Topline<\/p>\n
The second season of Meghan Markle\u2019s lifestyle series \u201cWith Love, Meghan\u201d released all eight episodes on Tuesday, weeks after the royal couple signed a new deal with Netflix\u2014but as with the first season, critics are not impressed, with reviews ranging from \u201cbaffling\u201d to \u201cintolerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Season two of “With Love, Meghan,” premiered Tuesday on Netflix. (Photo by Kola SULAIMON \/ AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Love, Meghan\u201d season two released Tuesday, five months after the first season debuted on Netflix to scathing reviews from critics and viewers, earning just a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>. <\/p>\n In the lifestyle and cooking series, Markle invites celebrity friends, professional chefs or other guests to a farmhouse near her home in Montecito, California, where they cook together as Markle occasionally offers revelations about her life as a royal and her relationship with Prince Harry.<\/p>\n In season two, Markle\u2019s guests include Chrissy Teigen, whom Markle once worked alongside as a briefcase holder on \u201cDeal Or No Deal,\u201d and a brief appearance by Teigen\u2019s husband John Legend.<\/p>\n Other guests who appear in the show\u2019s second season include \u201cQueer Eye\u201d co-host Tan France, celebrity chefs David Chang, Samin Nosrat and Christina Tosi, and British life coach Jay Shetty.<\/p>\n Chief Critics<\/p>\n In a two-star review, The Guardian<\/a> critic Lucy Mangan slammed the series as \u201cso painfully contrived that it\u2019s genuinely fascinating.\u201d Mangan called the series \u201cboring,\u201d but by the end, \u201cyou find yourself wondering things you would never normally wonder, such as, what would it take for me to embark on making vegan macaroons?\u201d The Times of London<\/a> critic Hilary Rose urged viewers to \u201cstart therapy now,\u201d stating it \u201cnever becomes apparent why we should be interested in watching\u201d any of Meghan\u2019s culinary or fashion pursuits. Rose called the series \u201cbaffling,\u201d stating it \u201coccupies the sweet spot where irrelevant meets intolerable\u201d and is \u201can advert for somewhere we\u2019ll never go and aren\u2019t invited.\u201d In another two-star review, The Telegraph\u2019s<\/a> Anita Singh criticized the series for \u201ctone-deafness\u201d and branded Markle a \u201cMontecito Marie Antoinette,\u201d stating she \u201cemerges from her house to find that the production team have created an \u2018impromptu flower mart\u2019\u201d for her, suggesting the show is inauthentic. The Independent<\/a> roasted \u201cWith Love, Meghan\u201d in a one-star review, stating watching the show is like being \u201cgaslit by a multimillionaire,\u201d noting \u201crecipes are only half explained\u201d as if \u201cthey already know that no one in their right mind is going to attempt this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n What Happened To Harry And Meghan\u2019s Netflix Deal?<\/p>\n Netflix and Archewell Productions, the production company founded by Markle and Harry, announced earlier this month they had signed a new deal under which Netflix has already said it will produce a holiday episode of \u201cWith Love, Meghan\u201d and a film adaptation of the novel “Meet Me at the Lake.\u201d But the New York Times<\/a> reported the deal is worth less than the deal Archewell Productions signed with Netflix in 2020, which was reportedly worth $100 million. The new deal is also lower-commitment, as it gives Netflix the first shot at streaming Archewell-produced content, whereas under the previous deal, Netflix paid them for the exclusive rights to all their content. Before announcing the new agreement, rumors had swirled<\/a> in tabloids that Netflix had cut ties with the royals. Aside from Markle\u2019s lifestyle series, Archewell Productions has also backed multiple documentaries for Netflix, including \u201cHeart of Invictus\u201d and \u201cPolo.\u201d<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Markle and Harry have embarked on various media ventures, though not all have clicked with audiences. Markle launched a short-lived podcast for Spotify, \u201cArchetypes,\u201d which aired just 12 episodes in 2022. Spotify and the royal couple cut ties in 2023, and days later, Spotify\u2019s podcast executive Bill Simmons slammed<\/a> them as \u201cgrifters\u201d on his podcast. \u201cI have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It\u2019s one of my best stories\u2026 F\u2014 them,\u201d Simmons said. Harry, however, shattered nonfiction book sales records with his 2023 memoir, \u201cSpare,\u201d though it was met with mixed reviews<\/a> from critics. <\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n