Prime Video has sealed the fate of My Lady Jane from the streamer’s lineup. The historical drama premieres on June 27, 2024 and tells the bizarre story of Lady Jane Grey’s brief reign, exploring the events before and after she was crowned as Queen of England for 9 days.
Based on the 2016 young adult fiction book of the same name, My Lady Jane received positive response from audiences and a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating by critics. Still, the show failed to check all the right boxes to get a season renewal by Prime Video.
Deadline confirmed that Prime Video has officially cancelled My Lady Jane, nearly two months after the eight-episode series aired. It was reported that despite being an accurate portrayal of the historical character Lady Jane, the fictional drama was cancelled due to low viewership.
One of the main reasons for the cancellation was that My Lady Jane did not place in the Nielsen top 10 weekly streaming immediately after its release. The statistical setbacks were outweighed by the show’s loyal fans and positive reviews, so the show continued with a sequel season.
Created by Gemma Burgess, My Lady Jane follows the life and death of English noblewoman Lady Jane Grey, who lived during the reign of Henry VIII’s son Edward. The show focuses on the series of events that lead to Lady Jane being crowned overnight at just 15 years old as she serves as Queen of England for less than 2 weeks and defends herself from criminals and forces that seek to kill her.
This historical drama’s quirky and humorous portrayal of the life of Lady Jane aka the 9-Day Queen became instantly popular among audiences and critics, but it wasn’t enough for another season.
The official synopsis for My Lady Jane reads, “Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guildford live during the reign of Henry VIII’s son Edward. She unexpectedly finds herself crowned queen overnight and becomes the target of criminals who want her throne and her head.”
Much like Netflix’s Bridgerton, My Lady Jane embarked on a fictional journey of English royalty and their quirks, though with a twist of chaos. Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, with the narrator teasing that “the story isn’t over yet.”
On that fateful night, Lady Jane is sentenced to death because she refuses to dishonor her husband, Lord Guildford (played by Edward Bluemel), and is tied up and forced to watch her lover being beheaded.
Lady Jane Grey somehow escapes her execution and fights to free her husband before fleeing, giving the couple’s love story a satisfying ending.
The main cast includes Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel, as well as Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon, Jordan Peters, Kate O’Flynn, Abbey Hern, Dominic Cooper, Jim Broadbent and Henry Ashton.
Meredith Glynn serves as showrunner alongside producer Burgess. Jamie Babbit directed five episodes of My Lady Jane in addition to serving as executive producer alongside Glynn, Burgess, Sarah Bradshaw, and Laurie MacDonald.
My Lady Jane is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Also read: ‘It’s huge and ambitious’: My Lady Jane’s Rob Brydon talks success of Prime Video series