Summary
My Lady Jane’s cancellation before season 2 means many important storylines and questions won’t be resolved. With a 94% critic score and an 87% audience score onRotten Tomatoes,My Lady Janeseason 2 seemed like a surefire thing. The show established steamy relationships, hilarious characters, and a fantastical spin on English history. Unfortunately, fans of the show were sorely disappointed when,two months after the first season premiered, Amazon Prime Video announced that the series wouldn’t continue. This addsMy Lady Janeto the list ofgreat comedy TV shows canceled too soon.
The show was canceled because it didn’t garner enough of an audience, despite being well-received by those who watched the anachronistic historical comedy. The wit, charm, and exciting storytelling of the first season weren’t enough to save it. Unfortunately, this leaves fans in a tough situation.My Lady Janeseason 1 endedwith a promise to continue the story. Many plotlines weren’t finished. As such, fans must turn to the eponymous book by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows to learn the conclusion of some of the storylines, while others created for the TV show will simply go unresolved.
Amazon Canceling Its Most Promising Bridgerton Rival Is A Huge Mistake
Though few streaming TV shows have been as successful as Bridgerton, Amazon Prime could have come close with its newly canceled series.
8Scotland Coming To Fight England
My Lady Jane Season 2 Could Have Included A Major Battle
Towards the end ofMy Lady Janeseason 1, a potential game-changer is introduced – Scotland is on the way to help dethrone Queen Mary. The Ethians consider whether to save Jane and Guildford or wait for the Scottish troops, ultimately deciding to act. However, the characters never explain who contacted them, how many people are coming, or what exactly they plan to do. This minor detail from the first season could have steered the story in an exciting direction inMy Lady Janeseason 2.
The Scottish troops could have gone up against Queen Mary’s British Army in an epic battle. After all,Mary doesn’t seem the type to step down willingly.Jane, Edward, the Ethians, and Scotland would have needed to take her crown by force; however, it would be difficult to balance the action with the comedy. Unfortunately, the untimely cancellation ofMy Lady Janeleaves this narrative thread dangling.
7England Coping With A Gay King
King Edward Might Have Faced Prejudice For His Sexuality
In the book version ofMy Lady Jane, King Edward and Jane Grey have a weird, incestuous romantic subplot that detracts from the blossoming romance between Jane and Guildford (called G in the book). However,the Amazon Prime Video series makes a drastic change by changing King Edward’s sexuality, improving the LGBTQ+ allegory and showing the importance of queer joy. The ending ofMy Lady Janeseason 1 officially shows the pair together in a steamy and happy relationship. With the two officially together, the show would have needed to reckon with England’s opinion on a gay king.
This could have gone in two significant directions. Firstly, the writers could have leaned into the fantasy aspect, making the kingdom completely okay with Edward’s sexuality. Secondly, they could have viewed his relationship and sexuality negatively due to the country’s religious ideals. Sadly, fans will have to decide for themselves how it would theoretically go, since the book doesn’t provide answers.
My Lady Jane fans started an online campaign,website, and petition to revive the series after its untimely cancelation.
6Guildford Coming To Terms With His Ethian Identity
Guildford Would Have Learned To Control His Ethian Form
One of the most significant conflicts between Jane and Guildford, who fall deeply in love, is their diverging thoughts about Ethians. In the book, both of them want Ethian liberation. However,My Lady Janechanges the bookby giving Guildford a new backstory and different feelings about his Ethianism. Because he accidentally killed his mother when phasing into an Ethian,Guildford holds an immense amount of guilt, blaming his Ethianism for what happened.He thinks of being an Ethian as an aberration.
On the other hand, Jane thinks Ethians are just as natural as Verities and should be accepted instead of changed. Though the two come back together at the end ofMy Lady Janeseason 1, he still hasn’t come to terms with being an Ethian. The show will unfortunately never bring him closure, but the book shows him gaining control of his transformations – a goal in both the book and the TV show. With this ability, he can choose if and when he turns into a horse.
5King Edward’s Grandmother Getting Her Comeuppance
King Edward’s Grandmother Deserves Punishment For Her Cruel Behavior
In the book version ofMy Lady Jane, King Edward’s grandma is a sweet old Ethian lady who helps fight back against Queen Mary through Bess’ subterfuge. The grandma understands that the key to Ethians changing form is to understand and connect with one’s heart’s desire. She teaches King Edward, Jane, and Guildford to transform at will. However, in the Amazon Prime Video show, King Edward’s grandmother is a far cry from the sweet and helpful old woman.
