Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series puts Brand Sussex under threat

The response to Meghan’s new show has been so dire that experts are questioning if this could be the Sussexes’ last show for Netflix — or worse, the final nail in the coffin for the Brand Sussex.

It was meant to be her huge TV comeback, the culmination of her inexhaustible bid to become Hollywood’s next lifestyle guru.

Meghan Markle’s much-hyped Netflix series, however, has been met with universal disdain amid accusations that the cooking show, in which the designer-clad Duchess gives viewers a glimpse of her extreme wealth while offering her domestic tips, is smug and elitist.

The response to the eight-episode With Love, Meghan, has been so dire that experts are questioning if this could be the Sussexes’ last show for Netflix.

On a larger scale, some are wondering if the series could even be the final nail in the coffin for the irreparably tainted Brand Sussex. 

Meghan Markle’s new series has been labelled “syrupy” and smug.

Reaction in Britain has been particularly scathing with critics questioning Meghan’s apparent inability to read the room with the relentless sharing of her lavish lifestyle with royal exile Prince Harry, as ordinary people the world over struggle with a global cost of living crisis.

The British press did not hold back, with The Times describing the series as a “smug, syrupy endurance watch”, while The Telegraph labelled it “an exercise in narcissism, filled with extravagant brunches, celebrity pals and business plugs”.

The series gives readers a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lavish lifestyle.

Critics say With Love, Meghan is tone deaf and elitist in a time of cost of living woes.

Katie Rosseinsky, of The Independent, gave the show a pitiful one-star review, calling the whole concept “queasy and exhausting.”

Meanwhile, the Radio Times said Meghan failed to “reimagine the genre of lifestyle programming”, while The Guardian, normally a champion of the Sussexes, went one step further, saying the “pointless series” should be the pair’s “last TV show”.

Directed by Michael Steed and produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell company, With Love, Meghan comes hot on the heels of Prince Harry’s own Netflix venture, the much-maligned Polo series.

The series is being viewed as the make or break show in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal. Picture: WireImage

Meghan’s show was considered to be make or break for the couple, who famously signed a $100m deal with the streaming giant to produce their own projects, a move that has resulted in a string of flops.

Sydney-based PR expert Sharon Williams described the show as “appalling”, saying Meghan’s blatant lack of authenticity, combined with her desperate attempt at relevancy, could be the death knell for Brand Sussex.

Sharon Williams, CEO and founder of Taurus Marketing in Sydney’s Barangaroo.

“I think why people are baulking is that we like someone authentic,” Ms Williams said.

“So we’ve got, for example, the Duchess of York, Sarah, she’s got herself into a number of scrapes over the years, but got out because she’s just so authentic and just owns it. She says sorry, we roll our eyes and move on, but we’re still very fond of her.”

Ms Williams said for Meghan, stratospheric fame has always been the ultimate goal and her insatiable thirst for celebrity could prove to be her great undoing.

Meghan Markle and skincare founder Vicky Tsai in an episode of With Love, Meghan.

“She’s had more PR strategists than hot dinners,” Ms Williams said. “There isn’t really one brand and there isn’t really one strategy — it’s Meghan’s strategy of the moment.

“All Meghan wants now is to be famous, I think that’s probably been pretty true right from the beginning.

“If you see her on her series, she’s acting, it’s all an act. She’s learning how to cook, pretending to be a beekeeper in a pure white outfit.

“Her strategy is all about how can I be famous and it’s on her terms. Because, of course, the royals aren’t about fame. They’re about hard work and tradition. She didn’t like the tradition. and she certainly didn’t like hard work.”

Since the launch of her series, the ever-smiling Meghan has been doing the publicity rounds, opening up about her family life in an interview with People magazine and cuddling up to the famously clingy Drew Barrymore on the star’s talk show. 

Meghan Markle made a rare TV appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show to plug her series.

During the talk show’s cooking segment, Meghan used one of the pricey jams from her As Ever homewares brand, the yet to be launched range that has been hit with a series of trademark dramas.

Just days after the Netflix series showed Meghan stating to her celebrity friend Mindy Kaling that she now went by the name Sussex —  in response to Kaling referring to her as Meghan Markle — Barrymore  introduced the Duchess to the talk show’s global audience as “Meghan Sussex”.

In yet another bizarre contradiction Meghan is  choosing to use Sussex as her last name, in the style of the royal family tradition in which titles are used as surnames, despite dramatically opting out of royal life.

Ms Williams said she found Meghan’s newly adopted surname particularly galling in light of Meghan’s previous actions towards the royal family, namely her explosive tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview and the bombshell Netflix series Harry & Meghan.

She said if Meghan had a shred of authenticity, she should drop her use of “Sussex” and rebrand herself as “Meghan Markle”.

“The royal brand hasn’t worked,” she said. “And now this new fabricated version of what she believes she is hasn’t worked.” she said. “So just go back to being Meghan Markle”.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said Netflix would be holding out hope for a turnaround on With Love, Meghan.

Longer term, the streaming service has the option to keep the couple on the books at a reduced rate.

Harry and Meghan could adapt Carley Fortune’s book Meet Me At The Lake, which they own the movie rights to.

There is also their animation series Pearl, made with David Furnish, which was abandoned in 2022 as part of Netflix cost-cutting measures.

“Meghan … has failed to be taken seriously, as the reviews for this unfortunate series make clear. Perhaps a smaller home in a less salubrious neighbourhood (during tight financial times for viewers) would be more appropriate for them,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.

Time will tell what her next step, but one thing is for certain — the ever-resilient Meghan will no doubt be plotting her next move.

Originally published as Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series puts Brand Sussex under threat