Meghan Markle Netflix Show Cancelled After Being 1,224th Most-Watched Program — 'Wokeism Doesn't Sell'

Meghan Markle's Netflix lifestyle series 'With Love, Meghan' will not return for a third season after its second instalment finished as the 1,224th most-watched programme on the streaming platform; a dramatic fall from its earlier performance and a pivotal moment in the Duchess of Sussex's media ventures.

The first season debuted with moderate success in March 2025, ranking within Netflix's global Top 10 in several regions and amassing solid initial viewership. But as subsequent episodes rolled out, audience engagement waned, according to Netflix's official What We Watched – The Second Half of 2025 Engagement Report.

Industry sources and streaming data indicate that the second season, which premiered on 26 August 2025, accumulated about two million total views and 9.7 million hours watched, placing it well outside the top tier of Netflix's content for the period.

Tumbling Audience Metrics Force Reappraisal

Netflix's engagement metrics are based on aggregated viewing data: total hours watched divided by series runtime, and provide the most comprehensive publicly released measure of audience behaviour on the platform. According to the latest report, With Love, Meghan ranked 1,224th in global engagement for July–December 2025, with just 2 million views, marking a significant drop compared to many established series and films.

Season one initially delivered more robust figures: the programme garnered 5.3 million views and ranked 383rd among all Netflix titles in the first half of 2025.

The performance contrasts starkly with some of Netflix's biggest hits. For example, scripted franchises such as Wednesday and Stranger Things topped the same ranking with tens of millions of views.

Netflix also released engagement figures for With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, a one-off festive special released on 3 December 2025. That episode drew roughly 2.4 million views, an improvement on the second season's total viewership, yet it still ranked only 1,022nd overall for the same period.

Streaming executives and industry analysts note that falling outside the Top 1 000 titles on the service signals limited audience traction, particularly for high-profile releases that Netflix has heavily marketed. These rankings influence programming decisions and renewal discussions.

Strategic Pivot as Audience Engagement Falters

According to multiple entertainment sources, Netflix has opted not to renew the series With Love, Meghan for a third season. Though there has been no formal cancellation statement from the company, insiders reported that talks of future holiday specials or limited projects might surface, but a full series renewal is off the table.

In October 2025, at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, Meghan Markle hinted at the series' heavy production demands and alluded to possible shifts in content strategy, emphasising flexibility and shorter formats for digital platforms.

The series was closely tied to the launch of Markle's lifestyle brand As Ever, which Netflix also supported as part of a broader partnership. The brand debuted shelf-stable foods and has since expanded into wines, candles and home goods.

Industry analysts highlight that shifting away from full series to bite-sized content aligns with broader trends in streaming consumption, where audiences increasingly favour shorter, easily consumable content. However, this pivot marks a notable change for Markle's media ambitions, which were previously anchored by a five-year, £74 million ($100 million) deal with Netflix signed in 2020 after she and Prince Harry stepped back from senior royal duties.

Subsequent projects under the agreement, including a polo documentary and a veterans-focused series, struggled to match that level of engagement. Earlier in 2025, Netflix and the Sussexes agreed on a new multi-year first-look deal, a scaled-back arrangement that gives the streamer first option on film and television projects from Archewell Productions.

Critical and Commercial Perspectives

Critical reception of With Love, Meghan has been mixed since the series premiere. Reviews varied from praise for its wholesome, domestic themes to criticism over its subdued entertainment value and inconsistent tone. Independent reviewers noted that despite celebrity guests and polished production, audience connection lagged behind expectations.

While Netflix does not publicly share detailed viewership data beyond its engagement rankings, the available metrics reflect relative performance.

Industry commentators have described the series' ratings trajectory as emblematic of broader challenges facing high-profile celebrity projects that fail to sustain initial curiosity with mainstream audiences.

As streaming platforms intensify competition for viewer attention, the performance of high-budget celebrity flagship projects like With Love, Meghan will likely factor into broader strategic shifts within media production communities.