Netflix today is the present, it’s the moment, and it’s our number one source for high-quality scripted films and TV series at home. But it wasn’t always that way. At one point, Netflix was still the future — the little engine that could, if you will.

The difference between that era and now is striking. Back then, we had a streamer eager to splash money on talented filmmakers, hoping to win them over to their then-new way of doing business in Hollywood. Now, the focus has shifted. Netflix is more concerned with keeping s on the app, competing with an ever-growing number of rival streamers and battling for watch time.

But through all that, we’ve seen shows fall out of the fray — often to fans’ great disappointment — getting cancelled far too soon, with little to no explanation. Here are 8 of our picks for shows that deserved better:

The OA

The OA was a lot of things — an auteur-driven mystery about a missing girl who resurfaces after seven years. Brit Marling, who plays Prairie Johnson (the missing girl), also co-created the series. As the story unfolds, Prairie is revealed to be a Russian oligarch’s heiress and, later, a dimension traveler.

Over the course of the show’s two-season run, Prairie cures her own blindness, forms a cult, and guides a group of misfits on a metaphysical journey. The narrative is dense, yet never rushed — and poetically, the series formed its own cult following in the real world.

But despite its growing fan base, Netflix abruptly cancelled it with no real explanation. Since then, fans have done everything they can, including organizing a fan-led demonstration in Times Square. Still, nothing worked.

That’s not to say Netflix’s silence has gone unnoticed. Just recently, during the chaotic press run for The White Lotus, Jason Isaacs reassured fans that the streamer’s stance with the creators remains: “no chance of letting it (The OA) go.”

Mindhunter

Mindhunter came along at a time when Netflix had already figured out its voice and business model. They knew exactly why you were tuning in: late-’90s to 2000s classics and murder docs. So it only made sense to bring in David Fincher to create a show about the formation of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit — the department tasked with investigating serial killers.

The show received predictably high praise, and to this day, it’s hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about it. But quietly, it was removed from Netflix’s future slate. And unlike The OA, fans didn’t have to wonder why for long — Fincher himself came out and rained on the parade, confirming there were no plans to continue. According to the Fight Club director, the show was simply too expensive for the streamer to justify.

Santa Clarita Diet

The worst kind of Netflix cancellation is the kind that gets nipped at a cliffhanger. Netflix has been trying to land a sitcom that sticks for its entire lifetime. For a moment there, Santa Clarita Diet felt like they had found one. It was a big swing, don’t get me wrong: an R-rated sitcom about a family slowly turning into zombies is about as dark as sitcoms go.

But the thing about streamers is, they’re not beholden to rs. All that matters are the subscribers. And just when Timothy Olyphant’s character was also turned into a zombie, they nipped it in the bud. Apparently, the cast and crew found out during the edit of the third season. Netflix rarely does season fours unless the ratings are humongous — but ironically, that’s often when these shows finally hit their stride.

To this day, the search for the big Netflix sitcom continues. And Santa Clarita Diet is that rare show that still remains watchable despite the lack of resolution. Netflix really dropped the ball here.

Anne with an E

By 2020, Netflix was well and truly in its ruthless era. It suddenly had real expectations to meet — not just from subscribers, but from investors. And anything that didn’t retain viewers, no matter how beloved, was getting canceled.

Anne with an E came with an inbuilt audience. An entire generation — especially in Canada — grew up with the literary icon, imagining how she would engulf the screen with updated urgency and relevancy. But right on cue, at the predictable season 3 mark, the announcements came in: “Anne of Green Gables’ story will come to a satisfying conclusion.” Satisfied, fans were not. There were hundreds of thousands of petition gs, threats of canceled subscriptions — but Netflix didn’t care one bit.

The Society

To be fair, there’s a reason Netflix is number one. There are some genres that Netflix does incredibly well — and one of them is teen dramas. The Society set up a world where all the parents disappeared, which is already a nonsensical trope in these shows to begin with. But The Society made that trope an integral aspect of the plot.

This time, the show actually pulled impressive numbers and had a new season in development — but the COVID pandemic ruined those plans, and it had to be canceled. And unlike most shows, with teen dramas, you can’t just revive them after a while. Even Ginny & Georgia, with its long gestation period, is already causing Twitter drama over how grown the actors are starting to look.

Julie and The Phantoms

Sometimes Netflix goes a bit too experimental for mainstream fans’ tastes, and it becomes difficult to grow the audience the show has already garnered. Julie and the Phantoms follows Julie Molina as she navigates her grief over her mother’s death by summoning the ghosts of a band from the 1990s. And did I mention it’s a musical?

