My Lady Jane is a reimagined, feminist telling of the Nine Days’ Queen, Lady Jane Grey from Tudor times. The story is based on the book by Cynthia Hand, Brodie Ashton and Jodi Meadow.
The series featured an all-star British cast, steamy scenes, swash-buckling fights, hilarious narration and a modernised take on the period – all sprinkled with a dash of fantasy, as the world is filled with shapeshifters.
Spoilers for My Lady Jane season 1 below
Why did Prime Video cancel My Lady Jane?
Prime Video has officially cancelled My Lady Jane, so it won’t return for season 2.
Despite its passionate fanbase and wide critical acclaim, the viewership was not high enough to warrant a renewal. According to The Hollywood Reporter , it didn’t break into Nielsen’s top 10 streaming charts in the month after it first hit screens.
There is currently a fan petition to get the decision reversed, with nearly 15,000 signatures at the time of writing. The hashtag #SaveLadyJane has also been trending on numerous sites.
The showrunner already had a plan in place for season 2 when the show debuted. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Gemma Burgess gave the following quote:
If we are fortunate enough to get a season 2, then we are going to be exploring all of them growing up and moving on and figuring out how to survive in the world where Jane is free, but the kingdom is not. Because Mary’s still on the throne. There’s a lot more work to do before things are right.
What could the plot of My Lady Jane season 2 been about?
The end of season 1 showed that Jane and Guildford had escaped to the countryside after narrowly avoiding execution by Queen Mary. After confessing their love for one another, Guildford willingly shapeshifted and carried Jane to safety on his back in horse form.
The final scene shows the pair kissing in the morning sunshine. This confirms that the Lord’s werewolf-esque curse had been broken and that he now has control over his Ethian nature, rather than turning every time dawn breaks.
He suggests that they travel the world. However, Jane recognises that as long as Mary still sits on the throne, then she’s still needed in England. Guildford vows to stay by her side.
There are plot points from the book that weren’t explored. For example, Entertainment Weekly points out that in the original story, Jane discovers she’s an Ethian, in the form of a ferret.
Executive Producer Meredith Glynn has given a few ideas of what she’d like to have seen from a follow-up season, telling the Express the following:
“There are people in season one who, without spoiling, if you know Tudor history go on to lead big, bad-ass lives. And also there are characters like Katherine Grey (Isabella Brownson) who had a really tragic life. And it would be great to be able to retell a tragic character’s story. Frances Grey went on to serve Mary’s court even though Mary had killed her daughter. So, there’s lots of different stories that would be really fun to carry on.”
The ending montage also revealed that Bess (the future Queen Elizabeth I in real life) is an Eithian fox, the continuation of Lady Frances and Stan Dudley’s affair, the secret marriage of Lady Katherine Grey and William Seymour, and King Edward VI and Fitz about to sleep with another.
Will season 2 adapt the next book in the My Lady Jane series?
The next book in the YA novel series is My Plain Jane, and instead follows a different character: Jane Eyre. Jane and Guildford are not in the next book at all.
As Prime Video has not moved forward with My Lady Jane, it’s unlikely we’ll see another show in this universe.
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Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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