One week ago, Variety dropped a pretty bonkers hit-piece on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Variety had unnamed “Netflix sources” screaming, crying and throwing up about Prince Harry and Meghan, mostly Meghan, because she sometimes turns off her Zoom camera and something something Ted Sarandos won’t even speak to Meghan without a lawyer present! Within the Variety piece, there were real-time, on-the-record denials, explanations and clarifications from Harry, Meghan and Netflix executives. The whole point of the piece was yet another attempt to make it sound like H&M’s relationship with Netflix was deeply strained, if not close to being over. I still wonder what the f–k was going on behind-the-scenes with Variety. Anyway, one week later, and DEADLINE is the trade paper getting this big Sussex exclusive:
After producing the 2024 Netflix docuseries Polo, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are revisiting the world in a scripted form. The streamer is developing a polo-themed drama, which the Sussexes are executive producing under their Netflix deal. It comes from the duo’s Archewell Productions and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire.
Written by Francisca X. Hu (Peacock’s Teacup), the untitled project is an upstairs-downstairs drama set in the high-flying equestrian town of Wellington, Florida, which revolves around the messy dynamics between two rival teams and the families that lead them.
Hu executive produce alongside Archewell’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; and head of scripted content Tracy Ryerson; as well as Fake Empire’s Schwartz and Savage.
The drama is believed to stem from the docuseries Polo, which followed the teams competing at the U.S. Open Polo Championship held in Wellington, Florida, and the family dynasties involved. A passion project of Prince Harry, an avid polo player who has a lot of friends in that world, the docuseries did not draw a lot of eyeballs and ran for one season. The scripted show is widening the scope of what is considered an elitist, “sport of kings” beyond the rich owners and players.
The polo drama is one of a handful of projects Prince Harry and Markle have in development at Netflix under their deal, which was previously overall and is now first-look. They include features The Wedding Date, which, as Deadline revealed in December, Tracy Oliver has come on board to write based on Jasmine Guillory’s book, and an adaptation of Carley Fortune’s Meet Me At The Lake. A director is now being attached to the latter and is expected to do a rewrite, sources said.
Page Six mentioned the same thing about Meet Me At the Lake, that while it’s slow-going, there has been movement on that adaptation and the Sussexes are still attached. As for a scripted polo series… it could be good. The polo world is very moneyed and elite, so it has the potential to be a pretty glossy series in a “horsey soap opera” sort of way. It’s amazing that the Sussexes had this project locked in and ready to announce one week after Variety tried to convince everyone that Netflix and the Sussexes were over. Incidentally, Deadline was thrilled to get this exclusive, look at the nice image they posted:
EXCLUSIVE: After producing the 2024 Netflix docuseries Polo, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are revisiting the world in a scripted form. The streamer is developing a polo-themed drama, which the Sussexes are executive producing under their Netflix deal. It comes from the duo’s… pic.twitter.com/vy5kFypvEt
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 23, 2026
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of Polo Lifestyles.
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- Aspen, CO Prince Harry was seen in Aspen with injured hands after taking part in the polo finals against his longtime friend Nacho Figueras, showing his determination and competitive spirit despite the tough match. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Aspen, CO Prince Harry was seen in Aspen with injured hands after taking part in the polo finals against his longtime friend Nacho Figueras, showing his determination and competitive spirit despite the tough match. Pictured: Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Aspen, CO Prince Harry loses the Polo finals championship against his best friend, Nacho Figueras Pictured: Prince Harry, Nacho Figueras BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Aspen, CO Prince Harry loses the Polo finals championship against his best friend, Nacho Figueras Pictured: Prince Harry, Nacho Figueras BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at the USPA National Polo Center. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at the USPA National Polo Center. Featuring: Nacho Figueras, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at the USPA National Polo Center. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at the USPA National Polo Center. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Polo match during the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at The USPA National Polo Center. Featuring: Prince Harry Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of Sussex during the awards ceremony after he played in a polo match during the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at The USPA National Polo Center Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex after his team the Royal Salute Sentebale Team defeated the Grand Champions Team, in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, to benefit Sentebale, at The USPA National Polo Center Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess Of Sussex Where: Wellington, Florida, United States When: 12 Apr 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I hear its meant to revolve around Polo probably inspired by the success of “Heated Rivalry.”. Not sure how interesting that will be, but at least they still have Netflix in their corner which is a great thing.