By all means, the show is actually good — especially the first 3 episodes. It had the potential to be the High School Musical for a new generation. But it was just a bit too novel for Gen Z audiences. After one season, Netflix pulled the plug.

Warrior Nun

It’s kind of ridiculous how many times Netflix has had to battle its own subscribers. If HBO Max (yes, that’s what it’s called again — for now) didn’t exist, Netflix would easily be the company that least understands its customers. Warrior Nun is based on an anime about warrior nuns who use an ancient Catholic relic to accidentally resurrect a young girl.

There are some mesmerizing, breathtaking sequences in the show’s first season — truly one of the only live-action anime remakes that actually works. But the audience just wasn’t there, so fans picketed, blogged, complained — and they got a season 2. But a season 3? Lightning wasn’t going to strike twice in the same place.

Lockwood & Co.

Lockwood & Co. was another attempt by Netflix to stick to what they know best — developing established IP and focusing on teen dramas. The show follows Anthony Lockwood and his trusted sidekick Lucy Carlyle as they run a ghost-busting agency with a very casual tone. Each episode kind of lives and breathes on its own — it’s a little like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

But maybe it was a case of oversaturation, or something else entirely. There just wasn’t a big enough audience. Netflix canceled it after one season and, by their standards, faced very little pushback. Just a campaign here and a petition there, nothing they couldn’t ignore.

GLOW

The case of GLOW was genuinely tragic. GLOW had everything Netflix looks for in a show — the story, the fans, the critical raves, and even 18 Emmy nominations. That’s right, and they even won 3 of those.

The show still holds up to this day and follows a group of women navigating the growing 1980s wrestling scene — calling their outfit Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). It’s still worth the watch today if you don’t mind a case of unfinished stories. It was canceled while awaiting its final fourth season due to the pandemic. Alison Brie, a core star of the show, called the abrupt cancellation “the great heartbreak of my career.”

1899

Of course, unlike its competitors, Netflix actually has a global footprint. Just like they’ve been searching for their big sitcom, they had also been deeply searching for their big international hit. Narcos was Netflix’s first attempt to dip their toes in the water, but the subject of those first two seasons was always the DEA, and therefore, it read as an American show.

But with 1899, it seemed like they finally had one. Oh, how ambitious that show was. The cancellation even inspired WIRED to publish an article declaring it the end of the Netflix weird era. The show is set on a ship from London to New York, full of a multilingual cast of characters who clash because of modernity and old beliefs.

The show was big, lavish — but it just didn’t capture enough of an audience to justify its price tag. And for Netflix, that’s all they need to see. It was canceled immediately.

Luckily for Netflix, soon after, they got Squid Game, which helped them reach their goal.

Netflix has officially announced the return of three of its most popular series with a trailer showcacoming seasons for 2025. The streaming platform confirmed that Wednesday, Stranger Things, and Squid Game will all premiere new seasons within the year, with specific release dates spanning from summer through late fall.

The announcement was revealed by DiscussingFilm and comes as Netflix continues to leverage its most successful original programming to maintain subscriber engagement. All three series have achieved significant global viewership and cultural impact since their respective debuts. The trailer provides glimpses of what viewers can expect from each returning show.

Wednesday Season 2 will arrive in two separate releases during August 2025. The first part premieres on August 6, followed by the second part on September 3. The series continues to follow the titular character as she navigates supernatural mysteries and personal relationships. The season appears to maintain the gothic elements and dark humor that characterized the first installment.

Netflix schedules three major series returns across 2025

Squid Game Season 3 has been scheduled for release on June 27, 2025, making it the earliest return among the three series. The show will continue its exploration of the deadly competition format that made the series a global phenomenon, and hopefully, it can avoid the mistakes of season 2. Characters return to face new challenges within the established game framework that defined the previous seasons.

Stranger Things Season 5 will conclude the series with its release on November 26, 2025. This final season promises to resolve the supernatural storylines and character arcs that have developed throughout the show’s run. The series has been building toward this conclusion since its debut, with the Upside Down mythology reaching its climax.

The three series represent different genres within Netflix’s programming strategy. Wednesday focuses on supernatural comedy-drama, Squid Game delivers thriller and social commentary elements, and Stranger Things combines science fiction with coming-of-age themes. Each show has established dedicated fan bases and generated significant cultural discussion during their previous seasons.

Netflix positioned these releases strategically throughout 2025 to maintain consistent content flow. The spacing allows the platform to capitalize on audience anticipation while avoiding direct competition between their own major properties. All three shows will be available exclusively on Netflix. 

