Bridgerton Fans Can't Get Enough of My Lady Jane – and They Have a Good Reason

Summary

• A new historical fantasy series has been released on Prime Video.
• The plot is an alternate history focusing on the adventures of Lady Jane Grey.
• Despite the greater emphasis on satire, the series will appeal to all Bridgerton fans.

The second half of Bridgerton Season 3 landed on Netflix a month ago, and fans have already had plenty of time to either celebrate or lament how Netflix and Shondaland adapted Julia Quinn's novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Unfortunately, that just means we're in for another long wait for the next season — showrunner Jess Brownell noted that Season 4 will take about two years to produce, which means it won't be out until 2026. In the meantime, all we can do is re-watch the show and re-read the book series. Or maybe check out other worthy series to take our minds off the agonizing anticipation.

Bridgerton is probably one of the most prominent modern examples of the alternate history genre. The series offers a revisionist approach to the Regency era, focusing on a romanticized version of the period while satirizing the particular social problems of the time. Amazon Prime Video's new British series, which was released on June 27, 2024, is no different. We're talking about My Lady Jane, a historical fantasy series that's more than capable of rivaling Netflix's Bridgerton.

What Is My Lady Jane About?

The new show My Lady Jane is based on the series of novels by Jody Meadows, Brodie Ashton and Cynthia Hand, which began with the 2016 book of the same name. Lady Jane Grey (c. 1537 – 1554), the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, was a tragic victim of the war of succession in Tudor England. Her plight is considered particularly harrowing, and her image of innocence and martyrdom has long been ingrained in the collective British memory.

The plot revolves around the political scheming that made Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) the successor to the throne of England after King Edward VI. Unfortunately, she only spent 9 days as Queen before being condemned to death. However, she avoids execution, and along with the charming Lord Dudley (Edward Bluemel), embarks on a series of thrilling quests filled with swashbuckling action and passionate romance.

What Are Critics and Audiences Saying About It?

There are many series released each month on Prime Video, and unfortunately, a lot of them go unnoticed. My Lady Jane, on the other hand, has managed to reach the audience and win the hearts of many viewers and professional critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 93% rating from critics and a 78% rating from audiences. Similar to Tony McNamara's The Great, David Jenkins' Our Flag Means Death, and Sally Wainwright's Renegade Nell, the new series deliberately blends historical facts and modern pop culture stereotypes to tell a satirical story. Viewers have also praised the incredibly steamy romance between the title character and Guildford Dudley, as well as the outrageous humor.

My Lady Jane Is the Perfect Successor to Bridgerton

Of course, tonally, My Lady Jane is closer to the aforementioned series rather than Bridgerton, but there are still many similarities between the two projects that will definitely appeal to fans of the Netflix show.

Besides the fact that both are set in historical England (although My Lady Jane and Bridgerton are about 250 years apart in time), the two series are characterized by elaborate costumes, a mix of historical terms and anachronisms with modern slang, and, of course, a burning passion that permeates the entire plot. In other words, although My Lady Jane is a bit more satirical than Bridgerton, it will certainly occupy the time of fans of the latter.

My Lady Jane consists of 8 episodes, each of which is available for streaming on Prime Video.