UK critics tore Meghan Markle’s Netflix lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” to shreds after it premiered on the streaming service Tuesday.
Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell called the series “so awful it is almost compelling,” while the Guardian writer Stuart Heritage wrote a review dubbing the project “so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show.”
Heritage claimed there was “a lot of whining” from both Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, and that “the thirsty part of Meghan still exists.”
“The problem is that nobody wants to see Meghan making decorative ladybird crostini with Mindy Kaling,” Heritage opined, referring to one of Markle’s guests on the show. “‘With Love, Meghan’ is the sort of gormless lifestyle filler that, had it been made by the BBC, would be used to bulk out episodes of ‘Saturday Kitchen.’”
While the Independent’s Katie Rosseinsky said the show “feels like a millennial blog come to life” and the “TV version” of Markle’s now-defunct lifestyle blog, the Tig, the critic also called the duchess’s presence “queasy and exhausting.”
“The show simultaneously strains for aspiration and relatability in a way that never gels,” Rosseinsky wrote.
Rosseinsky did note that Markle, 43, “looks radiant in her various neutral-toned outfits” and is “clearly at ease in front of cameras.”
“But her earnestness will grate on more cynically-minded viewers,” she added.
The Telegraph’s Anita Singh went so far as to claim Markle doesn’t seem to have any real skills in the kitchen — despite co-authoring a cookbook in 2018.
“She doesn’t appear to be very good at cooking, or particularly to enjoy it, other than arranging vegetables and fruit on platters,” Singh wrote, adding that the series is “an exercise in narcissism, filled with extravagant brunches, celebrity pals and business plugs.”
The criticism across the pond starkly contrasts with the more positive reviews coming from the US.
Vogue writer Elise Taylor noted how odd it was for Markle to admit that she “hates baking” while teaching viewers how to make a honey lemon cake with berries, but she said the duchess shines when she gives lessons in flower arranging.
“Markle clearly has a passion for it, and carefully takes the viewer through each and every step, from selecting the flowers at the flower market to the final bloom put in the (quite impressive) arrangement. You might even find yourself taking notes,” Taylor wrote, adding that everything on the show feels “so aspirationally Californian.”
Harper’s Bazaar’s Bianca Betancourt believes Markle is back where she belongs and has returned to her lifestyle guru roots at the Tig.
“Curated crostinis and freshly-squeezed mimosas aside, one can’t help but notice that Meghan seems so happy — to be a mom, to feel safe at home, and to have creative freedom once again,” Betancourt wrote.
Emily Burack of Town & Country Magazine, meanwhile, noted that Markle’s “walls come down a bit” in the series.
“She gets vulnerable, and her real joy and passion for cooking shine through,” Burack penned.
Most reviewers slammed Markle for continuously promoting her homemade jam line, a product from her As Ever lifestyle company, and speculated that streamers will be disappointed to find that she does not spill any tea about her contentious relationship with the monarchy after quitting her royal duties in 2020.
Instead, Markle delivers gardening tips, a lineup of A-list guests and a handy recipe for single-skillet spaghetti. With love, of course.
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