I really like
Esmée. As a French Canadian, yes, it does bother me a bit when I see
Esmé or
Esme used, but mostly I just think it's odd. I see that with René/Rene/Renée, Jean/Jeanne, and Noël/Noëlle a lot. The spelling issue is the reason I'd never use it. My family is bilingual (French and English) and it just wouldn't work.
My SO and I have considered
Esmeralda with the nn
Esmée. We were watching The Worst Witch on Netflix, and there was a lovely character named
Esmeralda, who went by
Esmée as a nn. We fell in love with it. But to answer your question, it would depend on the character and show (is the character annoying, for example). In French forums, they ALWAYS bring up Twilight for the name Esmé(e). I don't know if that bothers you. It doesn't bother me, personally, but I know many people who despise that franchise.
♥ Samantha + Evangelos est. 19.02.17 ♥