Everyone is trying to find their own “Heated Rilvary,” right now. Honestly, they might be better served taking the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s famed horsey set novels as an example but in a more contemporary setting.
Lordy i must know nothing because I’ve never heard of heated rivalry! I do know there are thousands of variations of crime stories based on writers from a couple of hundred years ago so im wondering why all this derivative crap on streaming can’t also have variations? None of this stuff is unique. Some people really shit their pants trying to make the sussexes wrong, bad or stupid. Im.here for it.
@Lamb Chop, Heated Rivalry is a sexy, queer, romance drama set in the hockey world where 2 rivals fall in love. It is a Canadian show that is based on a series of Canadian novels. It debuted last Novemeber and American streaming rights were picked up by HBO for cheap and because one of the biggest shows in America. It literally has been everywhere in pop culture from TikTok, to instagram, to every late night show, to the Oscars, to podcasts. All over pop culture for months. One of the biggest pop culture stories in North America.
Since the show is so popular(and actually is very good) and was cheap to make, all the streamers and networks want to make their own version. Very much of the Zeitgeist right now.
People are pitchign things like “Heated Rilvary” but in the tennis world, etc.
I agree with you Lamb Chop that there are variations to every type of show there is and to me its weird how some people are quick yo give advice to this couple even though they don’t have anywhere close to the accomplishments or the stress as this couple has. The Sussexes lives are their lives and as individual as they are, there are very few people are in a place to give them advice about their family, work or relationships.
I’m looking forward to the show. I really enjoyed their Polo documentary and wished there was a continuation to each of their stories. So a scripted show that focuses on the world around polo sounds perfect.
Jane Smileys Horse Heaven should be the model—plenty of soap, plus serious horse lore. It’s the best horse book of the past 20 years.
Heated Rivalry’s popularity has almost nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with it being about two hot hockey players in a steamy relationship. Unless H&M produce a show about gay polo players, the comparison is silly.
I will watch this series as I watched Polo before. Wish this couple much success
The scripted polo series sounds interesting. I love shows with soapy elements and this could be really good. I have enjoyed a lot of shows by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
But it further proves that the Variety article was meant to be a hit piece specifically against Meghan. Obviously it seems like Netflix staffs some low or mid level derangers who wants Harry and Meghan gone and are feeding people bullshit because clearly they know nothing about what’s actually going on.
I think someone – deranger or undercover reporter (also deranger 😀 ) – probably got a low-level job at Netflix and managed to cadge some details about a few of their projects and the one Zoom meeting they either were able to join or find out about, then was sussed out and shown the door, and that’s where that particular hit piece came from (bonus if the leaking idiot was deliberately fed incorrect information to flush them out). Someone was paid to dictate that drivel to Variety, and the author was all too happy to put his(?) name to it. Love this for them.
Of course the Variety article was meant to be a hit piece namely about Meghan. There has been a misogynoir leaning approach writing about the biracial woman who stole their white prince since 2016. This type of hit piece isn’t new and isn’t going to change. This Deadline article proves that Variety doesn’t have any sources at all at Netflix. It was obvious from the start when they tried to make a planned temporary partnership between Netflix and As Ever as Netflix being so fed up with the Sussexes that they are wanting to move away from them. They just signed a new contract with the Sussexes. No one who is fed up with people signs a contract that keeps them in their lives. Netflix coming out with their own statement and speaking on record with their names and faces, shows that they value their relationship with the Sussexes, especially if after five years, they resign to continue that partnership. Anyone on the inside would have known what was in the works and wouldn’t have needed the planned separation of As Ever from Netflix, which is another strong sign of their partnership and they faith in Meghan’s products.
I laughed so hard when I saw this in my news headlines this morning. Variety might want to find some new “insiders” at Netflix – it’s embarrassing.
