A lifestyle series from the Duchess of Sussex has made the 10 most watched programmes on Netflix.
With Love, Meghan, which was released on March 4 to poor critical reviews, has been confirmed to return for a second series.
Since being launched last week, Netflix said it reached its Global Top 10 Shows, coming in last place with 2.6 million views.
Kate Hudson-starring comedy series Running Point was top with 12.2 million views, followed by thriller Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro as a former US president, with 7.5 million, and British true story Toxic Town, with 4.7 million.
Video game-inspired Halo, true crime show American Murder: Gabby Petito, Tyler Perry drama Beauty In Black, the latest episodes of WWE’s Raw, comedy special Andrew Schulz: Life and the seventh series of docu-series Formula 1: Drive To Survive filled out the top 10.
In Netflix’s UK top 10, Toxic Town – which stars Doctor Who actress Jodie Whittaker as a mother who blamed the Corby toxic waste scandal for causing birth defects in the area – came in first place while With Love, Meghan was seventh.
The company has previously said it counts engagement through views, measured by total hours viewed divided by running time, and not the number of people watching a programme.
The duchess’s latest Netflix series was panned by critics, with The Guardian describing it as a “gormless lifestyle filler” and “so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show”, while The Telegraph branded it “insane” and an “exercise in narcissism”.
In the eight-part show, the former Suits actress give hosting tips and cooks with celebrity friends including The Office star Mindy Kaling.
The Duke of Sussex makes just one appearance at the end of the first season’s final episode when he joins Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland and friends for an outdoor celebratory brunch.
Meghan said it “feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you”, in what is likely to be seen as a nod to the restrictions she felt within the royal family.
She told People magazine that her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, visited her on set, which she called “really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work”, and spoke about her and Harry having a daily “nightcap recap”, where they discussed their day.
“My husband met me when I had (the former lifestyle website) The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,” she said.
“It’s almost like a honeymoon period again.”
The duchess last week launched her lifestyle brand As Ever, with her website revealing her first products: raspberry jam, and the flower sprinkles she promotes throughout the show.
The Sussexes, who signed a multimillion-pound deal with Netflix in 2020, have previously put out the controversial Harry & Meghan documentary, which features accusations against the royal family, and sport show Polo.
The second season of With Love, Meghan is coming in the autumn, and has already finished filming, according to Netflix.
