Amazon Prime Video has cancelled the historical fantasy series “My Lady Jane” after its first season failed to attract enough viewers. The show, which premiered June 27 with all eight episodes released at once, told a revisionist tale of Lady Jane Grey, England’s queen for nine days in 1553.
Based on the young adult novels by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, “My Lady Jane” blended elements of different genres to retell the traditional historical narrative from a new perspective. It featured humans called Ethians who could transform into animals and placed Lady Jane in a leading role as she sought to control her own destiny.
Despite an ensemble cast led by Emily Bader as Lady Jane Grey and Edward Bluemel as Lord Guildford Dudley, and production from experienced talent like Jamie Babbit and executive producers Gemma Burgess and Meredith Glynn, the show failed to break into Nielsen’s top ten streaming rankings. This key metric measures audience size, an important factor for streaming renewals.
Reviews were largely positive, with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the bold approach and entertaining execution of subverting gender roles and historical tropes. Variety’s Aramide Tinubu compared it favorably to Hulu’s hit show “The Great” for its “rip-roaring” blend of magic, romance, and strong female leads.
While the first season concluded with potential future storylines teased, viewership wasn’t strong enough to justify continuing the show. For niche genres on streaming platforms, both critical acclaim and broad audience appeal are needed to outweigh production costs. The cancellation highlights ongoing challenges for streaming services to balance these factors.
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