Ginny & Georgia just landed on Netflix, and already, before some can even check out all the episodes, fans online have quickly binged the entire season and are clamoring for answers on a potential new season.

Good news: Season 4 is a go. Confirmed by Netflix itself — can’t get more official than that. In fact, in Feb., the renewal had already confirmed that the show will be back for at least one more season. Ginny & Georgia is already one of their best-performing titles — and now climbing to just best overall.

Creator of the series Sarah Lampert was the first one with the good news for fans, with a post that showed a Zoom call screenshot of the writers’ room. The caption of the photo read: “First day of the season 4 writer’s room!!! Based on today alone, season 4 is going to be a RIDE.”

In the comments of the post were fans showing relief that that means they probably won’t have to wait long for a new season. One commented, “Oh thank god ur already on to season 4 we won’t have to wait too long this time.” Which is certainly a worry, considering shows these days have disappointed fans with multiple-year waits just for a season with a short 9 episodes. But considering this news — and the run of shows like The Bear being closely knit — we might truly finally be back.

There’s no official release date as of this moment. But if you look at Season 3—which ends on one of the show’s biggest cliffhangers yet — it’s clear Ginny & Georgia is hitting its high gears with no intention of slowing down. It wouldn’t be shocking if Season 4 is right around the corner. The cat’s out of the bag now: Georgia might be pregnant! This sets up some big mysteries for Season 4 that go far beyond the pregnancy itself. Is it Paul? Or is it the beloved Joe?

On social media, there are already reactions that split the discussion into two; some fans are claiming that the show has always been about how Joe was Georgia’s one true love all along. Some fans can’t get enough of how he looks. There’s a lot of love for Joe. But Paul has his stans too. Some fans are even casting spells — no, literally.

everyone finally realizing that joe and georgia are the love story this show has been building towards pic.twitter.com/WwBuEtZDus

— ً (@rioshallies) June 5, 2025

watching the new ginny & georgia season (yes its a bad show but in a good way) and JOE IS LITERALLY THE FINEST MAN IN THE WORLD pic.twitter.com/qQS7PPtovi

— m (@httpsjordayla) June 5, 2025

Casting a spell that Georgia and Paul make it through season 3 still together in the end!! pic.twitter.com/jKsZd6ZsrX

— Cheyenne (@lil_harmonizer) June 5, 2025

Season 4 will no doubt majorly focus on Georgia’s love triangle. The stakes are now raised as high as possible. But the kids went through a tough time too. Marcus ended the season being sent to rehab. The fans want him to get better, obviously. But there are also some lingering issues there with Max. The show will probably dig into that sibling betrayal. The entire cast of the show will be busy for the season.

Everything is pointing toward the supposition that Ginny & Georgia can’t afford a 2-year break this time around. The suspense can only hold in fans’ minds for so long before they find something else to care about. And we haven’t even mentioned Ginny. Throughout the entire season, she’s been getting involved in more and more morally grey decisions to protect Georgia. And Ginny is also separating with Georgia to spend time with Zion.

The season will have so much to bite and so many shifted dynamics and loyalties. And the kids are also finally coming to their own.

The woman who kept the LaRusso household in Cobra Kai from imploding for six seasons has decided to tap out of the entertainment industry altogether.

Courtney Henggeler revealed through a strikingly candid Substack post last Friday that she’s hanging up her acting shoes after grinding it out for over 20 years in an industry famous for chewing up hopefuls and spitting them out. “I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine,” she wrote with the kind of straightforward clarity her character Amanda would appreciate. “I want to be the machine.” Talk about dropping the mic on your way out the door. The announcement comes at what many would consider the peak of her career. 

As Amanda LaRusso in Netflix’s wildly popular Cobra Kai series, Henggeler finally achieved what countless actors spend lifetimes chasing – steady work on a hit show with cultural relevance and a ionate fanbase. For the uninitiated, Amanda is the pragmatic counterbalance to husband Daniel LaRusso’s karate obsession – the practical business partner who rolls her eyes at decades-old rivalries while somehow keeping the family car dealership afloat despite her husband’s frequent martial arts detours.

Her character evolved from what could have been a one-dimensional “nagging wife” trope into something far more nuanced. But according to Henggeler’s reflections, the stability of Cobra Kai came after years of what she describes as “the hustle” and “the grind” – that uniquely soul-crushing cycle of auditions, rejections, brief jobs, more auditions, and more rejections that defines most acting careers. “For years, I silenced the voice in my head, begging me to walk away,” she itted.

Hollywood, for all its glitz and glamour, is an industry built on relentless hustle. For every actor who “makes it,” there are countless others who spend years auditioning, waiting for callbacks, and dealing with rejection after rejection. Even when success comes, it often brings its own set of pressures—maintaining relevance, meeting expectations, and constantly proving oneself.

