friends and acquaintances wanted to watch the series because they had heard so many good things about it or because they had heard so many bad things. 

Emily comes to Paris determined to bring 'an American perspective' to French branding, never once considering that her proud cultural ignorance is actually a weakness, not a strength. For many French critics, the 'proud cultural ignorance' was a little too much, and the series was roundly criticized, mocked and dismissed for riding on stereotypes and glorifying an unrealistic version of Paris. In an interview with Variety, Darren Star defended the series, saying, "I think a lot of viewers who live or have lived in Paris themselves didn't quite understand that this was seen through the eyes of a protagonist who was experiencing the city for the first time. That's just how she perceived Paris now - she was really struck by the beauty that surrounded her."

The costume design also raised questions for many viewers in the first season. For many not interested in fashion, the choice of costume designer Patricia Field (of Sex and the City) seems too inaccessible and daring. Mathilde Carton, editor-in-chief of the French magazine Grazia, complains that Emily's outfits do not correspond to reality from both a fashion and a practical point of view. They are too gaudy, too flashy, too cartoonish and not versatile enough to be worn throughout the day, they say. Supporters, on the other hand, praised the daring choice of outfits for their colourful interpretation of the casual style Paris is known for.

The well-known fashion YouTuber Luke Meagher complained that it was rather unrealistic for a "normal" employee in an agency to be able to afford Chanel bags & Co. worth several thousand euros. Maybe one or the other second-hand piece will join them or Emily will even take us to the flea market. In any case, that would be more realistic than dressing in the finest fabrics from the hottest designers all the time. 

Has the production taken last year's criticism to heart?

Emily in Paris was met with widespread public disapproval after its two Golden Globe nominations last February. The nominations led to a major discussion about corruption and white-washing within Hollywood. As a result, NBC announced that it would no longer air the annual awards show as planned. Many felt that the nominations came at the expense of projects by black writers, such as Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You. But Lilly Collins, who is also the show's producer, took the criticism in her stride and, along with Darren Star, threw the concept around again for season two. "Although I didn't expect to be thrown into it in this way, I felt it was definitely an opportunity to do better in season two.", she explained in an interview with Glamour.

The changes are noticeable just by the addition of many PoC actors to the cast. "If there's ever an opportunity to be better, to do better and have more representation and inclusion, you should take it," Collins says. "I really wanted to include [more] women, PoCs and also people of diverse sexual orientation to really show more of the world and make them part of the Emily family," she says. The result of this endeavour we will 

Now, after a long wait, the countdown to the premiere of the second season finally begins. Will there be a season 3 of "Emily in Paris"? That has not been revealed by Netflix so far, but we may assume that there will be one if there is enough interest. We can hardly wait, because all in all, it sounds like a brilliant second round. A strong woman on her way up the career ladder, new attractive romances, a luxurious trip to the sunny south of France and, of course, lots of adorable outfits. And then it's time for us to put on our face masks, snuggle up on the couch and sigh as we dive into the wondrous world of Emily en France.