With Love, Meghan on Netflix

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we know what the ratings are for this show yet? I know it received horrible reviews but...are people watching?

It was in the top ten last week and was already renewed for season 2 which suggests people are watching.

It's already slipping out of top 10 after a week. Show is already filmed so it makes sense to renew even if success is not amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw a bit of the first episode as I was doing my makeup this morning. And wow. Montecito is SO BEAUTIFUL! It is like a little piece of heaven and I cannot believe people live there.

I am also surprised at how comfortable Meghan looks in the kitchen. You can tell she actually cooks!

I want to try her pasta recipe!

This is the pasta recipe!! It’s cribbed from other talented chefs like anything and everything this person does hahaa it’s not original everyone has already been doing this for ever.
https://www.reddit.com/r/budgetfood/comments/e77qst/italian_wonderpot_one_pot_pasta/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we know what the ratings are for this show yet? I know it received horrible reviews but...are people watching?

It was in the top ten last week and was already renewed for season 2 which suggests people are watching.

The show was not renewed.
It was a 16 episode filming commitment which they completed. They split the 16 episodes into two seasons to make it appear as if it had been renewed. It should not have been announced as a renewal, which is more of the deception this person continues to deploy. It is just one season split into two separate seasons. The difference is that other shows that do this announce it in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

She's not famous though. She was not famous pre-Harry and she was only a UK royal for a tiny amount of time.

[Anonymous]

I finally watched the first few episodes and it was fine! I really don't understand the vitriol being thrown at her over this show. It's not ground-breaking but not sure why anyone expected it to be. The exchange with Mindy Kaling about calling her "Markle" was definitely cringeworthy, and she seemed out of her depth a bit with Roy Choi but they had a decent rapport for the most part. The rest of it was fine. Even if you hate her, the show delivers nice visuals. The outdoor seating area with the mountain range in the background is gorgeous and she has great style! I'll probably keep watching even if I'd never go through the trouble to do most of the stuff she does on the show.

As for why she got the show in the first place, of course it's because of who she married. But let's be honest--many people get shows, book deals, or other opportunities simply because of who they are or who they are connected to, not because they've achieved some level of expertise in that particular area. Nepo babies have been a thing for a long time. "Celebrities" and others get their own talk shows (looking at you Kelly Clarkston). Most of the news anchors on the Today Show have written children's books (go figure). This is no different. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

She's not famous though. She was not famous pre-Harry and she was only a UK royal for a tiny amount of time.

I’m sorry but this is absurd. She is definitionally famous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we know what the ratings are for this show yet? I know it received horrible reviews but...are people watching?

It was in the top ten last week and was already renewed for season 2 which suggests people are watching.

The show was not renewed.
It was a 16 episode filming commitment which they completed. They split the 16 episodes into two seasons to make it appear as if it had been renewed. It should not have been announced as a renewal, which is more of the deception this person continues to deploy. It is just one season split into two separate seasons. The difference is that other shows that do this announce it in advance.

Um, okay. The show is produced by Netflix and Netflix chose to announce it as a renewal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

She's not famous though. She was not famous pre-Harry and she was only a UK royal for a tiny amount of time.

Some of you have to realize how ridiculous you sound when you say things like this, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand some of this criticism because y'all are describing every similar show ever.

Like yes, Martha Stewart had her makeup and hair done for her show and she also wore light colored neutrals, even when making messy food. Same with Giada and Barefoot Contessa and all the other Cooking channel people. I will admit that America's Test Kitchen or Kenji's home videos have always been much more my style, but there is nothing novel about the styling on Meghan's show.

The "curated" fridge is also a staple of these kinds of shows. When Rachel Ray used to have her cooking show (in a studio! even faker!) did she open the fridge to show a bunch of brands? No, it's a set kitchen, the staff "curates" it for whatever they are cooking and so it looks nice on camera. This is a standard feature of this kind of show.

