Meghan Markle's Netflix Contract Yet To Be Renewed As Critically Panned Show Leaves Bosses 'Worried'

Meghan Markle may be celebrating the announcement of season two of her Netflix show, but a contract renewal is still not guaranteed.

The show, "With Love, Meghan," has been hit with a number of grim reviews, which has got the streaming platform bosses "worried," having invested a lot "in the product line" tied to the film project.

This report comes after Meghan Markle celebrated International Women's Day with rare photos of her daughter, Princess Lilibet, with her father, Prince Harry

After initial delays, Meghan Markle's Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," was finally released this month.

While the show has been renewed for a second season, much to the duchess's delight, sources claim there is still no guarantee that the former actress will have her deal with the streaming platform renewed.

Fueling this speculation is the fact that the show has been hit by a series of poor reviews, leaving Netflix bosses "worried" about the other investments they have made "in the product line."

"It's not a runaway success," a source told the Daily Mail about the duchess's show. "I know they filmed the shows back-to-back so in theory there is no second season; it's like with lots of Netflix shows, it is already in the bag at the same time as the first one."

They added, "What this does is allow edits to be made to the show from feedback from press and Netflix viewers. It's clever and cost effective. So no, the overall contract hasn't been renewed yet.'"

Several bad reviews that followed the release of Meghan's series came from multiple top media outlets and publications, including Hollywood bible Variety.

Variety described it as "a Montecito ego trip not worth taking," adding that it "plays out like a forced march," where Meghan's guests were seemingly compelled to "praise her first" as the "price of getting to share an afternoon in a made-for-TV kitchen."

The Blast's Kristin Myers gave a strong analysis of the show, criticizing Meghan for being "hilariously out of touch," especially after urging viewers to reach out to their local beekeepers so they could create their own candles.

The Guardian also panned the series as a "ghastly artifact of a particular cultural era that recently met its apocalypse."

The publication added, "This show is sensationally absurd and trite, and if you watch it, you know it."

Further criticism came from The Telegraph's arts and entertainment editor, Anita Singh, who described the show as an "exercise in narcissism, filled with extravagant brunches, celebrity pals, and business plugs."

She continued: "The format is this: Meghan invites people to her pretend house – the show is filmed in an $8 million farmhouse down the road from her $14 million home – and they tell her how amazing she is. This happens for eight episodes."

Amid the negative criticism, Meghan has chosen to focus on the positive reaction to her show.

She recently took to her Instagram Stories to share posts from content creators who her show has inspired to try some of the tips, tricks, and recipes she shared.

"Love seeing how inspired you are by With Love, Meghan," the former actress captioned over six slides of reposted videos and photos. "Keep up the beautiful work!"

The duchess only recently returned to the social media platform earlier this year and has since gained over two million followers, who stay updated on the highlights of her life. However, despite the attention and her massive following, Meghan doesn't see herself as an influencer.

"I see myself as an entrepreneur and a female founder, and if the brand [As Ever] ends up influential, then that's great," she told People Magazine in an interview.

As Meghan continues to expand her ventures, she remains represented by the talent agency William Morris Endeavor, which she joined in 2023.

Previously, there was a barrage of speculations that her relationship with the company had broken down because she was "too demanding" and "difficult to work with," and the company ultimately grew tired of her actions and let her go.

The claims were further fueled by reports that the duchess has had no meetings with the agency's top executive, Ari Emanuel, since January of last year, following a shocking "outburst" at the time.

Those same reports mentioned that Emanuel decided he was "done with" the duchess and that she only met with other representatives with whom she actively works.

However, all of these claims were recently debunked by WME in a statement to Page Six.

"WME continues to represent Meghan and Archewell," a representative for the agency told the outlet.

Since signing their high-profile Netflix deal in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan have had mixed success.

The royal couple's documentary, "Harry & Meghan," was a global hit, attracting nearly 29 million households in its first four days.

According to Forbes, the series became Netflix's biggest-ever debut for a documentary as it accumulated 81.5 million hours watched in its first four days of release.

However, other projects, like the polo-themed sports docuseries "Live to Lead" and "Heart of Invictus," which followed wounded veterans at the Invictus Games, failed to generate the same level of excitement.