Despite its long-running success, Bridgerton has often been accused of flouting the requirements of the Regency era it displays and rehashing the same arcs again and again. At such a time, set in a similar time, a new series debuted, proving to be the fresh air the theme needed, winning the hearts of critics, going viral on TikTok, and even sparking comparisons with the Netflix hit that went as far as categorizing it as the “superior” one.
But all the hoopla and praise failed to negate the default fate that awaits shows like it — the ones that have already been written off by their streamer and barely get the needed promotion or time to flourish before getting their plug pulled.
Yep, all the broken hearts out there — who are angrily pointing accusatory fingers at steadily declining servings like The Summer I Turned Pretty — I am talking about My Lady Jane.
My Lady Jane was supposed to be Prime Video’s response to Netflix’s Bridgerton success. However, the historical drama has now been canceled less than two months after its release, leaving fans distraught… and divided over the decision. It depends on who you ask.
My Lady Jane is a whimsical historical comedy loosely based on the life of Lady Jane Grey. With its witty dialogue, sumptuous costumes, and a fresh take on Tudor-era politics, the series quickly garnered a devoted following. Critics praised its innovative approach to the genre, with the show boasting an impressive 94% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, the 79% viewer approval clearly indicates that My Lady Jane also resonated with the people who decided to give it a chance since its June 27, 2024 release.
Alas, on August 16, 2024, just seven weeks after its debut, Prime Video announced the cancellation of My Lady Jane after a single season. The streamer claims that the series failed to attract enough viewers, so they decided to pull the plug on the project. Of course, fans are raging on social media.
This has been the case with way too many shows across Prime Video and its forever nemesis, Netflix. While their common excuse is a canceled series not garnering enough views, it is hard to nod along when they barely give a show the space to spread its wings.
However, some agree with Prime Video’s decision in this case.
Is My Lady Jane’s cancelation fair?
On one side of the social media battlefield, My Lady Jane’s fans rage about the series’ lack of marketing. They argue that if Prime Video wanted the show to succeed, the streamer should have tried to advertise it instead of just dropping it into a bloated catalog and hoping for the best.
Plus, unless a show has a star-studded cast of a well-established brand, like Prime Video’s The Lords of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it will unlikely gather record-breaking views. There’s so much content nowadays that people need time to watch new shows and decide if they like it.
While these are fair arguments, some people point out that not every show needs a second season to complete its storyline, though it has become a trend of sorts for shows initially labeled as a limited series to expand into multiple seasons upon tasting a modicum of success.
Plenty of series can tell a good story in just a handful of episodes. Furthermore, showrunners shouldn’t plan beyond a single season if there’s no certainty about a renewal. It’s the job of the creative team to give the audience a satisfying story regardless of the eventual success of the TV show.
Then there is another narrative, that did manage to scrunch a fair number of eyebrows: That My Lady Jane was too bad to be given a second chance.
Some viewers simply didn’t like My Lady Jane’s premise. The series’ humor felt forced, and the writing was not engaging enough. So, they were not in a rush to watch a second season of the same show. For those people, the cancellation is well-deserved, and Prime Video is better off putting their money somewhere else.
Cancelation is not the be-all-end-all for a show as sometimes, another platform recognizes the merits of its plot and gives it a new home to live out the success it had the potential to grab. But while winners like The Warrior Nun and Shadow & Bone had almost unanimous support from fans after being axed — thus upping the chances of their renewal – the almost completely divided attitude towards the Prime Video series doesn’t bode well for where it might go next.
Regardless of personal feelings about My Lady Jane, the series’ quick demise reminds me of how fast things move in the streaming era, where promising plots are dropped at the speed of lightning if they fail to win dollars the second they release. New shows are released and canceled every week across the dozens of streaming platforms competing for our attention, and there’s barely enough time even to be aware of everything that’s produced.