Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson in Bridgerton Season 4Image via Netflix
By
Amanda M. Castro
Published Jan 29, 2026, 7:55 PM EST
Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she contributes as a Live Blog Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter.
She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven.
Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapPrime Video barely gave My Lady Jane time to exist. The historical fantasy romance premiered in June 2024, earned glowing reviews almost immediately, built a loud and devoted fanbase, and was gone so quickly. This is puzzling, because My Lady Jane wasn't an obscure, license-free, depressing piece of work. It was a sparkling, amusing, passionately romantic piece with a large majority of its intended audience also watching the streaming hit show Bridgerton.
So basically, Prime Video had a crowd-pleaser that could've potentially rivaled Bridgerton in viewership, and then it pulled the plug after one season. For fans of lush period romances, modern needle drops, and enemies-to-lovers chaos, My Lady Jane remains one of the easiest recommendations on streaming.
What 'My Lady Jane' Is Actually About (And Why the Premise Works)
Lord Guildford Dudley and Lady Jane Grey sitting on a bed and looking lovingly at each other in My Lady Jane.Image via Prime Video
To begin, My Lady Jane offers a brief overview; however, the show does not focus on the historical facts most people would remember about Lady Jane Grey. She was a young queen who reigned for 9 days and was subsequently executed for treason, but this show will not tell that story.
Instead, it rewrites Jane Grey (Emily Bader) as fiercely intelligent, stubborn, and deeply uninterested in becoming someone’s obedient wife. She wants to study medicine. She wants autonomy. What she gets is an arranged marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), because money, politics, and patriarchy win — at least at first.
From there, the series leans fully into irreverent historical fantasy. This Tudor England includes Ethians — people who can transform into animals — who are brutally oppressed by the ruling Verity class. Jane’s maid might be a hawk. That suspiciously observant dog might not be a dog. The show explains all of this through a snarky narrator who gleefully fills in the gaps and mocks tradition along the way.
Why 'Bridgerton' Fans Will Feel Right at Home
Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel) and Jane Grey (Emily Bader) in 'My Lady Jane'Image via Prime Video
Like Bridgerton, My Lady Jane understands that romance is the engine. The politics, the world-building, and the fantasy elements all orbit around one central question: Do these two people actually work together? Jane and Guildford’s relationship is built on some of the most reliable romance tropes in the book — marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, forbidden love — and then sharpened with real bite. They’re rude to each other. They misjudge each other constantly. They also develop a genuine partnership that never requires Jane to shrink herself or soften her ambition.
Guildford, in particular, benefits from the show’s patience. The earlier assumption of arrogance is a cover for fear, vulnerability, and real stakes; does this mean that the issues he's trying to address as an Ethian are for another time, or because his Ethian Identity has made it difficult to be inclusive to the things that he is passionate about? Their romantic relationship may have developed through many conflicts and the natural progression of a relationship, but it is ultimately based on strong mutual respect.
If Bridgerton hooks you by creating tension through time-slowed tension, witty banter, and finding romance according to strict societal norms, My Lady Jane is here to give you the same experience with the added benefit of characters' shape-shifting.
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Posts By Jennie RichardsonOne of My Lady Jane’s biggest strengths is how confidently unserious it is. The show doesn’t pretend it’s a history lesson. It uses modern dialogue, contemporary music, and anachronistic humor without apology. The soundtrack alone — packed with rock covers by women artists — signals that this isn’t a stuffy costume drama.
The visual appearance of this show is superior to most of its short-lived contemporaries in fantasy. Its costumes are vibrant, the production design is bright and colorful rather than muted and greyed out, and overall, it has a heightened design style, so it does not appear like a poor, low-cost production! Whenever the storyline strays from being believable (which it sometimes does), the playful tone makes the overall experience enjoyable rather than tiring.
Crucially, that humor never undercuts the emotional stakes. Jane’s fight to change the laws oppressing Ethians runs directly alongside her romance, giving the story more weight than its jokey narration might suggest.
Why 'My Lady Jane' Was Cancelled Anyway
Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel) and Jane Grey (Emily Bader) kiss in 'My Lady Jane'Image via Prime Video
Despite rave reviews and strong word-of-mouth, My Lady Jane didn’t hit the immediate viewership numbers Prime Video wanted. It failed to crack major weekly rankings, and like many fantasy and genre series, it was judged quickly — and harshly. That decision sparked backlash, petitions, and widespread frustration, especially because the show felt like it was just getting started. Even high-profile fans voiced their disappointment, adding to the sense that Prime Video may have misread the series' long-term potential.
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Want context on canceled favorites like My Lady Jane? Subscribe to our newsletter for thoughtful coverage, sharp analysis, and recommendation-driven deep dives into romance and fantasy TV that deserve second looks. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Streaming platforms continue to treat fantasy and romance-heavy shows as disposable unless they explode instantly, leaving little room for slow-burning success stories. The silver lining is that My Lady Jane’s first season tells a mostly complete story. Jane and Guildford’s arc reaches a satisfying emotional endpoint, even as the larger political conflict remains unresolved. You’re not left with a brutal cliffhanger or an unfinished romance. For viewers burned by premature cancellations, that matters.
If you enjoy watching Bridgerton or any other type of period piece that values chemistry more than historical facts, you should still watch My Lady Jane, despite its cancellation. The series is a good laugh, romantic at times, yet still confident in its writing—an incredible twist of events. It should have received much more airtime than it did.
My Lady Jane
Like Follow Followed Comedy Romance Release Date 2024 - 2024-00-00 Showrunner Gemma Burgess, Meredith Glynn Directors Jamie Babbit, Stefan Schwartz Writers Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia HandCast
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Emily Bader
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Edward Bluemel
My Lady Jane is a Prime Video original series created by Gemma Burgess. The story is a "what if" style story of English royal history where King Henry VIII's son Edward, Lady Jane Grey, and her husband Guildford all survive their real-life deaths. In the retelling of history, Jane Grey takes center stage, becoming queen and immediately finding herself facing nefarious villains.
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