Prime Video cancels My Lady Jane despite a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score – and I think it’s making a royal blunder
Prime Video has canceled hit fantasy drama series My Lady Jane after one season, but I think the streaming service is making a huge mistake by ending one of Prime Video’s best shows so early. The news comes two months after all eight episodes of Season 1 of the show dropped on one of the top streaming services in June, earning an impressive 94% Rotten Tomatoes score.
My Lady Jane took a creative risk by mixing genres that don’t normally coexist. It wasn’t just a steamy period drama like Bridgeton, it was also a historical romance, fantasy, adventure, and farcical comedy. It clearly paid off, as it was one of the highest rated shows of the year and created a buzz on social media (trust me, I’ve seen all the fan edits on Instagram), but it clearly wasn’t enough to save this damsel in distress.
According to Term, My Lady Jane never earned a spot on Nielsen’s Top 10 weekly streaming originals charts. So despite the social media hype and its unique twist on Tudor history, it doesn’t seem like enough people tuned in to warrant a second season. The series was a lot crazier than its trailers suggested, so it’s possible that if Prime Video had revealed more of its fantastical premise in its promotion of the show, more people would have been drawn to the series.
What is My Lady Jane about?
My Lady Jane is based on the book of the same name by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, which offers an alternative approach to the story of 16th century Lady Jane Grey, also known as the Nine Days Queen, so named because she ruled England for only nine days. But nothing is as it seems in My Lady Jane because the series revolves around Ethians, people who can take on animal form and who are dictated to by the ruling class of commoners, the Verity.
My Lady Jane Season one ended up on the brink of renewal, as it hinted that there was more to come when the narrator said, “our story isn’t over yet.” While the love story of the main couple, Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) and Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), did come to a happy ending, the cancellation is still a disappointment for those who loved the show’s outrageous, whimsical approach to a costume drama.
Now that we’ll never see the continuation of Lady Jane Grey’s story where she escapes the loss of her head, it’s time to watch these three period dramas while you mourn the loss of another beloved series.