I think people’s expectations were entirely too high for this show, especially avid travelers. It seems like people forgot that romantic comedies are almost always cheesy and super stereotypical. Maybe it’s because many people are having international travel withdrawals right now. Personally, I entertained the idea of watching it only because I saw people in travel groups talking about it. I’m guessing some people thought this show would portray their way of visiting/living in a new country, forgetting how most romantic comedies are.

When I first heard about the show, I didn’t read anyone’s opinions about it, so I didn’t hate-watch it or anything. My only opinion prior to watching was that it was probably going to give me Eat Pray Love vibes due to Paris being known as a romantic city. To be honest, Emily In Paris is not that far off: an "All-American" (read: white) woman that goes through a breakup (in Emily's case, the breakup happened after she left the US), goes to a foreign country(ies) to figure out where she belongs and top thhe rom-com icing on the cake finds a foreign lover (or in Emily's case foreign boy toys and/or inappropriate lovers).

I think the key difference was the the problematic parts of Eat Pray Love were more subtle. Plus, social media was usage was low during the time of the film’s release so less viral critiques about the unrealistic parts. Also, the fact that we're in a pandemic where the US government is handling it poorly. Now is surely not the time to release a series showcasing the "American Way" as superior. Any other time, people would still side eye and give harsh critiques for sure, but now is definitely not the time for it.