Loved Emily In Paris? These 10 Shows Tick A Similar 'Fashion Meets Drama' Memo

Fashion is one of the main characters in Emily in Paris, and the same wardrobe dedication is reflected in The Bold Type. It follows Jane, Kat, and Sutton, who work at a women magazine called the 'Scarlet.' Like Emily, the three women are bound by ambition, navigating their careers while also handling the nuances and complexities of friendships and romantic relationships. It goes beyond being a sappy workplace drama rendition and binds super relatable storylines. 

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Streaming on: JioHotstar

Number of seasons: 5

Cast: Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee, Meghann Fahy

Release year: 2017

The essence of Emily in Paris was the glitz and glamour of Paris that subtly seeped into each of the characters' lifestyle, choices, and personal relationships (like Mindy and Emily's bond). A similar thread can be found in The Hook Up Plan, where Paris plays a major role in the backdrop. In this show, Elsa is perpetually single and her group of friends bond over her failed romantic relationships. Both series reflect romantic mishaps, healed with the bond of female friendships and provide us with an escapist fantasy with Parisian scenes taking up much of their show. 

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 3

Cast: Zita Hanrot, Sabrina Ouazani, Joséphine Draï

Release year: 2018

Sex and the City and Emily in Paris share a quintessential DNA: the creator, Darren Star. Being Darren's shows both use fashion as an accessory to express the characters' moods. While set in two distinct aspirational cities, New York and Paris, the shows follow a career-oriented main character, trying to make it big while navigating her personal life. Carrie Bradshaw and her band of female friends live in the Big Apple City in the 1990s and try to navigate their life decisions, while gossiping about their sex lives or lack thereof. 

IMDb rating: 7.4/10

Streaming on: JioHotstar

Number of seasons: 6

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis

Release year: 1998

Gossip Girl is the serious, dramatic, and adrenaline-fueled elder cousin of Emily in Paris. Set in New York, the show follows the lives of Manhattan's elite high-schoolers and an anonymous website (Gossip Girl) that breaks their scandals. Like Emily in Paris, the show was a trendsetter in its own time, with fashion aesthetics like Brooklyn Bohemian and Upper-East preppy taking over. The music scores were iconic, and so were the characters, who each had a personal struggle to confront. But what unites the Parisian series and this one is their love for dramatic romantic connections, with no single couple making it to the end of any season. 

IMDb rating: 7.5/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 6

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis

Release year: 2007

Another Darren Star creation, Liza Millier and Emily Cooper are aspirational main characters who are navigating their careers in the backdrop of a chaotic city. Emily and Liza also have powerful mentors, like Sylvie and Diana, respectively. Liza hides her actual age to further her career in publishing and finds connections in both Josh and Charles, mirroring the messy love triangle in Emily in Paris. Fashion is also a key element in both series, with corporate core taking precedence. 

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Streaming on: Prime Video

Number of seasons: 7

Cast: Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar

Release year: 2015

Valeria is the Spanish counterpart of Sex and the City and Emily in Paris. It follows Valeria (duh), who faces a dead end in her career as an author and in her marriage. With Madrid playing second fiddle in this series, it mirrors Emily's struggles of making it in the city with her female friends, quite like Valeria and her gang of women friends. As someone who often strikes writer's block, this series was super relatable for me, and I loved the genuine portrayal of the evolution of female friendships it showcased, alongside the super enviable wardrobe they owned. 

IMDb rating: 6.7/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 4

Cast: Diana Gómez, Silma López, Paula Malia

Release year: 2020

Masaba Masaba is a beautiful portrayal of the Indian haute couture scene and is like a close friend of Emily in Paris. Like Emily, Masaba is an aspirational fashion designer taking inspiration from the streets of Mumbai and trying to make her way in the world of fashion design. It offers a peek into a life steeped in media scrutiny, balancing her relationships with her mother Neena Gupta, and making her way out of her shadow. Both shows center on female empowerment fueled by the glitz and glamour of their city, career choices, and personal bonds. 

IMDb rating: 6.7/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 2

Cast: Masaba Gupta, Neena Gupta, Neil Bhoopalam

Release year: 2020

Moving from Dehradun to Mumbai, Meera Sehgal is learning to find her feet in the bustling fashion industry, just like Emily who moves from Chicago to Paris to find her niche in luxury marketing. Meera's life is not as glamorous as Emily's life, but both of them are fueled by their 'fish out of water' situation, forcing them to adapt, evolve, and be perfect girls in their cities. Both of them wind narratives around self-discovery while detangling friendships and romantic relationships.

IMDb rating: 7.5/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 3

Cast: Mithila Palkar, Swati Vatsa, Rajat Barmecha

Release year: 2016

Call Me Bae is the desi version of Emily in Paris (even their colour palette is quite similar). Like Emily finds herself in Paris and struggles to adapt, so does Bae. After her scandalous affair with her trainer gets out, Bae is thrust into independence and struggles to sustain herself in Mumbai without all the wealth and monetary support of her now ex-husband and family. Her wardrobe soon grew to be a trend-setter, just like Emily's. While the Parisian series focused on workplace drama and her romantic relationships, Bae's is more about her self-discovery and how she eventually fits in with a life she did not choose, from heiress to hustler. 

IMDb rating: 6/10

Streaming on: Prime Video

Number of seasons: 1 (Season 2 is in the making)

Cast: Ananya Panday, Vihaan Samat, Gurfateh Pirzada

Release year: 2024

Just as Emily in Paris immerses you in French couture, The Fabulous does a pretty good job of sketching out Seoul's competitive fashion landscape. It gives you an insider view on media brand activations, photoshoots, fashion walks, and basically all the glamour of a fashion house, just like Emily's series does. There's a photographer, model, PR manager, and a fashion designer, who are all doing their best to move forward and achieve success in the backdrop of an extremely cutthroat fashion ecosystem. It is visually enriching and makes you aspire for a life of luxury brands, just like its Parisian counterpart. 

IMDb rating: 6.4/10

Streaming on: Netflix

Number of seasons: 1

Cast: Choi Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin, Lee Sang-woon

Release year: 2022