A few weeks ago, Peyton Manning stole an episode of “Saturday Night Live” with an unexpected appearance on the Weekend Update.
Asked by Colin Jost what he thought of the prior weekend’s NFL playoff games, Manning said he heard they were incredible. He then admitted to skipping the games because he got caught up watching a full season of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris.”
Whoever wrote Manning’s script came up with repeated gems that the retired quarterback with a gift for comedy delivered flawlessly. Such as: “Ooh-la-la? More like, oh no you didn’t, girl!”
Comparing Emily’s love life to football: “Sure, it feels like a broken play, and she’s just dumping it off, but emotionally, she’s making forward progress.”
Discussing Tom Brady’s brief retirement: “I really think for Tom right now, it’s just a tough decision between balancing his career and relationships — sort of like Emily.”
Manning capped off the segment by putting on a red beret, creating a memorable image and getting a huge laugh from the audience.
“I don’t speak French, Colin,” he concluded. “But thanks to Emily, I speak love.”
It was so funny that I rewound the recording and watched it a couple more times. I had heard of “Emily in Paris” from my wife and daughter, but it didn’t sound like something that would interest me. Still, with Manning’s encouragement, I decided to take a look. Good thing Mary Ann has a Netflix account.
Now, having watched all 20 episodes from its two seasons, I can report that Manning was right. The show is a clever romantic comedy about a young American girl sent overseas unexpectedly, forced to navigate work and personal issues while struggling to learn French and adapt to a new culture.
“Emily in Paris” is not groundbreaking television. But it has a certain charm to it, led by Lily Collins, the actress who plays Emily. She is immensely likable. If you recognize her, it’s because she played the Tuohy family’s daughter Collins in “The Blind Side.”
There’s also her boss, an excellent villain who perpetually belittles the young American forced upon her; two goofy co-workers who befriend Emily, her Chinese expatriate best friend Mindy, and Camille, who is dating the chef that clearly is perfect for Emily. The show drills every French stereotype to great effect.
Two things about the show stuck with me. One is the never-ending fashion parade. It really is over the top, and it’s something that I normally would not notice. But Emily and Mindy are always wearing unbelievable stuff, which in the real world a girl like Emily could never afford — and would never have the closet space to keep it all.
The other thing is the show’s relentless attention to social media. Emily’s job at the marketing agency is to increase the visibility of the company’s clients, and she comes up with all sorts of creative online promotions that make the customers happy and impress her skeptical co-workers.
It reminded me of some of the marketing work my daughter Audrey has done since moving to Memphis after she got married in 2019.
Audrey currently works at a senior living center and regularly puts features about residents and information about the property online — sort of like Emily.
Audrey and Emily are about the same age, but the big difference is that Lily Collins is the daughter of musician Phil Collins, while Audrey is the daughter of ... me.
Almost all the episodes are less than 25 minutes long, so it was easy to watch two shows per night.
Audrey is very pleased that I like the show, and I was glad to report the news to her that it has been renewed for two more seasons.
Something else comes to mind: There is far too much “content” on television right now. Sooner or later there will have to be some consolidation. There’s no way for anyone to keep up with network shows, cable shows and now streaming shows and movies.
I’ll second Manning’s rave review. If you’re looking for something light and easy, “Emily in Paris” is worth a try. The show is not aimed at 60-year-old guys, but it hooked this one on its line.
Here’s a last laugh: A couple of days after his “Saturday Night Live” visit, Manning admitted on “The Tonight Show” that he’s never seen a single episode of “Emily in Paris.”
Could have fooled me. But the show has to figure out a way to get him in a cameo next year. No way am I the only person who found it thanks to Manning’s sales pitch.
