Meghan and Prince Harry’s contract with Netflix hangs in the balance after ‘worrying’ latest development
Netflix executives are “worried” about the poor reviews of Meghan Markle’s new show, despite her enthusiastic announcement of a second season, a source has claimed.
The Duchess of Sussex’s programme ‘With Love, Meghan’ has failed to maintain viewer interest, dropping out of the top ten most watched shows globally, as well as in the US and UK, just six days after its release.
An insider at Netflix has admitted that the show is “not a runaway success”.
The Duchess was seen celebrating in her garden on Friday, with her arms in the air, announcing the show had been renewed for a second season.
She acknowledged making “mistakes” but insisted she is “learning every day”, following widespread criticism of the programme.
Meghan’s father Thomas Markle delivered a scathing assessment of the show in an interview published over the weekend.
The second season of With Love, Meghan was actually filmed “back-to-back” with the first one last year.
“I know they filmed the shows back-to-back so in theory there is no second season,” the source told the Mail.
“What this does is allow edits to be made to the show from feedback from press and Netflix viewers. It’s clever and cost effective.”
The insider clarified: “So no the overall contract has not been renewed yet”.
The source said that bosses were “worried” about the poor reviews, particularly as Netflix is a business partner in Meghan’s lifestyle brand.
“The industry bibles like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are not keen on it,” they added.
This concern is heightened because Netflix has “invested a lot in the product line” for Meghan’s As Ever brand, which will launch in their stores in the coming months.
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“Netflix bosses are all worried now because they have invested a lot in the product line,” the insider explained.
The streaming giant is reportedly uncertain about how to proceed with the rollout of Meghan’s products.
This hesitation comes as executives assess the impact of the show’s lukewarm reception on their broader commercial partnership with the Duchess of Sussex.
The contract expires in October 2025.