Instead,she is abusive, cruel, manipulative, and torturous.Her treatment of King Edward is nothing short of despicable, and it’s hard to watch. She deserves some sort of comeuppance for being abusive, but that will never happen now that Amazon Prime Video canceled the series. Instead, she’s just out there continuing to hurt people in the TV version ofMy Lady Jane.
4Learning The Identity Of Alice
Alice Will Remain A Mystery Because Of The Cancelation
In the finale ofMy Lady Janeseason 1, Guildford meets a woman named Alice who is in the Ethian jail at the Tower of London. Alice immediately stands out, despite only being on screen for a moment, due to Holly Freeman’s hilarious performance. There are many questions about her specific legal charges, her connection to the royalty, and why they placed her in the Tower of London.
Historically, the tower primarily held high-status prisoners, with others being sent to different prisons. If this is also true within the fantasy version ofMy Lady Jane,Alice’s backstory could have been woven into the main storyline,adding extra context. Unfortunately,My Lady Janeseason 2 won’t exist, thanks to Amazon Prime Video canceling it. Sadly, no answers are available in theMy Lady Janebook either because she was created for the TV show.
My Lady Jane’s Ending Is So Much Worse Now (& I Didn’t Mind It Before)
My Lady Jane was canceled after one season, which makes the season 1 ending so much worse, especially since it did not matter before.
3Jane Being An Ethian
Jane Learns That She’s An Ethian In The Book
Rather than adapting the full book inMy Lady Janeseason 1, the Amazon Prime Video show cuts the story off halfway through. At the point in the book where the first season ends,Jane discovers that she’s an Ethian who takes a ferret form rather than a Verity.Like her husband, she can’t control her transformations at will, being a human all day and a ferret all night. Eventually, her grandmother helps her learn the key to switching forms at will, which she eventually achieves.
The onscreen version of the show doesn’t provide any indication that Jane would have been an Ethian, but it’s a crucial part of her character development in the book. As such, it would have been foolish for the show to leave it out. One of the many unfortunate parts of the show getting canceled way too soon is the fact that the audience will never know if Jane was anEthian or Verity inMy Lady Jane.
2England Ending Division Law
Ethians In England Face Legal Discrimination
Throughout Jane Grey’s reign inMy Lady Jane, she tries relentlessly to end the division law, a discriminatory rule that oppresses the Ethians while uplifting the Verities. This law, which deems the Ethians as lesser just because they transform from humans into animals, is a significant obstacle in Jane’s quest for equality. Unfortunately, all of Europe holds the same prejudices, making it nearly impossible for her to get anywhere without alienating her political allies.
Her progress gets wiped out when Mary takes over the throne again, putting division law back into full effect in England. One of the most interesting parts ofMy Lady Janeseason 2 would have been seeing Jane Grey and King Edward rip apart the laws against all odds. Lucky for fans who hoped to see this, the end of division law occurs in theMy Lady Janebook.
1King Edward Overthrowing Mary And Bess Taking Over The Throne
My Lady Jane Follows The Basic Elements Of History
ThoughMy Lady Janeis deeply anachronistic and fantastical, it does still follow the basic succession order that occurred in real life. King Edward is on the throne first. Then, he makes a shocking change by naming Jane Grey his heir apparent, rather than following the birth line. Jane takes over and only stays in charge for nine days. Unlike real history, neither King Edward nor Jane Grey die in the TV show.
King Edward escapes by turning into his Ethian, flying out the window. On the other hand, Jane Grey is saved by a group of Ethians right before her execution. In the book, she also discovers her Ethian form at this time. After Jane, Mary grabs the power. However, by the end of the book, King Edward removes Mary from the throne. Rather than taking the monarchy back, he makes Bess (Elizabeth I) queen, matching up with real history.
My Lady Janeseason 1 cuts off the story just after Mary takes over for Jane Greywith promises that the story wouldn’t end there. It seemed like the show would follow the book in having King Edward overthrow Mary and then appoint Bess. Unfortunately, viewers will no longer get to see Mary face the consequences of her tyranny or Bess get any recognition. The only option, now that Amazon Prime Video has canceled the TV show, is to read the originalMy Lady Janebook.
