# The Duchess
*The Duchess* is a British television sitcom created, written by, and starring the Canadian comedian [Katherine Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/katherine-ryan), released on Netflix on 11 September 2020.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) Its six episodes follow [Katherine](https://www.edgepedia.org/katherine), a brash single mother living in London who raises her young daughter Olive while debating whether to have a second child, and with whom, whether through a sperm donor, her stable boyfriend Evan, or her ex-partner Shep, Olive's unreliable father.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/comedian-katherine-ryan-returns-to-netflix-with-new-scripted-series-the-duchess-and-second-stand-up-special-glitter-room) Netflix canceled the show after one season in April 2021.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/) The title is also used for a 2008 feature film about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, starring [Keira Knightley](https://www.edgepedia.org/keira-knightley), which is unrelated to the sitcom.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-duchess/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Single-camera sitcom, 6 episodes of about 23 minutes each[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-duchess) |
| First broadcast | Friday 11 September 2020 on Netflix[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) |
| Creator | Katherine Ryan, who writes, executive produces, and stars; her debut scripted series[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/comedian-katherine-ryan-returns-to-netflix-with-new-scripted-series-the-duchess-and-second-stand-up-special-glitter-room) |
| Main cast | Katy Byrne (Olive), Rory Keenan (Shep), Steen Raskopoulos (Evan), Michelle de Swarte (Bev)[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) • [3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/) |
| Production | Clerkenwell Films and 3Arts; directed by Toby MacDonald[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) |
| Cancellation | Cancelled after one season, reported 29 April 2021; Ryan cited about 10 million viewers in 28 days as insufficient[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/) |
| Reception | Metascore 35 (generally unfavorable); Rotten Tomatoes 65%; IMDb 6.7/10[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-duchess/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_duchess) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9310390/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Katherine is a pottery maker and head of her own company, Kiln'Em Softly, raising her daughter Olive, about nine years old, in London.[13](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/duchess/) • [14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/11/the-duchess-review-laughs-but-little-nuance-katherine-ryan-sitcom-netflix) Olive was the result of a brief liaison with Shep ([Rory Keenan](https://www.edgepedia.org/rory-keenan)), a former member of the Irish boyband True Say who is now living on a barge and is unreliable as a co-parent.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/) • [15](https://www.binger.com.au/columns/2020/9/10/binge-r-207-the-duchess-i-hate-suzie) Katherine's boyfriend Evan ([Steen Raskopoulos](https://www.edgepedia.org/steen-raskopoulos)), a level-headed Australian dentist who wants to upgrade from being her "Saturday guy," competes with the option of another child with Shep or a sperm donor.[15](https://www.binger.com.au/columns/2020/9/10/binge-r-207-the-duchess-i-hate-suzie) • [14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/11/the-duchess-review-laughs-but-little-nuance-katherine-ryan-sitcom-netflix)
Reviews noted the show's bawdy register. Common Sense Media described strong sexual innuendo, frequent strong language, and sperm donation and pregnancy as central themes, rating it suitable for ages 16 and up.[13](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/duchess/) • [16](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-duchess)
## Development and production
Netflix announced the commission in November 2018 as part of a deal that also included Ryan's second stand-up special, *Glitter Room*. The service ordered six half-hour episodes from Clerkenwell Films, the production company behind *[The End of the F***ing World](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-end-of-the-f-ing-world)* and *Lovesick*, with Dave Becky and Josh Lieberman of 3Arts joining Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, and Ed Macdonald as executive producers.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/comedian-katherine-ryan-returns-to-netflix-with-new-scripted-series-the-duchess-and-second-stand-up-special-glitter-room) Ryan had previously become one of the few British-based comedians with a globally released Netflix special, *In Trouble* (2017).[9](https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/11/08/41642/netflix_orders_a_katherine_ryan_sitcom)
At the time of the order, Ryan was a single mother living in London, and the premise mirrored that situation closely enough that her publicist stated the show "isn't even loosely based" on her own life, despite early descriptions calling it loosely based.[9](https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/11/08/41642/netflix_orders_a_katherine_ryan_sitcom) Ryan later described the series as semi-autobiographical, with the protagonist sharing her full name, and said she lent her name to the exaggerated character deliberately.[10](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-09-07/the-duchess-netflix-katherine-ryan-true-story/) In interviews she said she was "passionate" about portraying single motherhood in a more "realistic" light than most shows had.[11](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/katherine-ryan-the-duchess-interview-a4544771.html)
Filming took place at Twickenham Film Studios on its 7,552 sq ft Stage 1, with the studio's prop store, costume store, and offices also used, plus London locations including Stroud Green Primary School in N4, which stood in for Olive's school.[12](https://www.twickenhamstudios.com/news/netflix-new-smash-hit-series-the-duchess-filmed-at-twickenham-studios/) • [1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/)