Whatever she does next, Henggeler leaves behind a character who became far more than the wife role it could have been. For fans, it’s a bittersweet announcement. We’re losing not just Amanda LaRusso but any future characters Henggeler might have brought to life. Yet there’s something undeniably inspiring about someone choosing their own path even when it defies conventional wisdom. In an industry where “never give up” is the sacred mantra, Henggeler is asking the more interesting question: what if sometimes the bravest thing is knowing when to walk away? As Amanda LaRusso might say with a raised eyebrow and perfect timing – sometimes the most grown-up decision is recognizing when it’s time to try something new.

While 2025 has already delivered us predictable TV highlights with the return of shows like Severance and The White Lotus, it was the Netflix original series Adolescence that became the year’s surprise sleeper hit. The show, which follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper) after he is arrested for murdering a schoolmate, premiered on the streamer last month, and has since dominated the cultural conversation to become the year’s most talked-about water cooler show. 

Adolescence was so popular, in fact, that it shot straight to the top of Netflix’s global most-watched lists, to the point where it became the third-most watch program in the platform’s history, beating out uber-popular titles like Dahmer. While the four-episode season delivered a conclusive ending, the surrounding fanfare has naturally led audiences to speculate about a possible second season of the show, and we’ve recently been given a few updates in regards to that very same question. 

Production team “in talks” for Adolescence season two. 

‘ADOLESCENCE’ Season 2 is now being talked about for Netflix.

(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/9Tuic2HOlG

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 9, 2025

Despite the watertight ending of the show’s first season, the runaway success of Adolescence has propelled the creative team to consider a sophomore installment. Just this week, the production team behind season one, Brad Pitt’s Plan B, said they are in discussions about additional episodes with Philip Barantini, who directed all four episodes of the famously one-shot first installment. It was Plan B co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner who provided the season two update, telling Deadline that conversations were taking place about “the next iteration” of the show.

Details around Adolescence season two remain scarce.

At this stage, any details beyond Gardner’s recent update remain scarce. He did say that he hoped Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, who co-created the series, would somehow be involved in a second season. Gardner also revealed that a new season of Adolescence would work to “widen the aperture” of the show, while “stay[ing] true to its DNA, and not be[ing] repetitive.” With that context, and given the conclusive resolution of season one, some have theorized that a second season would not focus on Jamie. 

Gardner’s mention of the “new iteration” has been taken by some as a promise of Adolescence‘s second season focussing on an entirely new teenage character with some kind of inherent crime or trauma. This theory is ed by comments made by those involved in the show. Last month, Thorne confirmed that “Jamie’s story is finished,” adding that “our aim was to try and tell Jamie’s story as fully as we possibly could.” 

ppl asking for season 2 of adolescence man i think the whole point is that there’s not meant to be more to the story. that’s just it like

— gabby ❥ (@g4brielleeee) March 21, 2025

Thorne also said he “[doesn’t] think there’s anywhere more we can take Jamie,” suggesting that a second season of Adolescence would follow a different character. The freshness of the update means there’s no word yet on when a second season of Adolescence will arrive, so my advice to you would be to watch this space.

Netflix’s limited series Adolescence is a true smash hit. Despite being out for just three weeks, it’s already jumped to number nine on Netflix’s list of the most-watched English language TV shows ever. It knocked Bridgerton season two out of that spot and has pushed Stranger Things season three down to tenth place. The show’s fast rise proves how popular it is, with 96.7 million views since it first came out.

It doesn’t look like Adolescence is losing steam—it may soon other shows higher on the list and could climb even more in its first 72 days. As reported by Deadline, this show has made a big impact worldwide, appearing in the weekly Top 10 in all 93 countries where Netflix keeps track of what people are watching. The four-episode series follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of killing another student.

Adolescence isn’t just about viewing figures — it’s also about starting important conversations, as reported by NPR. The show makes people think about how safe young people are online and whether social media companies should do more to stop harmful content. By showing the real consequences of online radicalization, the series forces viewers to face uncomfortable truths and think about how these issues affect young people’s lives.

‘Adolescence’ is taking over Netflix

Adolescence’s success stands out compared to other recent Netflix releases, which haven’t done half as well. The Residence, a mystery show from Shonda Rhimes, only got 8.8 million views in its first full week, making people wonder if it will last on Netflix. Million Dollar Secret, a reality show, had just 3.7 million views—far fewer than Adolescence. Even The Life List, a successful movie with 24.4 million views, doesn’t come close to the series’ huge numbers.

