# The Gentlemen drops 500,000 UK viewers

> Season 2 of Guy Ritchie's Netflix hit lost a chunk of its British audience, right as a Meghan Markle casting story blew up.
- Title: The Gentlemen drops 500,000 UK viewers · Decider | Shortify
- Summary: Season 2 of Guy Ritchie's Netflix hit lost a chunk of its British audience, right as a Meghan Markle casting story blew up. A season two dip is normal for…
- Keywords: netflix, the gentlemen, meghan markle, tv ratings, streaming, news, entertainment, Gentlemen, drops, 500, 000, viewers
- Source: Decider — https://decider.com/2026/09/12/the-gentlemen-season-2-loses-uk-viewers-amid-meghan-markle-casting-rumors
- Published: 2026-09-12T16:25:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: netflix, the gentlemen, meghan markle, tv ratings, streaming, news, entertainment
## Half a million fewer
Season 2 of The Gentlemen pulled around 500,000 fewer UK viewers than the Season 1 premiere, according to Barb, Britain's official audience measurement service.
## Duke to drug baron
Season 2 landed September 3 with Theo James back as Eddie Horniman, the aristocrat who inherits an estate and finds a cannabis operation on it.

> transitions from duke to drug baron
## A 15 percent slide
About 3 million Britons watched the first episode in its opening week, down from the 3.5 million who turned up for the Season 1 debut in March 2024.
## Netflix's own numbers agree
Deadline reports Season 2 drew 6.7 million views in its first four days, close to half what Season 1 managed over its opening weekend.
## Meghan nearly joined
The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly in advanced talks for a future season, and The Telegraph says the offer factored into her and Harry's move back to Britain last month.
## Then the backlash hit
Within a day, the offer was reportedly withdrawn after public reaction. Tina Brown said the hesitation came from Netflix or the Sussexes, not the show's producers.

> has been withdrawn due to a public backlash
## A long Netflix history
Meghan left acting in 2017 after seven seasons on Suits. She and Harry signed a reported $100 million Netflix deal in 2020, which ended last year.
## Second series syndrome
Ted Sarandos says big launches make Netflix drops look steeper, and that this year's fall-off improved. Season 3 is already ordered.

> Our shows tend to start really big
## Key takeaway

A season two dip is normal for Netflix, and it did not stop the show getting renewed again.