## Reception
Critical reception was divided. The show's Metascore on Metacritic was 35, categorized as generally unfavorable, with 4 of 7 critic reviews mixed and 3 negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-duchess/critic-reviews/) Lucy Mangan, reviewing for *The Guardian*, praised the "furious flow of jokes" and unapologetic tone but judged that the jokes came at the expense of character and plot, and that Katherine too often crossed from "bitch to simple sociopath."[14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/11/the-duchess-review-laughs-but-little-nuance-katherine-ryan-sitcom-netflix) *The Hollywood Reporter* called it at worst "a disastrous Catastrophe copycat" and at best "a deranged mother-daughter love story";[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-duchess/critic-reviews/) the *Boston Globe* found it "pushy and exhausting."[17](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/17/arts/more-exhausting-than-edgy-duchess-lacks-staying-power/) More positive takes included NME's review, which called the show "a far cruder, less wholesome Gilmore Girls" with heart and warmth,[18](https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-duchess-review-katherine-ryan-netflix-2750545) and TVLine, which ranked it No. 7 on its list of 2020's best comedy series and called the six-episode run "one of the year's easiest, breeziest binges."[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/) Audience scores sat higher than critics': Rotten Tomatoes reported 65% from critics against a 62% Popcornmeter,[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_duchess) and IMDb users gave the series 6.7/10 from about 6,400 ratings.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9310390/ratings/)
## Cancellation
In September 2020, Ryan said she was already writing storylines for a second series, though Netflix had not formally recommissioned the show.[19](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/news/5936/the-duchess-series-2/) On 29 April 2021, TVLine confirmed the cancellation after one season. Ryan broke the news on [Vicky Pattison](https://www.edgepedia.org/vicky-pattison)'s *The Secret To...* podcast, saying Netflix "didn't want to make any more. Not enough people watched it. I think something like 10 million people watched it in 28 days, and that wasn't enough." She added that she was "not terribly sad" about the cancellation, describing sitcom production as "a whole lot of work" and "a whole lot of time," and said she liked the way it ended.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/) The Press Association carried the same interview the same day.[20](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/2176399/katherine-ryan-reveals-future-of-her-netflix-series-the-duchess/)
The series remains available on Netflix; as of September 2026 it was still streaming in the United Kingdom.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-duchess)
## References
1. [The Duchess – Netflix sitcom, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_duchess/)
2. [Comedian Katherine Ryan returns to Netflix with new scripted series The Duchess, and second stand-up special Glitter Room, About Netflix (8 November 2018)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/comedian-katherine-ryan-returns-to-netflix-with-new-scripted-series-the-duchess-and-second-stand-up-special-glitter-room)
3. [Rebecca Luther (29 April 2021). 'The Duchess' Cancelled: No Season 2 For Netflix Comedy, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-duchess-cancelled-season-2-netflix-1234666930/)
4. [The Duchess (2008) reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-duchess/)
5. [The Duchess (2020) streaming information, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-duchess)
6. [The Duchess critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-duchess/critic-reviews/)
7. [The Duchess, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_duchess)
8. [The Duchess (2020) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9310390/ratings/)
9. [Netflix orders a Katherine Ryan sitcom, Chortle (8 November 2018)](https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/11/08/41642/netflix_orders_a_katherine_ryan_sitcom)
10. [Katherine Ryan reveals how much of her life is mirrored in The Duchess, Radio Times (7 September 2020)](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-09-07/the-duchess-netflix-katherine-ryan-true-story/)
11. [Katherine Ryan: It's encouraging to see comedy embrace 'layered' female leads, Evening Standard (2020)](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/katherine-ryan-the-duchess-interview-a4544771.html)
12. [Netflix new smash hit series The Duchess filmed at Twickenham Studios, Twickenham Film Studios (29 September 2020)](https://www.twickenhamstudios.com/news/netflix-new-smash-hit-series-the-duchess-filmed-at-twickenham-studios/)
13. [The Duchess, Plugged In TV review](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/duchess/)
14. [Lucy Mangan (11 September 2020). The Duchess review – Katherine Ryan shows mums can raise hell too, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/11/the-duchess-review-laughs-but-little-nuance-katherine-ryan-sitcom-netflix)
15. [Craig Mathieson (11 September 2020). Binge-r #207: The Duchess + I Hate Suzie](https://www.binger.com.au/columns/2020/9/10/binge-r-207-the-duchess-i-hate-suzie)
16. [The Duchess parents' guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-duchess)
17. [Matthew Gilbert (17 September 2020). More exhausting than edgy, 'Duchess' lacks staying power, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/17/arts/more-exhausting-than-edgy-duchess-lacks-staying-power/)
18. [Rhian Daly (11 September 2020). 'The Duchess' review: Katherine Ryan's madcap diary of a single mum, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-duchess-review-katherine-ryan-netflix-2750545)
19. [Jay Richardson (11 September 2020). Katherine Ryan working on The Duchess Series 2, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/news/5936/the-duchess-series-2/)
20. [Katherine Ryan reveals future of her Netflix series The Duchess, The Courier / Press Association (29 April 2021)](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/2176399/katherine-ryan-reveals-future-of-her-netflix-series-the-duchess/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › British sitcoms and comedy series › British sitcoms (2010s–present)*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license