Everybody was shocked when Emily in Paris bagged itself not just one Golden Globe nomination, but two. The Netflix series was nominated for Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) and the show’s lead actor was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy).
The Golden Globes Results
Emily in Paris lost both of their nominations to Schitt’s Creek. Catherine O’Hara walked away with Best Leading Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) and Schitt’s Creek won Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy).
This wasn’t to the surprise of many as Schitt’s Creek swept the Primetime Emmys last year, winning nine awards.
The controversy
With two popular Black-led television shows being snubbed by the “too white” Golden Globes committee, people felt cheated to learn that the simplicity and averageness of Emily in Paris was being recognized.
Netflix describes this show as, “Emily, an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company — and she is tasked with revamping their social media strategy.”
Funnily enough, it has been poked fun at by critics — including the French press, and its casual audience, all-around. While the show sits at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, judging critics have called it “ignorant” and “snobby.”
Giving the show a rating of three out of five, Jeanmarie Tan at The New Paper wrote, “Ultimately, this is undemanding, binge-worthy viewing that easily washes over you.”
Needless to say, the general consensus was that the show was average, which paled in comparison to the praise directed towards Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and Issa Rae’s Insecure.
Even a writer on Emily and Paris spoke out and published an article in The Guardian about this strange occurrence. Writer Deborah Copaken wrote about her shock and confusion when her mom called her to let her know that the show was nominated.
She wrote, “Now, am I excited that Emily in Paris was nominated? Yes. Of course. I’ve never been remotely close to seeing a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone being nominated for one. But that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub” before launching into criticism about the lack of diversity in the average writer’s room — something that I May Destroy You brilliantly challenged.
This is being acknowledged by the Times Up organization who has taken this week to draw attention to the lack of diversity within the Golden Globes committee.
A photo has been distributed by Times Up and their allies noting that out of the 87 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, they don’t have a single Black member.
Emily in Paris is currently streaming on Netflix.