It’s not just award shows and such being postponed due to the wildfires, a bunch of TV shows that film in LA have paused production, too. In a similar vein, Meghan Markle asked Netflix to delay the launch of her new series, With Love, Meghan, from January 15 to March 4.
There hasn’t been a huge press buildup for the series—Meghan is that level of famous where she can poke her head outside and generated international headlines for days, this isn’t a criticism it’s an observation that Netflix was pretty much just relying on the series’ trailer launch for advertising—so it’s unclear if there was going to be any sort of premiere or screening event, but now there will not be anything this week. Although if Meghan is doing a Vogue cover, as Maria speculated, those gears would already be in motion.
On Friday, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry visited Pasadena and viewed some of the damage done by the Eaton fire, as well as helping in the relief efforts of World Central Kitchen to provide food to people displaced by the fires.
I wish Harry and Meghan could focus 100% on their humanitarian and philanthropic efforts, because I think it’s where their hearts really are, but they aren’t getting any of that British taxpayer money anymore and their security isn’t state funded, so they have to earn a living. Yes, even they, rich as they are, have to work to pay their bills. Feel however you want about it, a conversation about relative wealth and lifestyle creep is totally legit, but people keep wondering why they’re trying to launch a media brand and it’s like…the same reason any A-list actor keeps working. Unless you get lucky with your investments—actors, as a cohort, have a pretty bad track record on that front—you’ve got to keep money coming in somehow. Anyway, seeing Harry and Meghan in Pasadena is a reminder that humanitarian work is where they really shine.
As for With Love, Meghan, my cold calculation is that launching in March might be better for the series. It’s closer to spring, so the visuals of lush gardens and fresh blooms and hand-picked veg are more seasonally relevant, and after last week and this week, and next week which is Donald Trump’s second inauguration and then who knows what fresh hell will follow, people might just be looking to tune the f-ck out. I’m not saying people aren’t looking for escapism right now, but we’re still in the thick of it, situations are still developing, no one can relax yet.
But in a couple months, people might be looking specifically for something relaxing, soothing, low-pressure to watch. And With Love, Meghan looks soothing, if nothing else. I’m not a lifestyle person, so doing anything she’s up to is beyond me, but the neutral home design and the fresh veg look more appealing after filling my eyeballs with burning. I believe Duchess Meghan asked to delay the series so she can devote her time to wildfire relief, but I bet someone at Netflix ran the numbers and came up with a better outcome for this series than just a few weeks ago. The harder the world gets, the softer entertainment we want.
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