The Economist eviscerates Meghan Markle's Netflix show — and Netflix's $100M deal looks increasingly questionable

Summary

Netflix's reported $100 million deal with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry is looking increasingly questionable after The Economist published a scathing review of With Love, Meghan, the eight-episode cooking and lifestyle show that premiered March 4th.

The Economist's anonymous critic describes the show as "Martha Stewart for the 0.01%, but aimed at the other 99.99%." The complaint centers on banality dressed as lifestyle advice. Markle spends episodes smiling at raspberries, hydrangeas, and her own beehives while offering insights like "when I think of honey I think of bees" and multi-step instructions for boiling noodles with tomatoes: put noodles in a pan, add water, remove the lid so water evaporates.

The Economist's sharpest observation comes when Markle claims to pursue "joy" rather than perfection. The writer notes that palace staff historically used different language to describe her—"abrasive, bullying, difficult, and rude"—suggesting they "did not stop to smell and smile at the hydrangeas."

Unsubstantiated reports about Markle's earlier podcast work on Spotify add another layer. The rumor claims her condition was "no homework." The account extends further: allegedly she would not conduct interviews herself, instead having an assistant pose questions to guests, then recording her own questions separately in bulk sessions for later editing. The result would be a facade of direct conversation assembled in post-production.

Netflix committed nine figures to a creator whose first major release reads as low-effort lifestyle content with no discernible expertise or original insight. The deal now appears to rest on Markle's brand alone, not on creative execution, production value, or the substance of the work itself.