With such a strong start and no signs of slowing down, Adolescence looks like it will keep doing well on Netflix. Its fresh way of telling a story, along with its relevant and timely themes, has connected with audiences everywhere. The show’s success proves that Netflix can produce gripping, thought-provoking content that entertains and gets people talking about big societal issues.

According to Wired, co-creator Jack Thorne did a lot of research to make the story feel real and powerful. He spent time in the darker corners of the internet, learning about incel beliefs and the manosphere to understand how young people could be led to violence. This research was sometimes disturbing but helped make Jamie’s character and motivations feel frighteningly real.

Each part focuses on different people in Jamie’s life, showing how different things led to the terrible event. The show tackles tough and complicated topics head-on. It looks at how young people can be pulled into extreme online groups, the dangers of toxic masculinity and the “manosphere,” and how bullying in a messy school setting can have terrible effects. The series doesn’t give simple answers—instead, it shows a detailed picture of a lost teenager, shaped by the wild world of social media, internet culture, and even parents who don’t fully understand what’s happening.

Sorry, Morbius ⏤ your chances of ascending to the top of the streaming charts were always slim, but now they’re just downright impossible. That’s because a certain Netflix queen by the name of Millie Bobby Brown is back at the top of the charts ⏤ or is she?

Brown’s latest project, a neat little flick called The Electric State, is currently sitting comfortably at the top of the Netflix charts, per FlixPatrol. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo of Avengers: Endgame fame, the sci-fi adventure follows a teenager and her robot as they traverse a war-torn humans-vs.-drones landscape in search of the girl’s missing brother. It’s a true Marvel reunion for the Russos, who reunited with Marvel mainstay Chris Pratt as well as Loki’s Ke Huy Quan, Captain America’s Stanley Tucci, and both Anthony Mackie and Giancarlo Esposito from 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World. And yet, despite all this star power, The Electric State boasts a painful 15% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. The Atlantic literally called it “instantly forgettable.” Ouch, Mills.

Now look, being #1 on Netflix is nothing to be ashamed of ⏤ if it were indeed true. No offense to FlixPatrol, but per this author’s own Netflix , The Electric State is no longer in the #1 spot, at least not in the United States. In fact, it’s been dethroned by a film that WGTC’s own Christian Bone described as being “offensively fangless” and guilty of treating its audience like “dumb animals.” (Double ouch, Mills.)

Which movies have already dethroned Millie Bobby Brown’s The Electric State?

You read that correctly. The Electric State has already slid out of Netflix’s first-place slot thanks to not one, but two other films ⏤ and one of them is particularly embarrassing. The movie currently in the #2 spot ahead of Electric? Sony’s swelteringly horrific Kraven the Hunter, starring Marvel alum Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a buff beast-man determined to live his life as violently as possible.

Curiously, Kraven boasts the same RT critics score as Electric ⏤ a grim 15% ⏤ but even more shocking is the fact that it has received an even higher audience score: 73% to Electric’s 72. The film currently beating both on the Netflix charts is The Twister: Caught in the Storm. This means that yes, a documentary about tornadoes is creaming Queen Millie’s outing with warring robots and Chris Pratt’s ‘stache. At least we can all breathe a sigh of relief that Morbius is nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, a Bridgerton star ascends to true streaming royalty

While Millie Bobby Brown comes to with what must be an immense shock following her astronomical Stranger Things success, a Bridgerton star is likely squealing with glee over on Prime. Per Flix, Simone Ashley’s Picture This has quickly risen to the #1 spot following its March 6 release. One look at the trailer will tell you why. Not only does this film star Young Voldemort, but it’s the laugh-out-loud film we all need in a year that so far has been as humorous as New York’s rat infestation. (We’re still waiting on that musical, Gaga.)

Picture This has only been out for two weeks, and yet it’s already saying “buh-bye” to arguably the cinematic event of our lifetime: Barbie. Yep, Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster smash is currently sitting in Prime Video’s #4 spot above such competition as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and that one where Chris Evans engages in fisticuffs with snowmen. Before outranking Netflix queens and Captain America, Ashley appeared in Bridgerton season 2 as Anthony Bridgerton’s love interest, Kate Sharma. Since then, she has appeared in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and an animated movie about cats called 10 Lives ⏤ “because nine just ain’t enough!” (Oi…)

Picture This is currently available to stream on Prime Video, and if you’re in the mood to watch Millie be spectacular even if her film isn’t, you can catch The Electric State only on Netflix. Or, if you really feel like feeling your feels, you can watch this year’s Baby Reindeer, currently in Netflix’s #1 spot for TV shows and unlikely to budge anytime soon.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in an expensive, lavish ceremony — a literal Royal wedding with the backing of centuries of tradition broadcast over the world and watched by a truly staggering 1.9 billion people. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t know anything at all about the pair.

