Meghan Markle’s cooking show has flopped spectacularly, while Mindy Kaling is basking in the success of her latest project.
As With Love, Meghan struggles to capture an audience, Kaling’s Netflix comedy Running Point has soared to the top of the streaming charts, leaving Meghan’s venture in the dust. Mindy proudly shared on Instagram that Running Point was the most-streamed show of the week, racking up an astonishing 1.9 billion minutes of watch time. In contrast, Meghan’s Netflix project failed to gain traction despite an extensive marketing campaign.
Among the top five most-watched streaming series, heavyweight contenders such as 1923 starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, the political thriller Zero Day, the reality sensation Love Is Blind, and the action-packed Reacher all dominated the rankings. However, With Love, Meghan was nowhere to be found. The reviews have been less than kind, with Time Magazine calling it "bland" and The Guardian being even more scathing, labeling it "joyless." Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes, notorious for its unforgiving audience scores, handed Meghan a brutal 35% rating. Even Netflix insiders have acknowledged that the show is underperforming, with data indicating that audiences would rather watch Meghan alongside Prince Harry than endure her solo efforts.
In its first five days, With Love, Meghan managed to reach only 526,000 households, according to Samba TV. To put that into perspective, Harry & Meghan, the couple’s Netflix docuseries, pulled in a staggering 2.1 million households in the same timeframe—four times the audience. Meanwhile, Running Point secured 12.2 million views this week alone, following an impressive 9 million the previous week. The numbers speak for themselves, and Meghan is nowhere near the top.
Adding an ironic twist to the situation, Mindy Kaling actually appeared as a guest on Meghan’s cooking show, reluctantly participating in Meghan’s latest attempt to remain relevant. Sitting in a rented kitchen, Kaling played along with Meghan’s carefully curated, "relatable" lifestyle. However, Mindy’s overwhelming success with Running Point proves that she never needed Meghan to maintain her status in Hollywood. Despite Meghan’s persistent efforts to establish herself as a major industry player, both audiences and the entertainment world remain unconvinced.
If Mindy ever believed she was doing a favor for an old friend by guest-starring on With Love, Meghan, she is now realizing that associating with Meghan can be more of a liability than an advantage. With her show failing and her influence waning, even those once considered allies are keeping their distance. In the end, Mindy didn’t need to publicly ridicule Meghan—she simply had to succeed. And that’s exactly what she did. While Running Point continues to thrive, With Love, Meghan is rapidly fading into obscurity.
