From NYC to Paris

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, women around the world, including myself, dedicated over 50+ hours of their life into watching the fabulous, fictitious lives of the upper east side unfold. (More if you watched a second, third, fourth... hundredth time.) Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha weren’t just tv characters, they were our soulmates.

We relished in their love stories, and we cringed at their often TMI, yet hilariously relatable, faux pas. We locked ourselves in our bedroom when the series eventually ended, only to come out in our monolos, cosmos in hand, to rejoice at the announcement of syndication, to a film, and then a second. We could watch our best girlfriends relive their best lives whenever we wanted; we were the luckiest girls on the planet.

The greatest news came earlier this year, when it was announced that a new round of storylines awaited us... but we’d have to wait for production.

If you are one of the millions of women around the globe between the ages of 35 and 50 anxiously awaiting the reboot of Sex and the City (SATC), Emily in Paris (EIP) is the perfect bingeworthy Netflix-and-Chill to tide you over.

Darren Star, creator of SATC, does it again in this modern day, millennial escapist series about a young marketer from Chicago sent to France to creatively advertise European products from an American point of view. Emily (played by Lily Collins) a twenty-something, doe-eyed Midwesterner, eagerly packs up to embark on life abroad, only to discover Paris isn’t always beautiful in Springtime.

Upon her arrival, she discovers she hasn’t been set up luxury, but an elevator-less, 5th story, modest apartment flat (ala’ a rent controlled New York City apartment with a window facing writing desk). But who cares? She’s in Paris! She snaps a photo using her iPhone in the must-have-accessory of the season: a vintage camera phone case. The extremely worthy mention here is the incredibly talented Patricia Field whose creative costume designs made Carrie Bradshaw a fashion icon. She’s teamed up with Darren Star, yet again, to make EIP another iconic, trendsetting series.

The first day at her new job Emily's met with a less-than-enthusiastic welcome from colleagues determined to undermine and sabotage her. Workplace drama wears thin, but Emily is ambitious to a fault, much to the dismay of her stifled, jealous coworkers. She returns to her temporary home, deflated, but eager to make a name for herself. She FaceTimes her (now) long-distance boyfriend to 'blow off some steam.' Empathetic comedy ensues when she takes matters into her own hands, and the use of her American electrical plug short circuits the entire building, and her orgasm.

Throughout the series, Emily frequently updates her new social media page: @EmilyinParis, the show’s namesake. With the upload of each post, a ticker of ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ pops up on the screen, like a theatric narrative aside, allowing us [the viewers] to tag along on Emily’s influencer journey. These modern day graphics are reminiscent of gentle keyboard clicks and a typeface which once posed the infamous question of the week, “I couldn’t help but wonder...”

As the series progresses, Emily (and we, the viewers) can’t help but wonder if the struggles to fit in among the French culture and corporate world will ever subside. However, much like Carrie and the girls, Emily powers through, with the help of newfound friends that she meets along the way.

The series' simplistic charm makes it an easy watch for both the realistic idealist and the idealistic realist. Hopeless romantics will get their fix through storylines encompassing long distance relationships, love triangles and awkward dating encounters. Dream chasers will be inspired by Emily's determination and grit. Young professionals will find solace in topics that hit bullseye on navigating internal corporate challenges. EIP is an inspirational survival guide for a world that can sometimes be heartbreakingly tough, but by following Emily’s lead, we’ll come to realize that no obstacle can stop us if we stay true to ourselves and our hearts.

This hot new television series, now streaming on Netflix, has been renewed for a second season, with hopefully many more to come. It may appear light and fluffy on the outside, but upon a deeper glance it’s anything but mindless. Full of sobbing ugly tears and laugh out loud moments, Emily in Paris will have you clicking "play next episode" over and over again.

If you start early enough, you’ll be through all ten, thirty-minute episodes just in time for happy hour.