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The good news is, Meghan Markle’s new Netflix special is loaded with guest stars and warm holiday vibes.
The bad news, at least according to many critics, is that that’s just about all it has going for it.
Yes, Meghan’s lifestyle series, With Love, has always met with what might generously be called mixed reviews.
But the show turned up the treacle a bit for the Christmas episode — and the decision has led many critics to the conclusion that Meghan is trying way too hard.
“What is she doing here?” asks The Washington Post‘s Monica Hesse in a scathing new editorial.
“Either her advice felt so basic as to be condescending (Yes, Meghan, even we peasants understand to hang ornaments so they catch the light), or so elevated as to be out of touch (Babe, I work full time and clean my own toilet; I don’t have time to make my family members personalized Advent calendars), and always delivered with a level of chipper that nobody with children younger than 8 should be able to relate to,” Hesse writed.
The author not only describes Meghan’s cameo-heavy Netflix show as a cringeworthy debacle, she also suggests that Prince Harry is being unwillingly dragged along for the ride.
“As in all marriages, the credit for joint decisions lies on both spouses’ shoulders, but only one of them had previously lived in California, so you have to imagine she was the one constructing the vision board,” writes Hesse.
“We’ll grow lemon trees and Netflix specials, Harry. I’ll introduce you to Oprah and Roy Choi. I would wager that “With Love, Meghan” is not exactly the future that she imagined.”
The piece ends on an ominous note, suggesting that Harry and Meghan are essentially riding out the clock until they reach a respectable retirement age:
“There they are, living out their great romance, and England is thousands of miles away, and the Bahamas are no longer an option, and there are decades left to go,” it concludes.
The Independent‘s one-star review of the “insipid” special was no kinder, with critic Hannah Ewens writing:
“It’s all a little Stepford Wives; not informative, fun, enjoyable or even aspirational. Because the people watching this, including me, will never have a Christmas like this.”
Ewens noted that Meghan doesn’t even walk her viewers through the making of her various holiday dishes, a decision that makes the whole thing feel more like a vanity project than a genuine attempt to connect with a new audience.
Critics generally lower their standards when it comes to Christmas content — after all, it’s the season of kindness, a time when most of us have a higher tolerance for hokey sentimentality.
So it’s not a good sign that so many are calling this Meg’s worst showing to date.
Meghan Markle’s New Holiday Special Gets Savaged By Critics: ‘What Is She … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.