Welcome to “The Scoop” — the ultimate back-to-the-office water cooler cheat sheet, your go-to source for all things everyone really wants to know! Get the latest on everything from the political swamp maneuvering in D.C. and Hollywood drama to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans from Paula Froelich. Subscribe to her newsletter here.
(NewsNation) — I’m almost starting to feel bad for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
While Markle’s food and lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” debuted at No. 6 on Netflix’s most watched list, it was slammed by critics in the U.S. and England alike. A second season has been announced, but Markle is still on very shaky ground at Netflix.
“It’s necessary for a second season because Netflix has sunk so much money into as ever — and she can promote the products in the second season she couldn’t promote in this one due to all the trademark hassle,” the insider said. “But yeah, they’re still done — they’re trying to recoup the investment.”
Not that anyone should be shocked — Markle and Prince Harry haven’t had any success with their $100 million Netflix deal other than their 2022 docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” in which they spilled all the royal tea about Harry’s relatives. The other shows they created — “Heart of Invictus,” “Live to Lead” and Harry’s “Polo” — bombed.
‘With Love, Meghan’ Netflix series not successful
And “With Love, Meghan” — panned as “vain”, “narcissistic” and “pointless” by critics and fans alike — was an expensive show to make. The show’s director, Mike Steed, worked with Anthony Bourdain on the CNN show “Parts Unknown,” and given the rent on the $5 million home she shot in, insiders surmise each episode’s cost ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“It was an extremely expensive show to make,” another insider said.
But even before the premiere, Netflix seemed to lose faith — it dropped all episodes at once and didn’t offer a review episode to critics … never a good sign.
While Markle and Netflix still have plans to roll out products under her new “As Ever” line, my insiders say the network is “done” with her.
“They’ve lost so much money on her, and they’re trying to finish a deal which they can’t get out of … how could they not be done with her?” my Hollywood insider said.
As for her product line, Markle’s timing is once again off.
As the Wall Street Journal noted, shoppers are so strapped due to food inflation that they are even pulling back on lower-cost groceries. I can’t imagine Markle is going to budget price her beloved jam, honey, dried flowers or crepe mix.
If Netflix does decline to do another deal with the Duchess, it would be following in the footsteps of WME mega-agent Ari Emanuel, who hasn’t spoken to the Duchess in a year amid rumors the agency is looking to drop her as a client altogether.