The show is inoffensive. It's not groundbreaking, and I don't blame anyone for being like "eh, not for me." I don't love it but the hate for it is surreal because it's so obviously reflective of this obsession/hate/jealousy/envy some of you feel towards Meghan and has nothing to do with the show itself, which is fine. The production values are actually above average -- I like the visual look of it and the music and editing is good. Kudos to the director/producer.

Also I actually thought that one pot spaghetti dish was clever in the first episode, and my daughter watched her make the lemon honey cake and now that's what she wants for her birthday. Both seem pretty approachable and I'm willing to try them. So I guess I did get a couple good ideas out of it.

Some of you need therapy.

Martha had many talents, true talents, which is how she ended up with magazines, shows, etc. She was an expert at her craft. Giada, Julia Child, most other cooking shows: they know how to cook and are experts in what they are delivering.
As where Meghan isn’t skilled at anything and was given this content to present.

Martha developed her skills over time through her catering business and then as she launched her show. Her main thing was not being a super skilled chef or baker or decorator, but being extremely committed to detail and being a perfectionist about aesthetics. There was a lot she didn't know but she'd hire or work with experts. Many of the things she did on her show were things her staff or a consultant was the actual expert in, and then she learned well enough to present it on the show. This isn't a knock on Martha -- without her vision and her exacting expectations for her business, the show would never have happened in the first place. And then her magazine grew out of that and as a result she helped create jobs for lots of actual experts. But Martha herself was not an expert. She's more like a jack of all trades, master of none. Her special sauce is in being interested in figuring out what the best version of something is and then finding experts to help make that happen.

Meghan actually has a decent amount in common with Martha. And Martha's career was absolutely premised on her having married a guy from a certain world, which gave her access to catering clients in that world and then enabled her to buy her first home and fix it up.

Meghan also comes by these interests naturally. This isn't a put on for this show or something she just adopted in the last couple years. Before she ever met Harry and while she was working full time as an actress, she started The Tig which was basically the blog/website version of this show. Extremely similar content. And she was just sharing tips and ideas that she'd found herself because she's a perfectionist and likes researching hostessing/decorating/cooking ideas and sharing them with people. The Tig was really great and while its reach was still pretty small, I think it would have grown into something bigger had she not shut it down after meeting Harry and moving to England. I think this show is just her trying to restart that burgeoning lifestyle influencer career that started with the Tig and got cut off.

I feel weird writing this in support of Meghan, about whom I'm pretty ambivalent. But I did like her blog and I think this show is cute. I think the people criticizing it and comparing it unfavorably to Martha or these other lifestyle gurus don't really know Meghan's background and also don't know the backgrounds of people like Martha. Meghan is no more or less qualified than most of them. Heck, Rachel Ray wasn't even a particularly good cook when she started! Her whole deal was 30 minute meals and a willingness to adhere to that formula, which had a ready, built-in audience. Meghan slots right in with that group and she's as qualified as any of them are. And people criticized them too. My dad used to hate Giada because (true story) he didn't believe someone that skinny could know how to cook. But Giada actually went to the Cordon Bleu and was trained as a pastry chef. Meanwhile he loved Ina Garten, who has no formal culinary training and used to be a policy analyst in DC of all things. But she looked like a chef to him because she wasn't stick thin.

Point is: Meghan is as qualified as anyone for this particular job. She definitely got it at least in part because she married Harry, but it's honestly not that hard to imagine another timeline where she never meets Harry, stays on at Suits and builds the Tig into a bigger website, and winds up with a show based on that. She was a reasonably well known actress and her website was well-liked so it's really not a stretch.

She might have been well known to "Suits" watchers but not the general public. I never heard of "Suits" or Meghan Markle before she dated Prince Harry.

+1. After she started dating Harry, I tried watching Suits but found it awful.

Plus a million. It’s clear Meghan has no skills or depth besides marrying up in terms of visibility (Harry is a resentful IMO exceptionally ugly and dumb man, so she’s married down in terms of picking someone attractive).

