Archive · 12 Sep 2026
The Gentlemen Viewers Fall After Meghan Markle Casting Row
The Gentlemen is a show on Netflix.
Its second season opened with 3 million viewers in the UK.
The first season had 3.5 million viewers, so the new opening was smaller.
Some people connected the drop to reports that Meghan Markle might join the show.
However, there is no proof that the casting controversy caused the lower audience.
Reports also disagreed about whether Meghan had actually been offered a role.
The show performed strongly worldwide, with 6.7 million views in its first four days.
Netflix has confirmed that the show will return for a third season.
This means the lower UK audience has not stopped the series from continuing.
The second-season premiere attracted 3 million UK viewers in its first seven days.
That was 500,000 fewer viewers than the first season’s 3.5 million opening audience.
Reports linked Meghan Markle to a possible third-season role allegedly worth more than £1 million.
Reports differed over whether Meghan had ever received a formal offer for the role.
The show drew 6.7 million global views in four days, and Netflix confirmed a third season.
- Who
- The Gentlemen, Netflix, Meghan Markle, and the show’s cast and production figures are central to the story.
- What
- The second-season premiere had 3 million UK viewers, down from 3.5 million for season one, amid controversy over reports linking Meghan Markle to a possible role.
- When
- The second season’s first seven days; the first season premiered in March 2024.
- Where
- The ratings comparison concerns the United Kingdom, while the broader viewing figures are global.
- Why
- The audience decline occurred after reports about Meghan Markle’s possible casting, but no evidence establishes that the controversy caused it.
No Proven Link
Controversy Focus
Cause of the ratings decline
No Proven Link
The articles state there is no evidence that the Meghan Markle controversy directly caused the 500,000-viewer drop.
Controversy Focus
The timing of the decline after the casting reports has prompted renewed attention to whether the controversy affected the UK audience.
Whether Meghan received an offer
No Proven Link
A Page Six report said Meghan may never have received a formal offer, and that preliminary conversations were later presented as active negotiations.
Controversy Focus
Other reports said she was being considered for a third-season role, with some claiming the backlash made the casting untenable.
- Second-season UK audience
- 3 million viewers in the first seven days
- First-season UK audience
- 3.5 million viewers for its March 2024 premiere
- Audience change
- A decline of 500,000 viewers, or 15 percent
- Global performance
- 6.7 million views during the second season’s first four days
- Netflix ranking
- Third place on Netflix’s English-language TV list
- Reported role value
- More than £1 million
- Future of the series
- Netflix has confirmed a third season