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The reviews for Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle show are in — and they are not good.
Her eight-episode Netflix series With Love, Meghan began streaming on Tuesday. It was originally scheduled to premiere in January but was delayed due to the Los Angeles-area fires.
However, the delay did the Duchess of Sussex no favours as the series was slammed by royal experts as unoriginal.
“This isn’t innovative, it’s backwards,” Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, told Fox News.
“The projects themselves aren’t original,” she continued. “It lacks authenticity. It’s aesthetically pleasing but not where the content world is at right now. It’s too controlled. Too glossy. Too produced.”
British broadcaster Helena Chard compared the opening shot to long-running U.K. series Gardeners’ World, but of the series overall said it “appears mundane and lacks wow factor.”
Chard noted: “Meghan seems eager to play the altruistic, kind soul, but it is a tad smarmy.”
She described it as “so cringey and not fun at all,” adding the overall feel appears “too staged” while Meghan’s “tips and tricks are far too basic.”
Chard added that “Meghan comes across as a modern Stepford Wife.”
Royal correspondent Neil Sean told Fox News that he found it hard to believe that Meghan actually does the over-the-top things on the show in her day-to-day life.
“Do I honestly believe that she does all of this for the invisible children, who are Archie and Lili?” he asked.
“The whole point of the show is being relatable,” he said. “You know it’s not her kitchen because she’s hesitant to look for things and, more importantly, she doesn’t look at home, which of course it isn’t.”
Schofield said in the current landscape, people don’t have the appetite for elaborate content.
“TikTok is full of short, raw videos, primarily shot on mobile devices,” she explained.
“This is Meghan and an entire production crew, in full glam, taking TikTok content or a Pinterest board and expanding it into longer-form content to a demographic that’s developed a shorter attention span thanks to TikTok brain.”
The former Suits actress said her series won’t be a traditional “stand and stir” series where viewers get step-by-step instructions as they follow along.
“It feels as though we’re just spending time together, which is what it ended up being,” she told People.
“It ended up feeling so communal, and that’s the spirit of the show.”
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In the trailer for the series, Meghan notes that she isn’t “in the pursuit of perfection” but, rather, “of joy.”
Schofield said the show seemed more like “a PR exercise to change public perception,” and that it “needs to be a success for her professional reputation,” after reports of her being branded a bully by palace staffers.
“If you like Meghan Markle, you will appreciate this access to her,” she continued.
“If you dislike Meghan Markle, this will not change your opinion.”