Ukraine’s culture minister criticized the Netflix show "Emily in Paris" for its portrayal of a Ukrainian character in the show's second season.
The comedy-drama follows Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) as she navigates life in Paris as an American marketing executive. In the second season, which debuted last month, Emily partners up with a blond Ukrainian woman named Petra (Daria Panchenko) during one of her French classes. After the class, the two go shopping, and Petra pulls Emily out of the store while they are dressed in clothing they haven't paid for.
Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko described the depiction of Petra as "offensive."
"In Emily in Paris, we have a caricature image of a Ukrainian woman, which is unacceptable," he wrote in a Telegram message posted Dec. 24. "On the other hand, it is also offensive. Will Ukrainians be seen as such abroad? Who steal, want to get everything for free, be afraid of deportation? That should not be the case."
Some people also criticized the show on Twitter for its one-dimensional portrayal of Ukrainians, with some noting that Petra is not a Ukrainian name.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The first season of "Emily in Paris" was Netflix's most popular comedy series of 2020, according to the company. A week after its debut, the second season became the platform's second most popular show worldwide, after "The Witcher."
