Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Second Netflix Show Officially Flopped

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had one of the most-viewed series on Netflix last year, but their follow-up project did not get the same notoriety. The couple kicked off their exclusive deal with Netflix by making Harry & Meghan, a docu-series about their own relationship, but it was closely followed by the series Live to Lead. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Live to Lead did not meet Netflix’s standards for success.

Viewership data on Netflix is not necessarily published except when the streamer chooses to release it, so it’s hard to tell how well a show did. The WSJ report noted that Live to Lead did not make it onto any of Netflix’s Top 10 lists, even in the days and weeks immediately after its release on Dec. 31, 2022. That would suggest that the show didn’t perform well, and it certainly hasn’t gotten the same publicity as Harry & Meghan. This was part of a controversial report speculating that the deal between Netflix and the Sussexes’ company Archewell is not going well so far.

Live to Lead followed hot on the heels of Harry & Meghan – a docu-series about the couple’s love story, their wedding, and their experience living with the rest of the royal family until 2020. The Sussexes have had no problem keeping viewers’ attention with their personal story, but according to WSJ it has proven harder with projects that don’t involve them. An insider suggested that they have struggled to select projects that match their “brand.”

Insiders even said that they suspect Netflix will end its deal with Markle and Prince Harry. The company paid $100 million to secure the Sussexes when they moved back to the U.S., and so far only two projects have come to fruition. One other was canceled early on in production while at least two more were rejected before they began. Sources at Archewell said that the contract is up in 2025.

Officially, spokespeople for Archewell and Netflix refuted these claims. The statement from Netflix emphasized the stellar performance of Harry & Meghan – the company’s biggest documentary debut ever – but made no mention of Live to Lead. It said: “We’ll continue to work together on a number of projects.” It’s worth noting that Archewell and Spotify recently ended their $20 million deal, saying that they mutually decided to part ways.

With new personnel and new strategies in the works, there’s no telling what could come next from Archewell. For now, both Live to Lead and Harry & Meghan are streaming on Netflix.