Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show has failed to break into the streaming giant’s top 300 programmes for the first half of the year, as the Sussexes’ dreams of creating a media empire continues to struggle.
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle programme, entitled With Love, Meghan, hit the small screens in March amid a flurry of publicity. But newly released figures from Netflix show the programme has been watched 5.3m times despite its high-profile host – ranking it at number 383 in the list of the streaming service’s most-viewed shows.
That puts it level with the second series of BBC hit Peaky Blinders, which was first released in 2014, and series four of Suits, the legal drama from 2011 in which Meghan also starred.
With Love, Meghan showcases her cooking and gardening skills, with the Duchess sharing tricks and tips alongside guests including actor Mindy Kaling.
An official description of the programme describes it as “inspiring”, adding that Meghan “reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming”.
The series shot into Netflix’s global top 10 within its first 24 hours on the streaming service. However, the latest figures suggest viewers quickly switched off amid a flood of negative reviews.
The Telegraph branded it an “exercise in narcissism”, while the Guardian described it as “toe-curlingly unlovable TV”. The programme has a rating of 36pc on Rotten Tomatoes and just 3.2 on IMDb.
Despite the poor reviews, Netflix confirmed that filming for a second series has already been completed and is expected to air in the autumn. Harry and Meghan inked a five-year deal with Netflix in 2020 worth a reported $100m (£74.4m). The agreement, signed through the couple’s production company Archewell, led to Harry & Meghan – a six-part documentary series following the couple’s exit from the Royal Family.
The first episode became Netflix’s biggest documentary debut ever, but the series was widely panned by critics and viewing quickly dropped off. Data released last year showed Meghan’s TV drama Suits racked up nine times more viewing hours than the documentary.
The two other shows produced under the lucrative contract – Heart of Invictus and Polo – have also struggled to make waves.
Meghan’s Netflix-backed lifestyle brand has also come under scrutiny after it emerged her “craft” jam is made 2,000 miles away from her Montecito home. The brand was originally called American Riviera Orchard but has since been renamed As Ever following trademark issues.
Beyond Netflix, Harry and Meghan signed a $20m podcast deal with Spotify in 2020, but this collapsed after Meghan produced just 12 episodes of her interview show Archetypes in two years. Bill Simmons, a senior podcasting executive at Spotify, called the pair “grifters” after the partnership ended.
Posted by HogwartsZoologist
19 comments
So it attracted a little of attention when new on the platform, but it did not retain high viewing figures
Next episodes are due in the autumn?
And I vaguely remember there were reports that a third series would be made. Is that the case?
That makes sense. There are not a lot of episodes and it isn’t time for a rewatch. It is a solid number, though.
It got renewed for another season so clearly Netflix has other notions about its success and popularity.
I think I’ll defer to Netflix on what is deemed successful over the British media, which makes up stories when convenient or asked to do so.
As for the scores on rotten tomatoes and the like, these are known to be problematic due to the ability to have them manipulated and are no longer reliable (see every superhero movie where fans don’t like a woman who was cast).
This article seems manufactured for clicks, like all Sussex articles. No actual news.
I wonder what Netflix’s expectations were for performance and what was spent. That’s usually the real story and why things go on or not.
If they did a reality series type show following their real lives and drama with the royal family and their real life struggles to launch their foundations and making it again jn America I think it would be a huge hit. But they would have to be honest and let go of their egos so it will never happen.
She was right on the mark with The Tig. She should bring back a weekly newsletter with a selected smorgasbord of things she likes. It’s a perfect niche for her and would maintain a consistent, measurable, and profitable base of fans and followers. It wouldn’t require exposure of anything about their private lives they want to keep for themselves or any real staff.
This isn’t surprising.
It was a show about a rich woman showing us how’s she’s rich lol.
Which, to be fair, I love, but in real housewives form and not a try hard cooking show.
Another actual reminder that without selling royal drama and without mentioning the monarchy as a whole, they have nothing to sell. There’s nothing successful or interesting about them without the royal drama.
And I see why Harry is desperate to reconcile with his “racist” family… they need to create new content to make a living for themselves
It’s a ‘rich woman aesthetics’ IG page in motion with some singing and dancing added in. Let’s call it what it is, uninteresting.
As long as she’s making enough to pay for her rich girl life and take care of the family, I don’t think she cares. Is Archwell publicly held?
It all depends what Netflix expectations were vs how it performed. I think it out performed expectations. It hit the top ten with almost no promotion. The products sold out immediately.
Netflix and Meghan were well aware that the haters would brigade the reviews and any comments. That reaction was built into their expectations. This article is a continuation of that. They set unrealistic expectations and then excoriate the show for not meeting them.
Personally, I don’t watch cooking shows. When I was younger, my mom would drive me absolutely batty by having HGTV on all the time. But because Meghan’s show was connected to her, I watched it. I actually kind of liked it. Her enthusiasm is infectious. Obviously everything was gorgeous. The editing was nicely done. Many of the food and other ideas seemed highly doable.
I like how the Telegraph quotes itself here.
This article is stupid. The Telegraph working hard to say Markle is a flop. “Didn’t crack top 300” So? No one truly believed that the show would be the most watched Netflix show. There is no point to this article.
Also, it’s interesting that the telegraph doesn’t mention where the other reality tv shows/life style shows Netflix released rank. You would think if they are saying her show is a flop they would include the numbers and rankings for similar shows.
I throughly enjoyed the show and am hoping for another season. She’s so pleasant to watch. I made sure to download all the episodes and watched on my flight end of May. I heard the FA’s comment on oh that the Megan Markle show to each other during drink service.
She’s making her own money instead of living off taxpayers/ money from the colonies. So what if it not in the top 300? She’s happy.
I’m not surprised, not because it was bad, it was fine background viewing, but it’s super niche?
It’s difficult to see what Meghan’s audience would be. Most of us who like royalty want to see hats, gowns, jewelry, and pageantry. She’s not doing that these days. For those who want another Gwyneth Paltrow, there’s a surplus of celebrity influencers who can give advice on the best shades of beige and grey.
Seems like Meghan’s best option would be to go back to acting. Maybe a *Suits* spinoff. An ensemble show set in California would leave her plenty of time with her children, and all the pressure wouldn’t be solely on her to make the show a success.
Yeah that sounds about right. I think some people tuned in out of curiosity due to Meghan but it’s not really a kind of show that has broad appeal.
Will there be a third season? Idk. Maybe. Depends on how expensive it was to make the show I guess. If it was dirt cheap, Netflix might not mind spending a few bucks on it just to keep the Sussexes around in hopes they can squeeze some more royal family tea out of them.
It’s a cooking and lifestyle show. It was NEVER going to be a hit like Bridgerton or any of that. Ted Sarandos LOVES Meghan and it’s an inexpensive show to film. She’ll get renewed for at least three more seasons beyond season 2 but if she keeps selling out like she does, he’d probably go 10 or more seasons.
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