(NewsNation) — Jaws dropped this week when Meghan Markle’s low-rated and critically panned Netflix series “With Love, Meghan” was nominated for outstanding lifestyle series for the Daytime Emmys.
The nomination of the show, competing against “A Different Breed,” “George to the Rescue,” “The Motherhood” and “The Wizard of Paws,” raised eyebrows as it scored, at best, a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes for both seasons and the second season (and holiday special) didn’t rate on the Netflix top 10 list.
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So what gives?
Aliza Lict, a brand, marketing, and PR specialist, told me:
An Emmy nomination is the ultimate PR rescue mission, engineered to overshadow a brutal commercial reality. Let me connect the dots on how Netflix and Archewell just pulled off a masterclass in narrative positioning.
While the trade headlines celebrate this industry nod, the corporate data paints a completely different picture. According to internal engagement metrics, “With Love, Meghan” cratered from 5.3 million views in Season one to a bleak 2 million in season two. That is a massive 62% decline, which naturally led the streaming giant to pass on renewing a traditional third chapter. In any normal boardroom, a drop-off that severe means failure.
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So, if the show was a failure, why a nomination? Why did Netflix put the money behind a nomination and marketing of that?
“Public conversation today is not focused on audience erosion or cancellation. It is entirely fixated on prestige,” Lict said.
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Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in “With Love, Meghan” on Netflix. (Netflix) -
This image released by Netflix shows Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, left, and Mindy Kaling in a scene from “With Love, Meghan.” (Netflix via AP)
She continued, “Awards recognition is never accidental; it is strategically manufactured. Studios and production teams make calculated choices regarding entry categories, submission episodes, and industry-targeted visibility.
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“This nomination demonstrates a brilliant truth about modern reputation management: Victory is not about your actual metrics, but about which metric you successfully turn into the headline. ‘Emmy-nominated’ is a permanent, high-authority brand asset that completely erases the reality of a dying audience. That is how sophisticated optics work.”
And, as we know, the Sussexes are all about optics.
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