Yet ever since their tumultuous split with the Royal Family, rumors have circulated that the Sussexes are headed for divorce. There are suggestions that the relationship isn’t doing so well out in the real world; some think Meghan married Harry for a particular lifestyle which hasn’t materialized; others say the match was never a good one to begin with. Whatever the “reason,” there are some people who simply can’t consider that the Sussexes are happy together and want to remain married.

Unfortunately for the Sussexes themselves, it looks as if their dreams of a life of luxury are getting more difficult by the day. Their $100 million deal with Netflix has ended up as a bit of a flop, since With Love, Meghan — Meghan’s flagship “lifestyle” show — has met with a poor critical reception and mixed views from viewers. As reported in a Mail Online exclusive, journalist and screenwriter Marina Hyde has suggested that Netflix is unlikely to renew the deal, but may want to hang around just in case there’s a divorce on the horizon.

“They are not going to renew. They might say we’re continuing to develop projects with them. The reality is that a lot of people are hanging around in case there’s a divorce. That might be why Netflix, or whoever it might be, who’s got to deal with them, might keep a vague hand in.”

Ironically, despite the Sussexes not wanting a divorce, it may prove the surest and easiest way to the financial independence they crave. With Netflix and other streaming giants swarming and lurking at the edges to secure the no doubt lucrative rights to what would be a highly publicized divorce story, the Sussexes could essentially name their price. A tidy sum of money that could see them ride off into the sunset… at the cost of their marriage.

This is of course unlikely to happen. If their marriage is a good one, they’re unlikely to want to give it all up for a cash injection. On their podcast, The Rest is Entertainment, Marina Hyde and her co-host, author, television personality, and producer Richard Osman discuss alternative sources of funding for the duke and duchess that might be a little more realistic. Osman suggested that Meghan return to work as an actress.

“Meghan is an actress. Cast her in something. This is what I advise Meghan, take a job in something. You could pretty much name your price and project for the first thing you go back into acting for. It’s what she does.”

While a return to acting does seem like it could generate cash, Meghan has previously stated that she doesn’t want to return to the acting world, though With Love, Meghan would represent a tentative return to the world of television, albeit in a different capacity.

As for their marital and financial woes, so far there have been zero official leads on the couple facing either. And given the nature of tabloids and such “experts” who change their opinion faster than the speed of lightning, predicting the expiry date of their relationship would be foolish.

Meghan Markle has been called many things and criticized by many people, and she’s probably still never heard words quite as hurtful as those said by PR expert Doug Eldridge in a conversation with Fox News Digital. The so-called “Duchess of Difficult” is a magnet for anti-fans, and even most of them have steered clear of this ultimate put-down.

Nobody in their right mind would ever want to be described as being like Donald Trump, but unfortunately for Meghan, that’s exactly what’s happened. In an expansive Fox News Digital interview, Eldridge discusses the PR implications of Meghan’s lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, and why it might not be landing with viewers quite the way she intended.

With Love, Meghan has proven to be a polarizing show. While it does have its fans, it certainly has its detractors, too. Meghan has been described as “inauthentic” multiple times — including by her own father, Thomas Markle — and doesn’t manage to shake that allegation from Doug Eldridge either.

Authenticity is like humidity — you can’t see it, but you can walk in a room and feel it. It’s also critical for what Markle is trying to accomplish. Authenticity fosters relatability, which in turn creates likability, all of which are needed for marketability.

Eldridge suggests that Markle’s lack of authenticity means she’s failing connect with her audience, which isn’t helped by her on-camera approach either — Meghan “appears guarded most of the time,” he says, which can be “challenging for a viewer to bond with.” All of this means, in Eldridge’s view, that With Love, Meghan is unlikely to be a smash hit, as it’s going to fail to connect with new audiences. This assessment matches that of another PR expert, Renae Smith, who suggests that appealing to a core audience is likely Meghan’s goal, anyway.

Still, this does make it tricky for the duchess because she’s launching a lifestyle brand off the back of the show, American Riviera Orchards. Eldridge notes that “this has become an increasingly crowded space” where “likability and charisma” are more important than other things which Meghan may be more comfortable with. These are the things that Meghan struggles with outside of her core fanbase, as there are legions of people who consider the duchess to be inauthentic, fake, unlikable and so on to a point where the only engagement they want with her is via trolling.

