Netflix has pulled the plug on Meghan Markle’s lifestyle series after dismal ratings and reports that the Duchess found producing the show utterly exhausting, marking another failure in the Sussexes’ increasingly troubled streaming career.
Story Overview
- Netflix canceled “With Love, Meghan” after two seasons that ranked a humiliating #383 in global viewership despite the Sussexes’ $100+ million original deal.
- Markle reportedly called the show “a lot of work,” prompting a pivot to bite-sized social media content for her lifestyle brand As Ever instead of polished television production.
- The series became a viral punchline for simplistic tips like repackaging store-bought pretzels and serving raw broccoli, failing to establish Markle as a credible lifestyle authority.
- The cancellation follows the Sussexes’ renegotiation of a smaller Netflix contract in August 2025 after their post-documentary projects failed to match earlier viewership success.
Another Sussex Streaming Venture Falls Flat
Netflix officially canceled Meghan Markle’s lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” in January 2026 after two underwhelming seasons and a holiday special. The show debuted in March 2025 as part of the Sussexes’ production deal through Archewell, but quickly became known more for awkward celebrity interactions and laughable lifestyle advice than substantive content. The series ranked #383 globally in viewership during its first half of 2025, a catastrophic performance for a show backed by such high-profile talent and significant promotional resources. While the December 2025 holiday special briefly cracked the top 10 globally, this fleeting success proved insufficient to justify continued production.
Sources confirmed Markle personally described the production demands as exhausting, citing the rigorous schedule of working with a full television crew as incompatible with her preferred creative approach. The Duchess is now shifting her focus entirely to her lifestyle brand As Ever, where she plans to deliver similar cooking and crafting content in bite-sized social media formats. This pivot allows Markle to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and production timelines while maintaining direct control over her brand messaging. However, the move also represents a retreat from the ambitious television presence the Sussexes initially promised when they secured their original five-year, $100+ million Netflix deal in 2020.
From Royal Connections to Viral Mockery
The show’s content became a lightning rod for criticism and ridicule across social media platforms. Episodes featured segments teaching viewers to place flower petals in ice cubes, create scented towels, repackage store-bought pretzels to appear homemade, and serve raw broccoli as appetizers. Critics panned these tips as insultingly simplistic, lacking the sophistication expected from someone positioning herself as a lifestyle authority comparable to Martha Stewart or Gwyneth Paltrow. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes summarized the sentiment with a cutting British expression, suggesting the holiday special represented a futile attempt to polish fundamentally unimpressive content.
Celebrity guests including actress Mindy Kaling appeared throughout the series, but these high-profile collaborations failed to generate sustained viewer interest or social media buzz beyond mockery. The show’s attempt to blend homemaking tips, cooking demonstrations, and crafts with celebrity appeal simply didn’t resonate with Netflix’s global audience. This failure underscores a harsh reality: celebrity status and royal connections alone cannot compensate for mediocre content in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape where viewers demand genuine value and entertainment.
Shrinking Deal Reflects Declining Value
The cancellation arrives amid a broader recalibration of the Sussexes’ Netflix relationship. After their 2022 documentary “Harry & Meghan” became the platform’s fifth most-viewed documentary, subsequent projects consistently underperformed. This declining trajectory prompted the couple to renegotiate their contract in August 2025, securing a smaller deal with a first-look option for Archewell content rather than guaranteed production commitments. The new arrangement signals Netflix’s diminished confidence in the Sussexes’ ability to deliver commercially successful content.
The couple now focuses on narrative storytelling projects rather than lifestyle programming, including adaptations of romance novels “The Wedding Date” and “Meet Me at the Lake.” Whether these projects can restore their credibility with Netflix remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Markle’s As Ever brand hawks jams, rosé wines, and curated home goods directly to consumers who apparently prefer purchasing products to watching her explain basic entertaining concepts. This strategic shift away from traditional television production reveals the fundamental disconnect between the Sussexes’ media ambitions and their actual ability to sustain audience interest beyond their initial documentary about leaving royal life.
Sources:
Netflix Cancels Meghan Markle’s Show ‘With Love,’ Report – The Daily Beast
Meghan Markle’s Netflix Series Cancelled – SheFinds