I really liked Polo, but I did want to know more behind the scenes – the wife whose husband is obsessed, the son who is rivaling his father, the girlfriend who doesn’t quite fit in. I know that H&M like to be proper and dignified, but I hope they allow for conflict, plus a bit of bitchiness to add some fun.
@Eurydice, I co-sign this entire comment — I also laughed as soon as I saw it. How embarrassing for Variety 😂
I really enjoyed Polo also and wanted a season 2 just for the behind the Polo action more of the family dynamics and gossip. This sounds right up my alley and with the Upstairs Downstairs reference it will have some drama between the staff and stable workers and club workers and the wealthy Polo families.
I laughed too!
I really liked Polo, too. It had so much potential for viral drama but I could tell they made a choice to keep it classy and professional. So doing a rich people drama with upstairs/downstairs tension, set in the world of Polo seems like a winner concept to me.
I just hope Netflix gives it a proper promotion with a red carpet and a photo call once it is ready to stream.Like all Sussex projects for Netflix, this series will definitely be heavily, unfairly criticized and will be branded a flop before anyone gets a chance to watch it. Netflix should get its act together and counter the inevitable negative press with positive promotion. Enough hiding behind the Sussex name.
I absolutely loved Polo and would gladly have come back for more. My word those guys will spend millions on their polo ponies and kit rather than go to therapy.
They don’t need to do much to make a scripted version as it’s clearly already a full-on soap opera.
“My word those guys will spend millions on their polo ponies and kit rather than go to therapy.”
OMG @SarahCS you made me cackle! I watched the Polo series and loved it, became absolutely engrossed in knowing what was going to happen next and who was going to win the big finale and I know exactly what you mean 😀 .
Well would you look at that!! All that doom of Netflix hates the Sussexes and wants nothing to do with them has been all for naught AS USUAL!!! Looks like whoever Peg convinced to put the lies out there has a giant egg on their face!! You can hear, if you listen very carefully, pillows being flung and the tears of a very bitter bald evil demon having an incandescent rage fit!
What a shocker to no one who has seen Variety disrespect Meghan and Harry in the past or try to minimize Ryan Coogler’s success with Sinners in that they are full of shit. They are owned by a maga racist (I know redundant) neo baby who is clearly obsessed with white supremacy.
Happy for the Harry & Meg and their continued growth as producers. I live a soapy drama! LFG!
But isn’t deadline owned by Penske also? Most entertainment outlets now are.
Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and the Golden Globes are all owned or managed by Penske Media.
It just feels like…who is benefitting? Penske. Variety gets clicks for the hit piece and then deadline gets the alternate scoop and gets clicks for making variety look silly. Either way, it’s a circle jerk of clicks for Penske. Sorry if that was vulgar.
Maybe some of these stories are being planted to flush out leakers.
I think so as well.
Good point, @Lucy!
Love that idea.
Nah. I think Variety received a palace approved script that was supposed to run unchanged. Should have been an easy, probably lucrative task. But they assigned a writer who operated with some journalism ethics and did some extra fact checking. That’s how you wind up with a conflicting two-headed story amalgam, to which a a smeary headline can be attached. You wouldn’t even need to have an ‘insider’ to speculate that somebody turned off their camera in a Zoom meeting because most people have at some point. Personally, I wanted them to follow up on that storyline (Paula Froelich, NewsNation) of how Meghan stole Variety’s green dress from a photoshoot…
Well, Variety looks foolish as does anyone who gave it even the slightest credence. When it looks like a hit job, maybe wait a few beats before jumping on to use it as some sort of fact of something. Anyways, things are in development and it will be exciting to see how they turn out.
Fake Empire is the team behind the OC, Gossip Girl, and the dynasty remake so this is right up their ally and im really intrigued to see how they tackle this.
Also its great to hear that Meet Me At The Lake has a director attached. If there were significant re-writes needed, which can happen with book adaptations, I think that explains why this has been so slow moving. With all that said i think the project im most excited for is The Wedding Date. Can’t wait for more updates on that.
