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Netflix drops Meghan Markle's animated series, Pearl, amid cutbacks that include Space Force, Raising Dion and Pretty Smart

Netflix cracks down on password sharing. (Nassim Khadem)

Netflix has dropped Meghan Markle's animated family series, Pearl, as the streaming platform cuts back on content after a loss of 200,000 subscribers.

The company formed by Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry — Archewell Productions — announced last year that she would be an executive producer of the series. 

With a working title of Pearl, the series was planned to be centred on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history.

Netflix decided to stop developing the project, among others, as part of its strategic decisions on creating animated series, the company said in a statement.

The company did not provide any further details and Archewell Productions did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Netflix sees mass exodus among users amid higher subscription fees

The decision to cancel the show comes after Netflix reported that it had lost 200,000 subscribers instead of adding 2.5 million subscribers as it had forecast late last year.

However, Netflix confirmed that the company would continue to work on a number of projects with Archewell Productions, including the previously announced documentary series Heart of Invictus.

The series will focus on athletes competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans that were held in The Hague in 2022.

What was Pearl again?

The series was in its development stages and Meghan Markle was due to be a executive producer, along with being given creator credit.

Meghan said the series was about a girl inspired by influential women from history.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said the show would have been about the girl's journey of self-discovery.

"Like many girls her age, our heroine, Pearl, is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life's daily challenges," she said in an earlier statement. 

"I'm thrilled that Archewell Productions partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix.

"I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it …."

What else has Netflix cancelled?

One of the biggest shows to be cut amid the fallout of the bad results is Space Force.

The series — starring Steve Carell, John Malkovich and Lisa Kudrow — is a thinly veiled satire of the Trump administration

Carell — who created the show with Greg Daniels, who also worked on the US version of The Office — plays a decorated general who is tasked to lead a newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces.

It ran for two seasons before it was cancelled last week. 

Superhero drama Raising Dion has also been cancelled after two seasons. 

Comedy Pretty Smart and even Paris Hilton's show Cooking with Paris were both cancelled after one season. 

Netflix also decided not to move forward with two animated kids' series, Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses.

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