'My Lady Jane' Review: Prime Video's Revisionist, Romantic Look at the Nine-Day Queen (2024)

I can't remember when I first heard the story of Lady Jane Grey. At first, I thought it was included in the historical notes of Scholastic's Royal Diaries book about Elizabeth I, but it's not (and yes, I did just go check). All I know is 1) I was young, probably not much older than 11, and 2) It freaked me out to no end. An unwilling young woman suddenly made Queen of England, and, within nine days, found guilty of crimes and executed by her cousins? It seemed supremely unfair. It wouldn't be until 2016 that the Nine Days Queen finally earned an opportunity for some justice with Bodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows' novel My Lady Jane, which has now been adapted as a delightful new series for Prime Video.

What Is 'My Lady Jane' About?

Like the novel, My Lady Jane makes it clear from the jump that it is an ahistorical retelling of the life of Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader). The series kicks off with a quick summary of history as we know it, then immediately and explicitly dismisses it in favor of the story it wants to tell instead. Things begin in the lead-up to Jane's marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), an affair arranged by her extremely meddlesome mother, Lady Frances Grey (Anna Chancellor), and Guildford's scheming father, Lord Dudley (Rob Brydon).

With no way out of this arrangement — fortunately for them, they're both hot — the show then follows Jane as she and her husband try to make the best of their new circ*mstances. She's named heir to the throne of England by her cousin Edward VI (Jordan Peters), much to the chagrin of his sister, Princess Mary (Kate O'Flynn), and her chief advisor, Lord Seymour (Dominic Cooper). Jane also becomes mired in the ideological tensions of this alternate timeline — the tensions between Ethians (those who can change into animals at will) and Veritys (those who cannot).

'My Lady Jane' Doesn't Sacrifice Romance in the Name of Independence

Something I've seen happen far too often for my liking — be it in general discourse with people in my day-to-day life, or in media itself — is the idea that romance and independence/character growth are somehow mutually exclusive. Look no further than the "subversion" of the princess trope we see in Hulu's The Princess or Netflix's Damsel, or the fact that early concept art for Disney's Wish included a romantic subplot for its heroine, all because it would undermine their respective story arcs somehow. There's also commentary we hear from actors, or from viewers, indicating that a heroine cannot possibly want love because she is "more" than that; she doesn't need a romantic interest, she's simply too independent. Any romance novel, particularly one published in this day and age, is proof enough that, when written well, a love plot and a strong sense of character can actually work hand-in-hand to strengthen the story.

Our introduction to Jane comes as she's working in her little at-home laboratory, with simply no time or inclination for marriage. Her personal wishes were not a concern in and of themselves. My only worry was that the show would pursue this girlboss angle to its tried-and-true conclusion: sacrificing romance in the name of personal independence, as though the two cannot possibly coexist. And before anyone throws the "well, historically speaking" at me, this is a story where people also turn into animals on a whim. Imagine my surprise when her arranged marriage to Guildford — who is about 17 different book boyfriend tropes wrapped into one charming package —is given equal importance to everything else going on.

Trust me, the marketing is not luring you in with false promises. When it plays up the swooniness of Jane and Guildford's relationship, that's because it's a huge part of the story. Their feelings for each other are actually inextricable from the drama at large. The plot does not work without the romance. On the flip side, the romance does not work without Jane's interests and aspirations, which is part of what not only brings them together but keeps them together. I wish I could say that this is something we can just take for granted, but I really can't. It's a massive advantage for the show to really lean into the romance, as well as all the delicious tropes — forced proximity and arranged marriage chief among them — because Bader and Bluemel have fantastic, simmering chemistry that would have been utterly wasted on a story that saw no value in spotlighting it at every turn.

'My Lady Jane' Balances Comedy With Heart

With story elements like "people turn into animals sometimes" and "real history is stupid, let's do it our way," it's safe to say that My Lady Jane is not a series that takes itself too seriously, and every single actor is wonderfully in on the joke. O'Flynn and Cooper are wonderfully over-the-top villains, and Chancellor and Brydon's scheming would put the likes of Bridgerton's Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) to shame. Save for a few less successful toilet humor jokes, the series' comedy is absurd and laugh-out-loud funny. It's anachronistic in the vein of A Knight's Tale, most obviously reflected in the music and the language, and in the sort of way more productions should embrace.

My Lady Jane also follows the modern — and honestly overdue — trend of presenting a historical setting populated by a diverse ensemble. Unlike something like Bridgerton, however, which made that diversity a part of the story — sometimes successfully, sometimes less so — My Lady Jane takes more of a 1997 Cinderella approach: it is what it is, and you will roll with it, as the narrative will not stop and hold your hand through the idea that history was not lily-white. I cannot speak for everyone, but I personally enjoy seeing myself and others like me reflected in a story incidentally: a part of the world, but not so strange a part of it that we feel it must be drawn attention to within the narrative.

It's been a long time since I read the book, so I don't remember it well. The humor of the series does fall in line with that of the book, some of the story elements are similar, though I can't recall the source material well enough to speak to how good an "adaptation" the series is. What I can say is I walked away with the same feeling I had then. My Lady Jane fully embraces the heart and the message of the story it is trying to tell, with comedy and romance woven in masterfully. In the end, isn't that all we want in an adaptation, anyway?

REVIEW

My Lady Jane (2024)

Prime Video's My Lady Jane is a delightful, romantic series that presents an alternate take on English history.

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Pros

• Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel have fantastic, romance novel-level chemistry.
• The concepts of Jane's desire for independence and for romance are not mutually exclusive.
• The series is laugh-out-loud funny but also clearly has something to say.

My Lady Jane premieres June 27 on Prime Video.

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