Netflix appears to be on the verge of ending its partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, despite rumors that the streaming giant is moving forward with a cooking show featuring Meghan and a series about professional polo with Harry.
According to industry insiders Matthew Belloni and Leslie Goldberg, the $100 million deal that Netflix signed with the couple in 2020 is unlikely to be renewed. This once-celebrated agreement has now become one of Hollywood's most significant disappointments in recent years. When Netflix first partnered with Harry and Meghan's Archewell Productions, there was a great deal of excitement and high expectations.
The couple's 2022 documentary series, Harry & Meghan, was a notable success, primarily because it provided tantalizing insights into their turbulent departure from the British royal family. Audiences were captivated by the series, eager to hear Harry and Meghan share their experiences and reveal behind-the-scenes details of life within the monarchy. However, following the success of this documentary, the couple's ability to captivate viewers seems to have diminished. Belloni and Goldberg have noted that none of their subsequent projects have resonated with audiences in the same way.
Meghan's animated children's series, Pearl, which was a personal passion project, was canceled before it even began production. Now, with Meghan's cooking show and Harry's polo series on the horizon, industry insiders are skeptical that these new ventures will have the same impact as the documentary series. If Netflix does indeed sever ties with Harry and Meghan, it would be another setback for the couple's ambitions to establish themselves as media moguls.
In June 2023, Spotify also ended its partnership with the Sussexes due to their low content output. The couple had secured a $20 million deal with Spotify to produce a series of podcasts, but Meghan only managed to deliver 12 episodes of Archetypes. The podcast's lack of content, coupled with underwhelming audience reception, led to the premature termination of their partnership.
The couple's apparent inability to meet expectations has fueled speculation that their welcome in Hollywood may be wearing thin. Reports suggest that Harry and Meghan have become challenging to work with and that their lack of experience in media production has hindered their success. The Puck newsletter, which listed Netflix's deal with the Sussexes as one of the worst in Hollywood's Peak TV era, noted that their failure to deliver on their promises places them in the same category as other underperformers in the industry. However, the company they keep in this category includes some of Hollywood's biggest names. Showrunners and producers like J.J. Abrams, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss, creators of Game of Thrones, Seth MacFarlane, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and David Duchovny, have all struggled to live up to the multi-million dollar deals they secured. Even Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions has faced criticism for its slow output, despite being one of Netflix's top suppliers of tastemaker content.
As for Harry and Meghan's future with Netflix, the outlook seems uncertain. Reports earlier this month indicated that Meghan's cooking show might not be released until spring 2025, even though filming wrapped in Los Angeles and Montecito. This delay, combined with the fact that the show's release is being timed with the launch of Meghan's new luxury lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, adds to the skepticism surrounding their continued relevance in the media landscape.
The rollout of the cooking show and the lifestyle brand has been anything but smooth. Meghan's team has faced setbacks, including irregularities in trademark applications for American Riviera Orchard. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has reportedly informed Meghan's lawyers that it could take up to 14 months for the trademarks to be registered. Meanwhile, media buzz around Meghan's new venture has cooled, leading some to question whether the couple can still capture the public's attention.
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to navigate the complexities of their post-royal lives, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: their Hollywood dreams may be slipping away. With Netflix likely moving on, Harry and Meghan could find themselves struggling to maintain the spotlight that they once commanded so effortlessly.
