Between seasons, Guy Ritchie’s crime series The Gentlemen has lost half a million UK viewers, and a public outcry over a royal actress joining the cast could explain it.
The second season premiered on Netflix September 3, with Theo James returning as Eddie Horniman, the aristocrat who inherits his family’s estate and discovers it houses a lucrative cannabis operation. Netflix describes the character’s arc as a transition “from duke to drug baron.” According to Barb, the UK’s official audience measurement service, the season drew roughly 3 million viewers in its first seven days — about 15 percent fewer than the 3.5 million who watched the first episode of Season 1 when it debuted in March 2024.
The Numbers
| Season | Premiere Date | UK Viewers (first 7 days) | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | March 2024 | 3.5 million | — |
| Season 2 | September 3 | ~3 million | ~500,000 |
Netflix’s own internal figures back the drop. Deadline reported that Season 2 drew in 6.7 million views across its first four days, a figure that falls short of the first season’s opening-weekend performance by nearly half.
The Cast Rumor
Ritchie’s series is currently experiencing a ratings dip, and it comes at an interesting moment. Reports have emerged that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is in advanced talks to take on a role in a future season of the show.
The Telegraph reported that the acting offer played a role in the couple’s decision to move back to Britain last month with their two children. The deal would have marked Meghan’s first major acting job in roughly a decade.
Then things got complicated. Before 24 hours had passed since the reports came out, Meghan’s possible role was thrown into question due to a public backlash. Tina Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair, reported that the offer “has been withdrawn due to a public backlash.”
Who Is Meghan Markle?
Before Meghan met Prince Harry, she enjoyed a notable acting career. She played lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons on Suits. She left the profession in 2017, telling the BBC that she regarded her exit from acting as “a new chapter”, following her meeting with Harry the year before.
She hasn’t entirely avoided the screen. Meghan has lately come back to acting, appearing as herself in the upcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, which stars Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
The Netflix History
For years, Netflix has remained a business partner of Meghan and Harry. The streamer supported Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, which she intends to keep running from Britain. She also presented With Love, Meghan, the unscripted series built around that brand.
After stepping down as working royals in 2020, the couple signed a reported £74 million (£$100 million) five-year deal with Netflix. The partnership came to an end last year, with reports suggesting that the relationship between the Sussexes and some Netflix executives had soured.
Sarandos On Second-Series Syndrome
Netflix is facing a wider problem with returning shows, and it has led to an audience drop. A number of prominent series have failed to return the same viewership numbers that their first seasons drew.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the phenomenon in July when the company reported its financial results. He pushed back on concerns about what has become known as “second series syndrome.”
The man stated: “It’s very common in the industry, but it’s even more so with us because we launch our shows so big. Our global reach, our discovery mechanism, releasing all at once…This enables us to find a very large audience early, so our shows tend to start really big while most other places, their shows start pretty small and occasionally grow from there.”
Sarandos added a comment, which was: “Our season-two fall-off is actually slightly improved this year relative to last year.”
What It Means For The Gentlemen
A third season renewal has already been secured, so it appears Netflix is not concerned about Eddie Horniman hanging up his duke’s robes any time soon.
It is not known if Meghan’s reported decision to pull back on the offer will affect the renewal. The deal could still fall apart after the public’s response to the news, according to The Telegraph.
The Takeaway
The Gentlemen has lost viewers. But with Season 3 already on the way, Netflix doesn’t seem particularly worried about letting Eddie Horniman hang up his duke’s robes just yet.
The show’s audience drop fits a pattern Netflix has acknowledged generally. The company’s global release strategy creates big openings that can flatten out quickly as audiences move on.
No one knows what lies ahead for Meghan’s reported withdrawal of the offer changes the calculus for the show’. The pair’s connection to Netflix has faced trouble before, and the arrangement that brought them together has already come to an end.
The renewal has been secured for now, and the third season will need to address whether the show can keep its current viewership or draw in new ones.
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