The fifth season of Emily in Paris has just landed on Netflix, with Lily Collins reprising her role as Emily Cooper, who embarks on a fresh business endeavour in Rome. The latest series introduces new characters, including Emmy-nominated actress Minnie Driver.
However, the season finale concludes with a poignant tribute to one of the show’s crew members, displaying a title card that reads ‘In memory of Diego Borella’. Diego Borella was an assistant director for the series, who tragically died during filming in Venice in August 2025.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the 47 year old collapsed in front of his colleagues while they were setting up for a scene. Despite immediate medical attention at Hotel Danieli, he could not be saved.
A representative from Paramount Television Studios, the producers of the show for Netflix, expressed their sorrow at the time, stating: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the sudden passing of a member of the ‘Emily in Paris’ production family.
“Our hearts go out to the individual’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Following Borella’s untimely death, production of the fifth season of Emily in Paris was reportedly put on hold temporarily. Borella, a locally hired Italian third assistant director, suffered “a sudden heart attack”, according to local news reports.
Borella was a highly regarded writer and director whose career spanned Rome, London and New York, with particular emphasis on poetry, fairy tales and children’s literature. Mattia Berto, a close friend of Borella’s for many years, spoke movingly about him to Spanish publication El Mundo.
He said: “The last time we saw each other was at a dinner in Paris with his best friend and mine. Diego had a great sense of humour, he was brilliant and very talented. His was a young interrupted life, so there are not many words. Just a great sadness.”
His IMDb profile reveals that Borella had also served on the production crew for the television series DOC – Nelle tue mani. He maintained an Instagram presence, and admirers of his creative output flocked to his most recent post to express their sympathies to his loved ones.
The forthcoming fifth series of Emily in Paris will see the protagonist divide her time between two capital cities – Rome and Paris – as show creator Darren Star revealed: “Straddling both, Emily takes love and life to the next level. From Parisian rooftops to Roman ruins, we can’t wait to share where Emily’s next chapter takes us.”
The previous series saw Emily, played by Lily Collins, embarking on a romantic journey with the dashing Italian fashion mogul Marcello, portrayed by Eugenio Franceschini. The couple relocated to an Italian flat as Emily took charge of a Rome branch for Agence Grateau.
The show’s creator aimed to “stay ahead of the audience and take them to unexpected places,” demonstrating that “the show has the ability to have a bigger footprint”. In this series, Collins was eager to delve deeper into Emily’s relationship with Marcello.
She revealed: “Marcello is a whole other adventure that we want for Emily, because we ultimately want Emily to be able to have a better work-life balance. We want to have Emily be able to smile without condition. We want to see her beyond her vacay mode. And he comes at that perfect time.”
Emily in Paris season 5 is on Netflix
