The Netflix original rom-com series Emily in Paris caused quite a stir when it debuted in October 2020. All you have to do is google ‘Emily in Paris reviews’ and you’re met with a swarm of negative comments. It was ripped into by numerous critics and French natives themselves for its inaccuracy and stereotypical representations of Paris and Parisians. So why did the series have two Golden Globe nominations?
It was nominated for Best Comedy and Best Musical Series and Lily Collins, who plays the main character, Emily, received a nomination for Best Actress In A Comedy Or Musical Series. However, there has been a lot of speculation recently that the show enticed the judges through unfair means and essentially bought their nomination.
How did Emily in Paris allegedly entice judges to get the vote?
“more than 30 HFPA members were flown out and treated to a news conference along with lunch at a private museum”
An investigation by the LA Times revealed that Golden Globe judges were invited to visit the show’s set in Paris alongside a two-night stay at a hotel that cost $1,400 a night. The Golden Globe award nominations are decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – a group of 87 international journalists. The hotel they stayed at was the Peninsula Paris Hotel and more than 30 HFPA members were flown out and treated to a news conference along with lunch at a private museum and amusement rides dating back to 1950; all paid for by Paramount Network, the developers of Emily in Paris.
A member even told the LA Times: “They treated us like Kings and Queens.”
“shows deemed more worthy of a nomination such as I May Destroy You received no nominations.”
Was this all in an effort to gain a Golden Globe nomination? The world seems to think so, especially as shows deemed more worthy of a nomination such as I May Destroy You received no nominations. I May Destroy You is a British-American drama TV series created, written, and co-directed by Michaela Cole for BBC One and HBO. It is set in London with a predominantly black British cast and focuses on rape, sexual consent, and racism, whereas Emily in Paris is full of outdated stereotypes and was described as “an excruciating exorcism of French cliches” by the Guardian.
How did Emily in Paris‘ creator react?
Even the writer of Emily in Paris herself, Deborah Copaken, said that her excitement over the nomination was tempered by her rage over I May Destroy You being snubbed.
She took to Twitter to address Michaela Cole directly and publicly by tweeting, “Dear @MichaelaCoel: I was a writer on Emily in Paris, but your show was my favourite show since the dawn of TV & this is just wrong. I loved I MAY DESTROY YOU, and I thank you, personally, for giving us your heart, your mind, your resilience, & your humour.”
Was Emily in Paris ever worthy of its Golden Globe nominations?
“Emily in Paris has also been criticised for presenting American culture as superior and disrespecting French culture”
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed watching Emily in Paris. It has a light-hearted romantic storyline, a stunning cast, and beautiful visuals of Paris, however, it is definitely questionable whether it was worthy of two Golden Globe nominations. The show got a 63% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas I May Destroy You got 98%. Emily in Paris has also been criticised for presenting American culture as superior and disrespecting French culture, so the show was definitely problematic.
“there’s hope that this backlash will ensure the HFPA avoid anything like this controversy in the future”
People quickly took to social media to display their outrage with one popular Tweet reading, “If you don’t think white supremacy is real, Emily in Paris is nominated for a Golden Globe.”
Whether the speculation is true or not, there’s hope that this backlash will ensure the HFPA avoid anything like this controversy in the future. It’s common sense that awards should be based on talent – not bought – and I would hate to see diverse and progressive shows such as I May Destroy You miss out in the future.
Maddy Burgess
Image courtesy of David Mark from Pixabay. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