It’s interesting that there’s a director attached. I can believe that a lot of the details about their production projects are kept close to the chest as much as possible. For reasons. Like the fact that people have no chill about anything the Sussexes touch.
I read Meet Me At The Lake although it is not the type of book I usually go for. The things I do as a Sussex fan! I am not surprised that the script needs a rewrite because the plot needs some carefully planned timelines with flashbacks. Hope it has a great cast with great chemistry.
That polo magazine cover takes my breath away.
The other brother is probably crying in Jason’s lap, swearing up and down between sobs that he will destroy Invictus. Jason whispers his support while stroking the egg head.
@Smart&Messy
*sputter* 😂😂😂
Same
I wonder if this confirmation was provided to Deadline, just to really hammer in Variety and their sources were nonsense. Even though they are owned by the same media group, doesn’t mean that the editors don’t fight with each other for exclusive when it comes to the entertainment industry.
That being said, how many times are they going to report that this is the ” make or break”, ” last chance”, ” no coming back” option for Harry and Meghan to be humiliated a week later. You would think that Netflix executives going on the record last week after the article would have been enough, but the British media needs some sort of distraction and this is low hanging fruit from those who hate the Sussexes.
I was really hoping that Harry and Meghan would produce movies based on Jessica Whitman’s polo romances featuring Nacho Figuera. I read one of them, and it wasn’t bad.
HAHA, look at Deadline with the scoop while Variety is running around screeching about instagram follows.
I’ll give this a shot. I don’t love soapy dramas (that was what I didnt like about Polo, the drama that wasnt related to the sport….like I dont care that the AC isn’t working for your baby shower…) but I’ll watch this one, especially if it leans into the upstairs/downstairs element, because I think that could be very interesting.
LOL
This sounds like a fun series. I love that Harry and Meghan are continuing to thrive. Harry’s BFF Nacho released a series of romance novels centered around the world of polo. Nacho could be a consultant…or a guest star!
Welp we all know what Bill will be incandescent about today!
whoops sorry lol.
The Queen song comes to mind re Variety: “You got mud on your face, you big disgrace …”
The Sussex hysterics and derangers maybe ought to take a beat before they spread nonsense.
@QuiteContrary, I just laughed again! Thank you : )
😉
The producers behind gossip girl & the oc & a writer who worked on projects like sleepy hollow, dynasty, tales of the walking dead etc will be working on this new series (I thought variety said they struggled to attract a list talent?) so I’m hoping for something delightfully soapy although not AS trashy as the new gen dynasty. The fail is expecting it to be like Rivals.
I’m curious about how the upstairs/downstairs side will be explored. Different times & climate of course but I think Bridgerton season 4 did a good job with storylines of those that work ‘downstairs’ this season so wonder if this will be similar or like that desperate housewives maids spin off.
Either way I’m excited for their scripted projects especially The Wedding Date & hope they are successful. Richard Palmer said on Twitter that they have further projects with Netflix and other streamers to announce soon 👀
For those in the press who were shouting about how Netflix was done with H&M, hope they keep being embarrassed. Perhaps they should have paid attention to Bela’s comments including on fact checking.
I’ll be thrilled if it’s like Gossip Girl, I can’t lie
Wouldnt that be a great way to let shine through another perspective of the Sentebale Story?
There was a “deperate housewives maid” spinoff?! Was it successful?
It was called Devious Maids & was on ABC during its US tv prime time run. It lasted four seasons surprisingly. I barely lasted the first season. It’s on Disney plus now
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/devious-maids-review
I bought Season One of the DVDs; I thought it funny, in season one, but couldn’t imagine how it could go on. They haven’t made DVDs for season two, three or four so I can’t say if they kept up the momentum. If these folks had anything to do with GCB (Good Christian Bitches) which is over the top hilarious combined with the intricate plot lines in Gossip Girl, Oh what fun we’ll have.
As mentioned above, the producers involved are well versed/equipped to do a messy drama about rich people. And those kinds of shows do tend to do well. Most of the time anyway.
And there aren’t many shows about Polo anyway so there’s a great chance here to do something different that most haven’t seen. So with that I wish them the best.
