The Duchess was tipped to release a new Netflix show celebrating ‘the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship’ – but it has yet to be given an air date
Meghan Markle’s dreams of releasing her new Netflix cookery and lifestyle show might be in jeopardy, according to an industry insider.
For almost a year there have been rumours that Meghan is making her own programme celebrating ‘the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship’.
But there is still no sign of any release date for the series, which was set to complement Meghan’s lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard . Updates have been notably quiet too, save for the release of a few products – namely jam and dog biscuits.
And now a Netflix insider has told MailOnline’s Martin Robinson that the Duchess’s long-awaited show “may not see the light of day”.
“Others suggest it might, especially if it boosts Meghan’s lifestyle brand, but it will be ‘make or break’ for the couple who had hopes of building a TV dynasty,” he wrote. “And after their Polo show flopped, the source said: ‘There won’t be another deal. There may be one offs but that’s it’.”
Another source confirmed to the Mail’s Alison Boshoff: “It’s make or break. People say Netflix are exhausted.”
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Certainly, the pressure is on for Meghan following the release of Polo on Netflix earlier this month. Critics and viewers were less than impressed . Many took issue with the premise of the documentary itself, noting that the polo field is “the playground of the rich”.
In its review, the Telegraph branded the series “tedious”, while the Mail on Sunday dismissed it as a “load of old tosh”. The Guardian stated that “Polo looks destined to fall through the submenus into obscurity at the speed of light. And rightly so”.
Harry and Meghan signed a five-year agreement with Netflix in 2020, worth an estimated $100million (£80million). It is due to come to an end in autumn next year.
Whether or not the streaming giant will continue to work with the couple remains to be seen – especially after the Sussexes’ £15million Spotify contract ended early in June last year . Hollywood executives have stated that any new deal will amount to nothing like the $100 million they previously received, primarily due to the lack of content the couple have actually produced.
Should Meghan’s series be given air time, it is most likely to launch – alongside her brand – in the first quarter of the year. It has not been included in Netflix schedules for January, and therefore might hit screens in late February – after Harry’s Invictus Games in Whistler, Canada – or in March.
