‘My Lady Jane’ is Everyone’s Latest Historical Fantasy Drama Obsession
Amazon Prime Video’s latest show is making a dramatic statement by taking a supernatural twist to historical television shows. Adapting the books to a series is no easy task, but the showrunners have done a magnificent job casting the perfect pair in Jane and Guildford on screen as well as all of the supporting cast.
Warning: If you want to view an accurate depiction of history, this is NOT the show for you. It fully embraces highlighting characters of different racial backgrounds for roles like King Edward. This was a concern some reviewers have left which I say, it’s a historical fantasy and you know that within the first few minutes if you were paying attention.
The constant banter and humorous fourth wall breaks add to the elements of this reimagination of the telling of this historically inaccurate tale of Lady Jane…without the beheading.
This creative rewriting of such over-portrayed characters and people in the time of King Edward is a refreshing take after just viewing ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 last month.
If you are a romantic and fellow book-reader, this show ticks all the boxes!
Enemies to Lovers - CHECK
Fantasy…shapeshifters - CHECK
Historical Drama - CHECK
Slow Burn Romance - CHECK
Within the first two minutes of this show, I was hooked! The narrator sets the tone of the show right away and prepares you for the journey you are about to watch: witty, a little raunchy, and hilarious. Never did I feel throughout the 8 episodes that there was an unnecessary plotline or cringy dialogue. The best part of this show was the actors who fully enchanted you to be a part of this rather unconventional storyline. The chemistry between the two leading actors is compelling and I am excited to see a season 2 if the showrunners will grant us a chance. Along with our Lady Jane (Emily Bader) and Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), the supporting cast carried their spark and were so entertaining to view.
Quite honestly, this show was a much-needed watch for me as it accomplished a lot of what ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 failed to do. While I cannot completely compare these two shows with a big element like the supernatural twist with shapeshifters in ‘My Lady Jane’, I can contrast the two in terms of writing and impact.
In terms of writing and impact, ‘My Lady Jane’ wins by a landslide. Considering they are both book adaptations, the Amazon Prime Video series stays closer to the source material in a matter of not insulting fans. Unlike this show, ‘Bridgerton’ was under fire from devoted fans of the book series for changing several key characters and storylines last season. ‘Bridgerton’ had the advantage of a familiar tone and setting for fans to absorb material from 2 successful seasons prior, and yet it still failed due to the transition of a new showrunner allowing for a not-so-seamless and inconsistent switch in costuming, set design, and writing. ‘My Lady Jane’ is successful in setting that tone and maintaining it immediately. With 8 episodes each, ‘Bridgerton’ failed to pace themselves in the telling of Colin and Penelope’s romance leaving fans feeling it was a rushed and disappointing storyline with too much focus on other unnecessary plot lines. ‘My Lady Jane’ with less screen run time in the same number of 8 episodes managed to do multiple tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, supernatural, and historical romance and ended on a great cliffhanger leading to the next season.
‘Bridgerton’ is known for its bright colors and elaborate costume designs and in that department, it will win everytime. I thoroughly enjoy watching both series and I have binge-watched them all in a matter of 2 days each. These two shows in their own rights serve different purposes for me. When I want to be transported back to a fantasy of England society and be on the edge of my seat for some secrets to unfold, I will watch ‘Bridgerton’. If I wanted to have a hearty laugh and enjoy seeing a women-led series on historical inaccuracy, I would turn on ‘My Lady Jane’.
I would recommend you to watch both before forming an opinion for yourself as everyone has different tastes and expectations for shows.
The best part is you can watch the first full episode of ‘My Lady Jane’ on some media outlets like TikTok. The creators of the show have a brilliant marketing strategy and that was uploading the first full episode to draw in some fans - this is where those first 2 minutes pull you in for the rest of the show.
Don’t miss out on the latest trending show!
Other similar shows to watch:
Apple TV’s ‘The Buccaneers’
Hulu’s ‘The Artful Dodger’
Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’
