The second season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix crime series, 'The Gentlemen,' experienced a notable drop in viewership in the United Kingdom, with its first episode drawing around 500,000 fewer viewers than the Season 1 premiere. The latest figures from Barb, the UK's official audience measurement service, indicate that the Season 2 premiere, released on September 3, was watched by approximately 3 million people in Britain within its first seven days. This represents a decrease of about 15% from the 3.5 million viewers who tuned in for the debut episode of the first season in March 2024.
Netflix's internal data also reflects this trend. According to Deadline, the second season garnered 6.7 million views in its initial four days on the streamer, which is nearly half of what the first season achieved during its opening weekend. Despite this decline, Netflix has already greenlit a third season for the series.
The viewership dip coincides with reports circulating about a potential casting for Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, in a future season of the show. Initial reports suggested that Markle was in advanced talks for a role, which may have influenced the couple's relocation to the UK. However, these reports were followed by claims of a public backlash that cast doubt on her involvement, with one report suggesting the offer had been withdrawn.
Markle, who previously starred as Rachel Zane in the legal drama 'Suits' for seven seasons before departing from acting in 2017, had not taken on a major acting role for nearly a decade. Her recent return to acting includes a cameo appearance in the upcoming comedy 'Close Personal Friends.' A role in 'The Gentlemen' would have also expanded her existing relationship with Netflix, which includes her lifestyle brand 'As Ever' and the unscripted series 'With Love, Meghan,' as well as a reported $100 million deal signed in 2020.
This audience decline for 'The Gentlemen' echoes a broader pattern observed by Netflix, where several high-profile returning series have struggled to maintain their initial viewership from their debut seasons. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has previously addressed this phenomenon, referring to it as "second series syndrome" and noting that while common in the industry, it is more pronounced with Netflix shows due to their large initial launches and global reach. Sarandos also stated that the company's season-two fall-off has slightly improved this year compared to the previous one.