Eldridge likens the situation to that of Trump and his opponent, Kamala Harris, during the last presidential election.

At this point, Markle is similar to both candidates who ran in the last presidential election. They were loved by their core demos and despised by those outside of it, which means it really came down to a numbers game.

While it’s certainly not nice to be compared to Trump, it feels like this assessment has legs. Meghan does have fans, and they are incredibly interested in what she does, whether it’s her show, her brand, or the odd appearance at an event. The trouble for her is, are her fans enough to sustain her career? It doesn’t look like Netflix thinks so, but there’s always a chance that season 2 knocks it out of the park and that American Riviera Orchards does extremely well.

Netflix’s new crime drama Adolescence is the best thing the streamer has released since Baby Reindeer. The four-episode limited series is sitting pretty at a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has instantly become a red-hot awards season contender due to its dazzling performances and technical brilliance.

The show focuses on 13-year-old British teenager Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for murder at the beginning of the first episode. Throughout the show we see the brutal impact of the situation on his family (led by his father, star Stephen Graham), a painstaking recreation of the legal process, and a subtle but damning exploration of how the manosphere warps young minds.

Adolescence is technically dazzling

Adolescence is a thematically dense and dramatically meaty experience, but that’s uplifted by the fact that each episode appears to be a single unbroken shot. For example, episode one begins with two detectives talking in their car, follows them as they drive to Jamie’s house, continues the shot as armed cops break down his door and drag him from his bed, right the way through to him being placed in a holding cell back at the police station and beyond.

In other episodes, the camera does things that appear impossible, like transitioning between close-up interior dialogue scenes to overhead drone shots and back to close-up drama without cutting away. One-shot scenes (or “oners”) are increasingly popular in TV and movies, and are generally achieved through hidden cuts that allow editors to transition between separately shot sequences while preserving the appearance of a single unbroken shot.

It would make a ridiculous amount of sense for Adolescence to fake the one-shot style. The show relies on pitch-perfect emotional performances (including one from a young teenager in his debut role), scenes with hundreds of extras, the occasional fast-paced action moment, and multiple changes of location.

So, is it fake?

Incredibly, it seems that each episode of Adolescence really is one unbroken hour-long take. Director Philip Barantini decided the show would benefit from being one-shot episodes, which he understatedly said in an interview with The Independent was “quite difficult,” before pointing out that it had to be “meticulously planned.” No kidding.

Preparation involved weeks of technical and cast rehearsals, with Barantini explaining:

“[Tech rehearsals] would be an opportunity for the sound team to put the booms where they needed to be. And, we had all the and the runners and ADs all dressed in police uniforms in the first episode and teachers in the second episode so they could be on camera and cueing things. It was technically challenging, but a huge collaboration.”

This means one forgotten line or technical error would force them to start the entire shoot from scratch, putting a crazy amount of pressure on the cast and crew. Miraculously, Barantini says there were no “major mistakes” during production, though they did have to start again a few times:

“One time the camera was knocked on the door, so the lens shook a little bit and we wouldn’t be able to fix that. And the other time the lights just went off in the studio in the police station. So it was like, we can’t shoot this now, we have to stop.”

The cast also appear to have handled the pressure smoothly, as Barantini explains:

“The actors are in it. There’s no room for error and everyone has the ball and you’re ing the ball to each other and it’s trust. All the actors are trusting each other and if they mess up a line, someone else will come in.”

It’s illuminating that Adolescence has landed on Netflix at the same time as the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State. The latter has a reported budget of $320 million, but has landed with a wet squelch to complaints of “lousy” performances and dull visuals.

The budget for Adolescence hasn’t been released, though could well have cost less than 1% of what Netflix forked out for The Electric State while being inarguably superior to it on every metric. Just a little something for the bean counters over at the streaming giant to consider.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $100 million deal with Netflix didn’t exactly live up to the expectations of either party. While the Sussexes’ shows were either torn to shreds by critics or outright ignored, the streaming giant never quite saw the positive viewing figures it was likely hoping for, with each new series from the ex-royal couple being disappointment after disappointment.

But in the days that followed the release of Meghan’s latest Netflix offering, With Love, Meghan, there was renewed hope among fans of the Sussexes that the deal could be renewed. The show saw some impressive viewing figures and a second season has already been filmed. It is expected to drop on the streaming platform later this year. So does that mean a renewal of the deal is still on the table?

A new deal is unlikely

Unfortunately for Meghan and Harry, nothing has been promised. According to an article from The Sun, the second season was part of the initial $100 million contract and does not indicate that there will be another deal between the Sussexes and Netflix. 

