Have you heard the latest buzz about Meghan Markle and her brand new Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan”? If not, grab your popcorn because you might want to tune in—if only for a good laugh! Despite the royal fanfare, reviews for the show are more like crickets than cheers. Critics are throwing shade left and right; from selling it as some kind of unholy union between a lifestyle guru and a mother, to claims of daughterly exploitation for promotional gains—yikes! It seems like Markle’s return to the screen isn’t so much a comeback as it is a cautionary tale in, well…shall we say, “how not to win friends and influence people”?
And just when you thought things couldn’t get juicier, enter Mindy Kaling, who found herself in an awkward pickle after Markle corrected her on how to address her—claiming she should be called “Meghan Sussex.” Oh, the drama! With the public firing shots and critics calling the show “gormless lifestyle filler,” you might find yourself wondering: is this Meghan’s last shot at fame, or does she still have one more ace up her sleeve? Let’s dive into the tea that’s spilling all over your screens!
LEARN MOREReading Time: 3 minutes
In case you haven’t heard, Meghan Markle is starring in a new Netflix series titled “With Love, Meghan.”
And in case you also haven’t heard, the show is not exactly getting met with enthusiastic rounds of applause and/or praise.
First, Markle was accused of exploiting her daughter to market the series.
Then, she garnered some backlash when she corrected Mindy Kaling on her last name, claiming she should know by referred to as Meghan Sussex.
For the most part, viewers have come down hard on Markle for being inauthentic and self-absorbed.
But that’s almost nothing when compared to what Stuart Heritage of The Guardian wrote a few days ago after checking out the program for the first time.
Referring to the overall production deal Markle and husband Prince Harry signed with Netflix, this critic writes:
With Love, Meghan doesn’t just represent the hard launch of Duchess of Sussex’s new career as a Martha Stewart-style lifestyle inspo guru; it might also be the final thing she makes for Netflix.
Back in 2021, the spouses signed a five-year deal with the streaming service worth $100 million, with executives hoping it would lead to one hit show after another.
Instead, last year introduced viewers to Polo, a behind-the-scenes look at a sport not exactly well known or beloved around the world.
Neither Harry nor Meghan appeared on screen.
The show came and went and we bet almost no one reading this at the moment even knew it existed.
Prior to this release, there was 2023’s documentary Heart of Invictus, which also had limited appeal.
Outside the Netflix contract, there was Meghan’s bizarre podcast, Archetypes, which ran for 12 episodes in 2022 and was the grand total of the couple’s $20 million Spotify deal.
When it comes to Markle’s solo series here, Heritage mocks the content for featuring almost nothing but a “woman filling children’s party bags with seeds and manuka honey.”
He continues to trash the former actress by stating:
The thirsty part of Meghan still exists.. it’s evident in her decision to rebrand herself in With Love, Meghan. The problem is that nobody wants to see Meghan making decorative ladybird crostini with Mindy Kaling.
With Love, Meghan is the sort of gormless lifestyle filler that, had it been made by the BBC, would be used to bulk out episodes of Saturday Kitchen.
Previously, Meghan McCain made it clear how much she hates Meghan Markle.
Five years after ditching The Royal Family, Markle’s reputation has never been worse.
Writing that Harry and Meghan are most appealing when they’re “whining,” Heritage concludes that they should aim to be reality stars along the lines of those who starred in various MTV shows in the early and mid-2000s.
There are rumours that Netflix may not cut its losses with the Sussexes completely, instead preferring to keep them on at a vastly reduced rate.
This is good news for the content developed but not yet delivered, such as the adaptation of the novel Meet Me at the Lake, and possibly even their aborted animation show, Pearl. But mainly it’s good news for us.
If this really is the last roll of the dice, then it may be time for Harry and Meghan to face the inevitable and become the new Osbournes.