​With Love, Meghan gets back to the basics and shows the Duchess of Sussex in her true element.  Read More Lifestyle 

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Meghan Sussex’s new Netflix series With Love, Meghan is a thoughtful return to the lifestyle space for the actress and entrepreneur. The quality of the production value is clear, with the same director as the beloved series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and the same showrunner as Selena Gomez’s MAX series Selena + Chef. Each episode Meghan hosts a friend or expert in a cottage set in Montecito California, where her goal is either to teach or learn about ways to incorporate elevated lifestyle choices into everyday life.

Meghan says her focus is on the guest experience from beginning to end, and her thoughtfulness is evident in each step of the process. Whether she is planning an overnight stay for a guest, a children’s party, or learning a new recipe, Meghan is clearly prepared for the assignment. She offers helpful tips to viewers, many of which are geared towards integrating the process of cultivating these thoughtful lifestyle choices into a daily routine. With Love, Meghan is everything you want from a celebrity lifestyle series, and is even a cut above the rest. The series is a winning return to the lifestyle space Meghan occupied when she ran her blog, The Tig, which she launched in 2014 and was shuttered when the actress joined the royal family in 2017.

Meghan’s Lifestyle Roots Are Present In ‘With Love, Meghan’

Meghan’s first guest on the series was longtime friend and makeup artist, Daniel Martin, who joined the Duchess for an overnight stay at her Montecito home. Daniel was around when the actress was working on Suits in Toronto, at the same time The Tig was first established, and he became one of its lasting contributors. Her friend and neighbor Vicky Tsai joined Meghan on set to teach her how to make a family potsticker recipe, while the pair also reminisced about Vicky’s time contributing to Meghan’s lifestyle blog. In her recent interview with People, Meghan mentioned that she was running The Tig when she first met her husband, and she reflected on the pride he shares in her return to the lifestyle space: “I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me.” She also emphasized in her interview how important it was to her as a female founder to have her husband’s support with her new venture

While Meghan’s tastes were certainly influenced during her time with the royals, she was always a trend-setter. Her lifestyle blog was named The Tig after she discovered an Italian wine named Tignanello that made her fully appreciate the qualities of a good wine, a nickname which she then began to associate with a sudden moment of understanding. Her new series continues to showcase the areas of cooking and entertaining where Meghan has developed a deeper understanding in the years that she has been raising her family and traveling the world. While he only makes an appearance at the end of the series, Harry Sussex was all smiles as he congratulated his wife on her new business venture, returning to her lifestyle roots.

The series isn’t meant to demonstrate Meghan’s expertise as a chef, although it is clear she is comfortable in the kitchen and has experience with the recipes she created on the show. She frequently features experts in areas she wants to focus on to supplement her own knowledge, like her opening scenes with her apiarist, or the episode with world-renowned chef Roy Choi. The series is a perfect vehicle for Meghan’s charming storytelling, as she deftly narrates the thoughtful intentions behind every choice that went into entertaining and feeding her guests. It is about creating special moments, even if all she is doing is moving a peanut butter pretzel from one bag to another and adding a handwritten label. The intention behind taking the extra step of customizing the experience for her guests is to create a moment that makes them feel special.

‘With Love, Meghan’ Is the Lifestyle Series That TV Has Been Missing

Although the series announcement was met with immediate criticism, much of which claimed Meghan was “narcissistic” for entering the lifestyle space, the show is everything you would expect from a series about entertaining in Southern California. In fact, with the focus on homegrown vegetables and fruits, attention to surrounding each of her guests in nature as they visit her, and the beautiful cinematography that captures the scenic hills and ocean views of Montecito, With Love, Meghan is a love letter to the area. By modeling the use of local produce and sustainable gardening techniques, Meghan also encourages practices that help ensure the beauty of the area lasts for generations.

Meghan spoke about being an entrepreneur in her interview with People, and the steep learning curve that occurred with the launch of her lifestyle brand. But when it comes to being on set, Meghan is clearly at ease, sharing nibbles with the camera crew and chatting with the series’ director as she makes them a morning coffee. This ease is created through Meghan’s expertise, which is as much about creating a warm and thoughtful space for her guests to enter as it is about being in front of a camera. The effect is a soothing confidence that other lifestyle experts aspire to. The one area the series could improve is in the final edit. Adding chyrons to the recipes that Meghan assembles with her guests could certainly add value to the show.