Also where is the “this is gonna be heated rivalry” coming from? The article from Deadline doesn’t mention that. I’m just curious.
Oooooh my, I hope heads are a rollin over at Variety this morning.
Variety, Vanity Fair and The Hollywood Reporter are now owned by someone who is MAGA, so he pushes their nonsense. Hit pieces on Michael B. Jordan prior to the Oscars. Glowing pieces on Timothee Shallowmet and Kylie. Don’t bother with any of these anymore.
Jilly Cooper’s Polo or The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous would both have been good choices, her Rivals did well when adapted for TV.
Maybe set in England this could be good. His Polo doc bored me and was cringey. Florida is horrible and snooty now with MAGA millionaires flooding South Florida (Trump country). I can’t stomach anything being shot down there with an upstairs/downstairs theme. Florida makes me very sad these days with who has overrun it. So a show being based in Florida is an ick for me. I say this as a Floridian. England is where everyone goes to film nowadays because of how much cheaper it is. I don’t know why they didn’t set it there, and the whole upperclass thing would feel more appropriate to watch.
I hear you Jayna. At the same time, the upstairs/downstairs aspect was the thing that got my attention for story lines and character development. Plus I was picturing stable boys grooming horses on a sultry afternoon catching the lady of the house’s eye—rather like Rufus Sewell as Seth in Cold Comfort Farm. But you’re right. It needs squires and Lords of the manor for upstairs/downstairs to fly.
Floridian here. There’s nothing I like better than an escape from reality, including a glossy, glamorous soap.
Can’t wait for this!
I thought the docuseries was boring, largely because I did not understand the rules, the players’ roles, and the strategies. Maybe if it had been a little more relatable for people who are not knowledgeable about the sport, it would have done better.
I wish them success with the new series and hope it is a little more “user friendly”.
A soap opera with priceless thoroughbreds, Birkin bags, leather chaps, glitzy locations, and fancy people? Sign me up!
I enjoyed the Polo series and was hoping they would take the series into another setting (which would be difficult, I suppose) or do a documentary on the horses. I’m curious about the upstairs/downstairs aspect of the scripted series. Who is upstairs and who is downstairs in the polo world? Quite a few comments (not just on this site) about Polo being English and therefore should be set in the UK so that the upstairs downstairs angle makes sense. However, polo was an Asian sport until it was co-opted by the British colonialists like many other things.
I loved the docuseries so I’m excited to see the show they put together. I have to applaud Netflix and the Sussex’s on the timing for the announcement it was perfect timing and made me laugh.. Netflix seems to choose a manic WanK rage briefings phase against the Sussex’s/netflix to drop announcements on new projects or release dates I enjoy it every time and hope the news ruins Peggy’s day.
I’d watch the polo drama, but PLEASE do not set it in Florida or Texas, the two worst states in the Union, in my opinion. In Florida I believe the governor removed ALL rules for children getting vaccinations before school (does this include polio? I wonder) and is the home of the orange ape in the White House . In Texas, it’s my understanding that if you step on someone’s lawn there, they have the legal right to shoot you (stand your ground or don’t stand on my lawn laws?) A lawyer friend of mine said she had a meeting in Texas (both of us are New Yorkers) and I told her to bring her gun (she doesn’t have one). So those two states are dead to me and I hope the Prince and Princess will re-think their choice of setting.
It sounds absolutely fascinating and I can’t wait.
The problem with these hit pieces is that they focus on just one thing the Sussexes are doing, or what they aren’t seeing. They think if they’re not out every day, they must not be doing anything. Meanwhile, the Sussexes are very busy behind the scenes and have multiple projects happening at once. I won’t pretend to understand how this business works but are what they doing or the pace they’re at that unusual, that certain sectors of the press need to be constantly monitoring their progress? I assume the day to day of acquiring and producing a series is rather humdrum for outsiders.
I am very happy for Meghan and Harry doing their projects in the way that fits their ideals and talent=please remember they have two small children they must consider = grown=up subject matter and children fair is for children=I think they will try as much as possible to balance both, love that they are looking at different avenues to present their projects, and have different themes they are interested in-GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS.