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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's highly anticipated Netflix docuseries is a "masterpiece in spin" that gives the couple an unprecedented opportunity to "set the record straight," with comparisons to the Kardashians' reality show "rightly" drawn, according to an entertainment expert.
Details of the royals' show were released Thursday along with a dramatic trailer featuring never-before-seen photographs from the couple's private albums.
While no release date has been given for the six-episode show, simply titled Harry & Meghan, it has been billed by Netflix as an "unprecedented and in-depth documentary series" that explores the "clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the [royal] institution."
The show is the first release from the Sussexes' multimillion-dollar content creation deal with Netflix that was signed in 2020, months after the couple left their working royal roles following a turbulent period with the British press and members of the royal family. The series will feature interviews with "friends and family" and has been directed by Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus.
Reacting to the series' trailer, Mark Boardman, an entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, told Newsweek that it was particularly "clever" in its tone.
"The viewer has a soft tone throughout, yet the truth will be told from each of them as they get to voice their opinion with truths that they rarely feel they have the ability to divulge," he said. "The couple's goal is not to gossip but instead to set the record straight and on their own terms."
The show's focus on real-life events, some of which are speculated to have been filmed in real time, has provoked criticism of the couple for taking part in a reality show or self-aggrandizing documentary. Meghan addressed these comments in an August interview with The Cut writer Allison P. Davis.
"Meghan explains there's a difference between a historical documentary and a reality docuseries," Davis wrote.
In the final episode of her Archetypes podcast, which aired November 29, just two days before the Harry & Meghan trailer was released, the duchess said there would be "no reality show" in a conversation with Andy Cohen, executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise.
Though there is clearly some ambiguity in what Meghan considers a "reality show" and a "reality docuseries," Boardman said the "reality" in this case will be something else.
"The reality show that Meghan said she would not do is a world apart from a documentary that will give us an inner look through the couple's time together and how it has affected them and also public perception. The reality in this instance will be her own," he said.
The "reality" show confusion, in conjunction with the ultra-slick monochrome trailer, has prompted a number of commentators and social media users to draw parallels between Meghan and Harry and the Kardashian family, known for their rise to fame through their hit TV show.
"The new series is a masterpiece in spin and is rightly compared to the Kardashians series," Boardman said. "It will be a must-watch series but at the same time you will pick your side very early on."
Public interest in the show has increased as the royal couple have appeared more frequently in the press. On December 6, Meghan and Harry will accept the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award in New York for their work in addressing racial prejudice. That same night, Meghan will find out if her Archetypes podcast has won a People's Choice Award.
However, the trailer's release on Thursday, in the middle of Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal visit to Boston, was met with criticism in the British press.
"The show will have a stronger audience globally, specifically in the Commonwealth countries," Boardman said of its overall appeal across multiple demographics. But what the non-watchers will see online are clips from the most dramatic parts that put Meghan, more so than Harry, in a more negative light, as it is not the done thing to discuss private matters and scathe royals."
"This in-depth documentary series may shed further light as to all the barriers and constant regulations that must be followed from within the royal institution, and as to how living under extreme scrutiny meant for them having to break away from it all and wanting to start over," he said.
"The royals will be intrigued to see what follows, as unseen accounts will make it to screen, and of the six episodes, the later [ones] will show the challenges. As Harry says, 'No one sees what's happening behind closed doors,'" Boardman said.
Newsweek reached out for comment to representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more