I think her being unattractive comes from her horrible personality. I do believe they will end up divorced, it's certainly going that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

She's not famous though. She was not famous pre-Harry and she was only a UK royal for a tiny amount of time.

I’m sorry but this is absurd. She is definitionally famous.

Infamous is more accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we know what the ratings are for this show yet? I know it received horrible reviews but...are people watching?

It was in the top ten last week and was already renewed for season 2 which suggests people are watching.

The show was not renewed.
It was a 16 episode filming commitment which they completed. They split the 16 episodes into two seasons to make it appear as if it had been renewed. It should not have been announced as a renewal, which is more of the deception this person continues to deploy. It is just one season split into two separate seasons. The difference is that other shows that do this announce it in advance.

Um, okay. The show is produced by Netflix and Netflix chose to announce it as a renewal.

Yes, good PR expressing a show of faith despite the terrible reviews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which episode does she teach her social climbing peasant fans to link up with a Mossad handler who sets you up on a “blind date” with a royal?

That’s the Netflix reality show I’d watch. From washed up d list actress to yacht girl to groomed to destroy the royal family. What a climber.

I would LOVE for Meghan and Lauren Sanchez to write books about social climbing or landing rich men. They know all kinds of secrets, it seems.

LOL
I agree that's about all the talent they have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

No, I’m more impressed with my girlfriends because their hostessing efforts are genuine. Meghan’s looks like she hired everything out and is just scripting it. Not impressive. Jennifer Garner makes cooking videos. She does it in her own kitchen, doesn’t pretend to be some expert, and they are genuine and funny. Sorry I just didn’t get that from Meghan’s. It looks like she is just trying to sell her hired out lifestyle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just weird for her to be showcasing how to cook and host on a show when she isn’t an expert in either. She has zero background in either field and likely didn’t host or cook beyond basics prior to marrying Harry. Even since then, she mostly hires out and does very little of it herself. So I just don’t get why this got made into a show.

Again, this was basically the concept behind the Tig, a website she ran for three years prior to marrying Harry. She is an amateur but, like Gwyneth, she had good taste and was known in her friend circles for being good at this kind of thing.

I actually have no idea if she "mostly hires out" now or not. When they show her cooking on the show, she looks to me like someone who cooks at home. Also when her actual friends appear on the show, you can tell that they appreciate this aspect of her personality, that she's hosted them many times and they appreciate the extra mile she goes as a hostess. So to me it seems like this is a genuine interest of hers, that she has some skill and background in it, and she is sharing real tips and tricks from things she has done before.

Is it much more impressive than what your best hostess girlfriend might do at her house or put up on her Pinterest? No. I know women who do stuff like this and they are as skilled as Meghan is. But she's famous and they aren't, she has a Netflix deal and they don't. It's the same with Goop -- is she the only person who could possibly have created that website? No, there are lots of women with similar tastes and interests who could have produces something similar. But she's famous and rich so she had a built in audience and other women don't.

Some of you are watching this show like you are totally unfamiliar with the concept of an already-famous person parlaying their fame into a lifestyle brand. It's not that uncommon! You've seen this before.

She's not famous though. She was not famous pre-Harry and she was only a UK royal for a tiny amount of time.

I’m sorry but this is absurd. She is definitionally famous.

+1, this is just silly. She was famous prior to meeting Harry, though certainly not A-list or super well known. But definitely famous in that I knew who she was and I am not someone who follows celebs ultra closely or reads tabloid magazines or anything. I'd just seen her on Suits which is the kind of show you bingewatch when you have bronchitis, plus I had a coworker who really loved the Tig and would send me links to it. When it came out she was dating or engaged to Harry, I was surprised because I would not have expected to know of someone he was dating -- usually royals date and marry women I've never heard of because I don't follow British aristocratic society. So it was like "oh, I know who that is!" That's famous even if it's not like George Clooney levels of fame.

And obviously she's famous now. According to YouGov's fame tracker, 86% of people polled have heard of her. This is a similar level to Mila Kunis or Bette Midler. She's famous.