The Gentlemen Ratings Drop Has a Simpler Explanation Than Meghan Sussex

Apparently, Meghan Sussex has acquired another extraordinary power. She can now make viewers stop watching television programmes she is not actually in.

That is effectively the impression created by a Telegraph headline declaring that The Gentlemen had “lost half a million viewers after Meghan casting rumours.” The accompanying subheadline went further, placing the show’s 15 per cent UK decline beside reports that a possible role for Meghan in season three had been withdrawn following “backlash.”  

There is a problem with this framing. Meghan does not appear in season two. She did not write it, produce it, direct it or promote herself as part of it. In fact, contrary to the more breathless speculation, Variety reported in August that Meghan was only in very early talks for a possible season-three role, with no contract in place.  

Yet somehow the viewing figures for a completely different season have become another opportunity to put Meghan’s name in the headline. Netflix had already renewed the series for season three before season two even premiered, and Variety reported on August 25 that scripts were not yet finalised and new casting had not been settled.

Season two premiered on September 3 and attracted around three million UK viewers for its opening episode over seven days, compared with approximately 3.5 million for the season-one premiere. Globally, Netflix recorded 6.7 million views during its first four days, down from 12.2 million for season one’s comparable opening window.  

Those numbers are real. What has not been demonstrated is that Meghan Sussex caused them.

There Is a Much More Obvious Explanation

The far less sensational explanation requires no Duchess at all. The Gentlemen returned roughly two and a half years after its first season premiered in March 2024. That fact is important because streaming analysts have been warning about exactly this problem.

In July, two months before The Gentlemen returned, Luminate published an analysis examining what happens when successful streaming shows disappear for long periods. Its conclusion was straightforward: shows returning after gaps longer than about 18 months typically lose viewers, while programmes capable of releasing new seasons annually appear to have a significant advantage.  

Most TV series, streaming and linear alike, tend to shed viewers the longer they run, of course — today’s breakout hit is tomorrow’s steady but unimpressive earner and next year’s also-ran — while those that grow their audiences each season are the true unicorns of the content business (e.g., Game of Thrones).

But further data indicates the newest streaming hits are united by one key quality above all else: the ability to churn out a new season every year.

LUMINATE

That analysis had nothing to do with Meghan Sussex. Luminate compared some of streaming’s biggest programmes. Wednesday season two returned after a 2.75-year hiatus and was down 32 per cent in the company’s 12-week measurement. Stranger Things season five returned after approximately three and a half years and fell 13 per cent. The Rings of Power season two fell 71 per cent after a two-year hiatus. Even Bridgerton season four dropped 30 per cent following a gap of roughly 1.75 years.  

There were exceptions. Severance exploded after its three-year absence, while Bridgerton season three grew after a two-year gap. But Luminate identified them as exceptions rather than evidence against the broader pattern.

Compare that with shows maintaining annual schedules. Luminate found substantial growth for The Pitt, Landman, The Traitors and Love Island USA, all of which returned on much shorter timetables.   The lesson is hardly mysterious. Audiences move on.

Streaming Has a Season Two Problem and Netflix Knows It

There is an additional detail that makes the Meghan angle even ludicrous. Netflix executives were discussing declining second-season audiences before anybody knew whether Meghan might appear in The Gentlemen.

During Netflix’s July earnings call, co-CEO, Ted Sarandos acknowledged that season-two audience declines are common across television, while arguing that Netflix’s own falloff had actually improved slightly from the previous year. He argued Netflix can experience particularly visible declines because its shows often launch to unusually large audiences through its global reach and binge-release model.  

In other words, this was already an industry discussion. Luminate had already published the data in July. Netflix had already addressed season-two declines. Other Netflix programmes had already experienced them.

Then The Gentlemen waited more than two years to return and also lost viewers. But apparently the mystery requires Meghan Sussex.

Even Deadline’s initial report on the season-two numbers described The Gentlemen as behaving similarly to “many of the streamer’s continuing series lately.” Season two debuted with 6.7 million views and ranked No. 3 on Netflix’s English-language television chart during its opening period. Interestingly, season one also re-entered the weekly Top 10 at No. 5 with another 3.2 million views.   That sounds considerably more complicated than “Meghan rumours scared everybody away.”

The Meghan Blame Game Falls Apart

The Telegraph uses the word “after” rather than directly saying Meghan Sussex caused The Gentlemen ratings decline, but the implication is obvious. Putting “loses half a million viewers” beside “Meghan casting rumours” invites readers to connect two things without evidence.

There is no polling showing viewers abandoned season two because Meghan might appear in season three. There is no Netflix data linking the decline to her, and the casting reports themselves were inconsistent, ranging from early talks to claims that an offer had already been made and then withdrawn.

Meanwhile, there are far simpler explanations. The show returned after more than two years, streaming services routinely see audiences fall between seasons, some viewers may have missed the return, and others may simply think season two is weaker.

Online reaction quickly pointed this out, with viewers questioning how someone who does not even appear in season two could somehow be responsible for its audience.

That is what makes the narrative so absurd. Long hiatuses hurt retention. Netflix has already acknowledged second-season drop-offs. Other major shows have suffered the same problem.

And somehow, after all that, the answer is still Meghan. At this rate, if someone’s Wi-Fi cuts out during episode four, perhaps that will be her fault too.