Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 38% approval rating from 13 critics with an average rating of 5.00 out of 10. [19] On Metacritic it has an average of 37 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, categorized as "generally unfavorable". [20] Calling the show "ultimately uncompelling", MSNBC's cultural critic Brian Moylan asked: "Why these recipes? Why this show? Why now? Why her?". [21] Variety 's chief correspondent Daniel D'Addario described it as "a Montecito ego trip not worth taking" and that it "is made with a great deal of love — in the sense that the greatest love of all is the one that a person has for herself." [22] Judy Berman writing for Time magazine called the show boring and said "With Love, Meghan is a dusting of flower sprinkles that can't hide the blandness of the cookie—a polite but distant dispatch from a rented kitchen down the road in lieu of truly welcoming us into her life." [23] Writing for Screen Rant , Ben Gibbons rated the show 3 out of 10 and claimed that Meghan put on a façade while aiming for authenticity and genuine experiences. He added that the show was detached from reality and lacked useful guidance. [24] The Hollywood Reporter stated that the show failed to fulfil its promise of "candid conversation with friends, new and old" and echoed other reviewers that the show lacked a key ingredient of relatability. [25] In their Stream it of Skip it segment, Decider writer Liz Kocan states that the show is a disappointment for viewers who value authenticity and recommended viewers to skip it. [26] For the same publication, Meghan O'Keefe stated that the show "is beautifully directed by Michael Steed, but lacks any clarity of purpose." [27]
In a more positive review, Forbes contributor Sophia A. Nelson shared, "With Love, Meghan is part Secrets of the Blue Zones meets Finding Italy with Stanley Tucci . It is a culinary, hospitality, and human connection masterclass." [28] In a piece from Town & Country , Emily Burack wrote, "Meghan Markle shines in With Love, Meghan when she's the student." [29] Harper's Bazaar 's review, written by Bianca Betancourt, lends a thematic breakdown of the show, saying "It's clear from watching With Love that the duchess has an eye for tiny details (think burlap bows, calligraphy-enhanced signage, and freshly-picked flowers for every occasion), but that doesn't mean the meals she's making aren't approachable." [30] In a piece for TheWrap , Kayleigh Donaldson gave the show a positive review and stated that the show makes for a good advert for Meghan's upcoming lifestyle website. [31] In her review for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Yasmin Jeffery argued there was "absolutely nothing ground breaking" about the show, adding that it "is the kind of show you put on your big screen while doing something else on your smaller screen." [32]
Writing for The Guardian , Stuart Heritage described the show as "pointless", adding that "With Love, Meghan is the sort of gormless lifestyle filler that, had it been made by the BBC, would be used to bulk out episodes of Saturday Kitchen ." [33] The Guardian's review, written by Chitra Ramaswamy, gave the show one out of five stars, saying that "what With Love, Meghan vibrates with most is a vacuous, over styled joylessness." [34] In his review for The Irish Times , Ed Power described the series as "Martha Stewart by way of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, with a sprinkling of the "tradwife" Instagram – only the worst possible version of all three, with Markle a black hole of beige throughout." [35] Katie Rosseinsky of The Independent also gave the show one out of five stars, stating that "The heady blend of aesthetic curation, inspiring truisms and those inescapable edible flowers might well leave you feeling a bit queasy." [36] In her review for The Times , Carol Midgley gave the series two out of five stars and summarized it as "a duchess presenting her extreme wealth and mind-bogglingly exclusive lifestyle as if it is available to anyone who cares enough to pop a twee personal label on a homemade beeswax candle or lay a sprig of fresh lavender on a towel." [37] Writing for The Telegraph , Anita Singh gave the series two out of five stars and described the show as "an exercise in narcissism", which consists of Meghan inviting "celebrity pals" who "tell her how amazing she is. This happens for eight episodes." [38] The Standard gave the show four stars and answered the question "will this series fly?" with '"for laughs perhaps." It continued, "But if you're the kind of person who wants to be shown how to make a daisy chain or gets a thrill from the home life of our Duchess as she wants us to see it, or who wants tips on making pasta the way no Italian ever did...why it'll be just your cup of tea. In a glass pot, natch." [39] The Economist called the show out of touch and questioned Netflix's decision to award Meghan a 100 million dollar deal. [40] Rachel Cooke called the show "a brazen, turmeric-inflected, lavender-infused punt. One sniff, and you know you're not buying" in the New Statesman . [41]
