2020 calls for juicy, escapist entertainment and the new Darren Star Netflix show Emily in Paris is exactly that. The main character, played by Lily Collins, moves from Chicago to Paris for work, and discovers a beautiful new world unlike anything she ever dreamed of. Sure, there are some growing pains (okay, a lot of growing pains), but she feels confident that she can make it.

Emily Cooper messes up a lot in season 1 and it’s easy to compare this show to another created by Darren Star: Sex and the City. While Emily in Paris improves on the beloved ’90s series in some aspects, there are some parts of this show that are super awkward.

Better: Emily Stands Up For Herself

Carrie Bradshaw has her flaws and the character can sometimes let Big take advantage of her. While they have an epic love story, he’s not always nice to her.

Emily, on the other hand, stands up for herself when it comes to her love life. She doesn’t like that her boyfriend dumps her for taking the opportunity to live in Paris and vows to show him that she can live without him. And when she hooks up with a teacher, he turns out to be a pretentious jerk and she sends him on his way.

Misses The Mark: Emily Is Ill Prepared For Paris

Emily in Paris misses the mark because if Emily is moving to a whole new city (and country), why doesn’t she prepare better? She doesn’t speak any French and any time that she tries, it’s embarrassing. She also doesn’t take any time to look up the differences between Paris and American life, which would come in handy.

Better: The Paris Setting Is Perfect

SATC is one of those TV series that makes NYC look beautiful, and Emily in Paris does the same thing for the City of Love.

Whether Emily is grabbing a croissant and coffee before work, walking through yet another gorgeous park, or sitting outside a charming café, she can’t believe the beauty of her new city. Viewers are more than happy to take a break from life to gaze at Paris in this 10-episode first season.

Misses The Mark: The Fashion Is Awkward

SATC is famous for featuring beautiful, incredible outfits that make the viewer want to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe. Carrie has stylish outfits in every scene and so do the other characters.

This isn’t the case on Emily in Paris. The fashion is awkward, as Emily seems to be trying way too hard to wear as much color as humanly possible. Her sense of style is also confusing because she worked in pharmaceutical marketing back in Chicago. Would she really wear these outfits?

Better: The Focus On Work

Sure, Carrie is a writer and her pals have careers, but Emily in Paris is basically all about Emily’s job changes. That’s something to admire, despite the many flaws that the show has.

Emily loves her job (as she keeps explaining to her new co-workers) and she wants to be fantastic at it. She has her eye on the prize (a promotion after her year in Paris) and she wants to rise through the ranks at her company. Even if she gets caught up in lust or the beautiful city lights, she never stops working hard.

Misses The Mark: Emily Isn’t Actually Good At Social Media

Even though Emily seems to think that she can singlehandedly fix the social media “issues” at her new French office, she doesn’t seem to have a great understanding of social media.

The show has Emily snapping selfies and photos of Paris and because she puts one hashtag in each caption, she suddenly has thousands of followers. This is strange as Instagram takes more work than that (and probably more hashtags). Emily doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing, so this is one way that this show misses the mark. If Carrie Bradshaw was on Instagram, she would know how to take the best selfies and would do a much better job.

Better: The Show Is Fluffy On Purpose

Sex and the City has a massive pop culture influence, and it did something that TV hadn’t before: gave women a platform to talk about sex and dating. This was a big deal (and still is, of course).

Emily in Paris is a show that is clearly very fluffy and superficial and it’s not trying to make any grand statements about life, love, or anything else. That makes it more fun, as viewers can focus on the fashion and Paris and everything Emily is experiencing. Sometimes, it’s nice to kick back and just be entertained.

Misses The Mark: The Romance Isn’t The Same

Emily has a crush on Gabriel but then learns that he has a girlfriend, Camille. This is a problem as Emily has already kissed him.

Even though Emily pines over this character and has a fling with a teacher, she doesn’t really have the same magical love story that Carrie and Big have on Sex and the City. Carrie wins this round as the characters says smart things about love in almost every episode.

Better: Emily Learns A New Way Of Life

Although Emily never wants to stop working and has trouble adjusting to life in Paris, she does eventually learn a whole new lifestyle. She gets used to people-watching outside cafés, enjoying leisurely meals and drinking fine wine.

If the show returns for season 2, that could get old, but for now, it works really well. It’s wonderful seeing a character realize that having a work/life balance is actually healthy and it’s going to make her happier.

Misses The Mark: Emily’s Friendships Aren’t That Deep

The bond between Carrie, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes is something special. The girls are there for each other and meet constantly for brunch, drinks, or some fabulous NYC event. While Emily meets Mindy Chen, they don’t have that kind of connection and it seems like they’re friends because they randomly meet in a park. There are some good things about this show, but this is definitely one way that Emily in Paris misses the mark.