Meghan’s new show saw her cooking and hosting for a variety of guests and friends. It was heavily criticized by viewers and critics alike, but the source claims Netflix isn’t bothered by the bad reviews, as the focus is more on the buzz the show has been generating.

“Netflix have been broadly pleased with the show and don’t care if the reviews are scathing… The streamer’s name has been on everyone’s lips for the past week and that’s a victory for them.”

Harry and Meghan have not had a good run

Despite the reception With Love, Meghan has received, the couple has mostly released duds in the five years since they signed the contract. Only their first project, Harry & Meghan, saw a good level of success. The other three projects, Live to Lead (2022), Heart of Invictus (2023), and Polo (2024), all performed poorly and received bad reviews. 

Considering how much Netflix paid for these shows, it’s no wonder the company is hesitant about g another deal. Reports indicate that the streaming giant is “milking” the deal with this second season to try and claw back some profits, but either way, this doesn’t bode well for a renewal of the deal.

“But it’s now a question of whether they feel that striking another deal represents value for money, or if they feel that they have explored all the opportunities they can with the couple.”

It would have taken a miracle to salvage the deal, and while With Love, Meghan did pretty well, all things considered, it’s hard to imagine it’s done enough to sway Netflix. We’re at the end of the road and it’s apparent that it hasn’t worked out for either side. Of course, we don’t know what the executives at Netflix are thinking, but it would be surprising if the Sussexes were offered another $100 million deal.

Black Mirror has had an uncanny ability to predict the future in all kinds of sociological, political, and technological ways over the past 14 years, but now for the first time it seems that someone else has predicted it. The first-look trailer for the Netflix anthology show’s seventh season is finally here, and all we can think of while watching is that its emergence was foreshadowed this very week by… Donald Trump.

After a couple of seasons that have earned mixed receptions for going off in strange directions (see season 6’s horror-themed “Red Mirror” episodes), Black Mirror looks to be taking a “greatest hits” approach with this new run, which will hopefully get fans back on board. In this gripping, thrilling, strangely nostalgic trailer, Netflix showcases the incredible cast on display in these six latest installments… And there are some familiar faces among them.

The biggest draw of season 7 is the pre-announced sequel to one of the show’s most fan-favorite episodes, the Star Trek-spoofing “U.S.S. Callister,” which this trailer promises us means we’re getting two times the Cristin Milioti (The Penguin fans, rejoice!). Billy Magnussen from that same ep also features, as does — in a left-field surprise — Will Poulter’s Colin Ritman from interactive special, “Bandersnatch.” Other major guest stars include Paul Giamatti, Emma Corrin, Awkwafina, Rashida Jones, Issa Rae, and a multitude more.

“It’s back to basics, in many ways,” creator Charlie Brooker told TUDUM, going on to promise that these half-dozen new episodes are “all sci-fi stories.” On the other hand, Brooker teased that each standalone story will have its own tone, much as we’ve come to expect from this series. “Some of them are deeply unpleasant, some are quite funny, and some are emotional,” he hinted.

Black Mirror‘s always been like a box of (very, very dark) chocolates, but if you had to, how would you sum up the whole show in just two words? Bizarrely, it seems Donald Trump managed it the day before this trailer dropped. In the wake of the new promo’s arrival, there’s one phrase that’s being repeated across social media like a religious chant: “Everything’s computer.”

Everything’s computer!

— Lily Kimei (@LilyKimei4) March 13, 2025

everything is computer https://t.co/DgHj6Oe71M

— Allison Hunt (@allliehunt) March 13, 2025

Everything is computer. https://t.co/nbxfQAnhXf

— Shawty (@BellDDoll) March 13, 2025

In case you missed the internet’s favorite thing this week, Donald Trump got very excited when he tried out a Tesla car on the lawn of the White House on Wednesday, and came out with a phrase that is somehow both completely inane and deeply insightful. “Wow,” he gushed upon climbing into the car, before mumbling something unintelligible and then uttering the immortal words: “… Everything’s computer!”

Trump: Wow… Everything’s computer
pic.twitter.com/LjGoZD4Qk8

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2025

The simple phrase, which somehow gets to the heart of our gnawing fears surrounding our screen-obsessed culture, became an instant meme as netizens repurposed the words in different contexts (my personal favorite? The Matrix). Still, applying it to Black Mirror has to be the perfect use for it. For in the world of Black Mirror, a close but twisted reflection of our own reality, in which mankind’s undying thirst for technological advancement has led to the destruction of its own happiness and brought society to the point of dystopia, everything truly is computer.

Everything’s computer, and Black Mirror will be available on every computer come its release on Netflix this April 10.