French President Emmanuel Macron is (surprisingly) a fan of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, and he wants the show to stay in the country.
The comments come as the show that many love to hate plans for its protagonist to go away to Rome, Italy, after the show was mostly filmed in France since its release in 2020.
“I think it’s good for the image of France. Emily in Paris is super positive in terms of attractiveness for the country. For my own business, it’s a very good initiative,” Macron said in an interview with Variety.
Among Americans who watched the show, 86% had a good impression of the French, compared to 67% of those who didn’t watch the show, the Economistreported.
The second season of the show attracted about 15 million unique viewers in the U.S. in its first 28 days, according to data from PlumResearch. In France, the show is less popular—especially as most of it was in English during the first season. But the second season still drew an audience of about 3.4 million unique visitors after its first month.
In fact, after getting savaged by French critics initially, they warmed up to the show by its fourth season, and audiences have as well. When the first five episodes of the new season were released in August, the show shot to the top of Netflix’s most-watched list in France, according to the Economist.
The show’s latter seasons have become so important in France that Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, even made an appearance last year.
“I was super proud, and she was very happy to do it. It’s just a few minutes, but I think it was a very good moment for her,” Macron said of his wife’s cameo.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Fortune.
Although Emily’s move to Rome is already set, Macron is none too happy about the change of location.
“We will fight hard. And we will ask them to remain in Paris! Emily in Paris in Rome doesn‘t make sense,” he told Variety.
The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, shot back at Macron, saying there was nothing he could do to change the filming of the show.
“You really cannot intimidate or interfere with Netflix production plans for the next season of Emily in Paris. It is just not done,” Gaultieri told The Hollywood Reporter.
Caro @EmmanuelMacron stai tranquillo: Emily a Roma sta benissimo. E poi al cuor non si comanda: facciamo scegliere lei 😉https://t.co/n0EgAfMhrl
— Roberto Gualtieri (@gualtierieurope) October 9, 2024
Gaultieri said the city was happy to have the show filmed in Rome and that, if Macron wasn’t joking, it’s clear that he was overreaching.
Instead of worrying about Emily, Gaultieri said Macron should focus on more pressing issues, like the wars in Ukraine or the Middle East, he added.
“We see Emily’s move to Rome as a confirmation that our city is becoming more and more important, and we are quite relaxed about Netflix production decisions. They know what they are doing. To be honest, we think Mr. Macron should just relax,” the mayor said.
While it may be strange that two politicians would be fighting over a show with a paltry 6.8 rating on IMDb, Emily in Paris has acquired a cult following over the years.
The show’s fourth season debuted with just under 20 million views earlier this year and secured the title of most watched English-language TV show on the platform for the week of Aug. 12.
