The documentary series “Harry & Meghan,” produced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as part of their Netflix deal, has been nominated for the best streaming non-fiction series category at the Hollywood Critics Awards (HCA).
The six-part series, which premiered in December, is the couple’s first production under their multi-year agreement with Netflix, rumored to be valued at £77 million ($100 million), signed in September 2020.
This nomination will likely be received as positive news by the Sussexes, particularly after the recent announcement that their Spotify deal, reportedly worth $20 million, concluded prematurely with only one season of Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast and a holiday special.
This development sparked speculation regarding the sustainability of their Netflix deal and raised questions about their ability to create successful content beyond personal narratives.
The show proved a success for Netflix, which announced in January that it had become its second-highest-ranked documentary ever CREDIT: Netflix
According to a source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the couple has been facing challenges in progressing with their Netflix projects due to a Hollywood writers’ strike that has disrupted film and television production in the United States.
Nonetheless, their documentary series “Harry & Meghan” proved to be a significant success. In January, Netflix announced that the explosive series had become the streaming platform’s second-highest-ranked documentary ever.
The series, released on December 8, coincided with the publication of Prince Harry’s controversial memoir “Spare.” It featured several damaging allegations made against the royal family.
Prince Harry claimed in the series that his father, the Prince of Wales, had left him in a state of fear after shouting and screaming at him during the Sandringham summit—a meeting held to discuss the future of the Sussexes within the royal family.
He also accused Prince Charles of dishonesty during the tense crisis meeting in January 2020.
In addition, Prince Harry alleged on camera that Kensington Palace had lied to protect his brother, Prince William, when it denied accusations of bullying.
He drew comparisons between his wife, Meghan, and his late mother, Princess Diana, suggesting that Meghan’s popularity and media coverage had caused jealousy within the family and contributed to the rift with his brother and father.
These claims were met with rebuttals from royal sources who stated that the Sussexes had misunderstood the institution’s understanding of media dynamics.
In the UK, the Netflix series became the most-watched subscription television series of the year, according to figures released in December.
The first episode attracted an average of 4.5 million viewers within seven days of its release, surpassing the equivalent figure for the first episode of the new season of “The Crown,” which was launched a few weeks earlier on November 9.
Harry & Megan has been shortlisted for the HCA alongside Prehistoric Planet 2, Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, Rennervations, The 1619 Project and The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy.
The 2023 HCA TV Awards Ceremony for Streaming will be held on Sunday, Aug 13, the day after the awards for broadcast and cable television.
Last year, The Beatles: Get Back won the prize for the best streaming docuseries or non-fiction series.