Prince Harry's New Netflix Show Just Flopped

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has a new show that's streaming on Netflix and is not getting a lot of love. According to Newsweek, the documentary series Heart of Invictus has failed to reach Netflix's Top 10 streaming charts in America and Britain since it was released on August 30. Prince Harry is an executive producer on the series, and the show is part of the multi-million-dollar partnership deal signed between his Archwell Productions company and Netflix in 2020. 

As the official synopsis states, Heart of Invictus "follows a group of extraordinary competitors from around the globe, all service members who have experienced life-changing injuries or illnesses, on their road to the Invictus Games The Hague. The multi-episode series joins the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope. The series also follows the organizers as they work to prepare for the Games alongside each nation's team, supporting the competitors as well as their friends and families."

The Invictus Games happen every two years and feature competitors who sustained injuries during military service. "The story of the Invictus Games is fundamentally a human story," Invictus Games CEO Dominic Reid told Netflix's Tudum this week. "It's about the individuals, it's about the challenges they face, the service that they've given, and in every case the monumental obstacles that they've had to overcome as a result of their injuries."

Reid continued: "We don't call them athletes, we call them competitors — and we do that for a very specific reason. This is about competing. It's about joining in and participating… this is about allowing people the opportunity to compete. It's important to keep it open for people who want to come and have a go. For many, just getting to the starting line can be their gold medal."

Despite Heart of Invictus not being ranked among the top 10 shows on Netflix, the reviews have been favorable as it earned an 83 percent critics score and 79 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek that the series "is a superb creation by Harry and the stories of courage the series tells are remarkable, with the war in Ukraine providing a sober backdrop to the Games. The problem is its length. This documentary lasts for five hours and is far too long."