• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, January 10, 2025

Watching an episode of “Suits” the other night on Channel 9 in New York, it occurred to me that Meghan Markle was a pretty good TV actress.

Maybe she should have just stuck with it. Playing high-profile character roles on multiple TV shows can be a great way to make a living.

But instead of that future, she hitched her wagon to Prince Harry and the British royals, and everybody knows what happened next.

Harry and Meghan exiled themselves to California, where they seem to be consumed in a never-ending campaign to establish themselves as brands instead of just humans. 

Or maybe for them, their “brand” is their “humanness” -- i.e., they are one and the same.

Whatever the case may be, the next leg of this odyssey is Meghan’s new show -- “With Love, Meghan” -- premiering next Wednesday (January 15) on Netflix.

In the vast coverage of “With Love, Meghan” so far, the name of Martha Stewart is almost invariably invoked as the role model for this new show in which Meghan seeks to establish herself as a home and lifestyle brand.

But Stewart is not mentioned anywhere in the Netflix publicity materials for this new show. Unless Meghan intends to smoke weed with Snoop Dogg anytime soon, then no connection whatsoever can be made between Meghan and Martha Stewart.

On her new show, Markle “reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old,” says a Netflix description. 

“Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection, and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected,” Netflix continues.

“She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”

Netflix’s assertions to the contrary, Meghan Markle is not exactly reinventing the wheel here.

Since the show sounds similar to a number of others that have come before it, the deciding factor on whether “With Love, Meghan” catches on is Meghan herself.

What do people think of her, anyway? Is she liked? Is she loathed? Is she somewhere in between? Speaking solely for myself, I cannot draw a bead on her. More to the point, I have never spent any time trying.

In the publicity photos, Meghan looks cheerful enough. The publicity materials list a couple of guests -- “friends” of Meghan’s, they say -- including chef Alice Waters and TV’s Mindy Kaling.

“With Love, Meghan” was filmed in Montecito, California, possibly at the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan), but the exact location is not clear.

The show consists of eight episodes, each 33 minutes long, says Netflix. They all drop at once next Wednesday.

For Harry, Meghan and their production company, Archewell Productions, “With Love, Meghan” is their third series for Netflix, starting with “Harry & Meghan” in December 2022.

After that, there was a gap of two years until their next production, a docuseries about the rarified world of high-stakes polo that premiered just last month.

And now, here comes Meghan styling herself as a source of advice, tips and tricks about living the creative home life -- among them, suggestions for preparing take-home gifts for guests and how to add that little something extra to everyday foods such as “a sprinkle of edible flowers” at breakfast. Sounds good to me.