Netflix Cancels 'The Duchess,' But Katherine Ryan Already Has 2 Major Outside Projects Coming

Netflix might have canceled The Duchess, but Katherine Ryan is landing on her feet. The Canadian [...]

By John Connor Coulston

Netflix might have canceled The Duchess, but Katherine Ryan is landing on her feet. The Canadian comedian has had a fruitful relationship with Netflix up until this quick axing; the streaming service released two of her standup comedy specials, 2017's Katherine Ryan: In Trouble and 2019's Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room, ahead of The Duchess. The U.K.-based sitcom, which follows "a fashionably disruptive single mom," received one season of six episodes from Netflix. However, Ryan has two publicly announced projects on the docket, and neither involve the streaming giant.

The first Ryan-led project her fans will likely see is the upcoming dating show Ready to Mingle. The ITV2 game show will be hosted by Ryan and see "12 male suitors as they compete to win the heart of a single woman." However, there's a "naughty twist" that sets Ready to Mingle apart from shows like The Bachelorette. Apparently, not all the contestants are single — a factor that would usually derail a suitor's chances if it came to light on more traditional dating program. Ryan has already been hyping up the series and even reply to critics of the "naughty" aspect. In a reply to one person, the comic seemed to imply that polyamorous or open relationships will be at play.

"I am so excited to be a part of this new dating game show," Ryann added in a release. "How could I say no? It's like nothing we've seen before but still with all the drama and dating dilemmas we love to see, and I'll be there front row as it all unfolds!"

While there is no U.S. release set for Ready to Mingle just yet, Ryan, 37, also has something in the works with Amazon Prime Video. Per a March 29 Deadline report, Ryan is working on a new program with the working title Backstage With Katherine Ryan. The only other details in the report simply describe the show as a "comedy entertainment project" that Expectation Entertainment (Amazon's The Grand Tour) will produce.

It's unconfirmed whether Backstage will be scripted or unscripted, but it seems Ryan has put her desires to make a sitcom behind her for now. In the interview where she revealed Netflix canceled The Duchess, she noted it took "a whole lot of work" to pull the scripted show off and she's fine with how it ended.

"[Netflix] didn't want to make any more, not enough people watched it. I think something like 10 million people watched it in 28 days and that wasn't enough," Ryan said on the podcast Vicky Pattison: The Secret To. "But also, I'm not terribly sad about it. I feel like it's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of time to make a sitcom. It's really collaborative. And I was so grateful to be able to make it, but I think it speaks for itself. I kind of like the way it ended… I think it's fine, for me, if it sits on the platform, almost like a film. I'm really chill with things. I don't want to seem too happy about it, but I'm glad."

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