Here’s a winning formula for a TV show:

First, base it on a successful young adult novel that’s part of a series, so there is plenty of material for future seasons. Play up the comedic revisionist history of the story, with incredible casting and costuming. 

Give it the sort-of true royal intrigue of The Great and the romance of Bridgerton. Throw in the playful approach to magic of Wednesday and the whimsy of Dickinson. 

And then, give the couple at the center of the story a satisfying romantic ending. But, also leave the story open for another season.

Sounds great, right? Most critics thought so, too. And many viewers of the show sang its praises as a new, fresh, funny take on a historical fantasy romance story. It’s a blend of genres we haven’t seen much in TV, but that’s really big right now in the book sub-genre of romantasy.

I personally loved it and the book it’s based on. But Deadline recently broke the news that Prime Video’s My Lady Jane will not be returning for a second season. 

What is My Lady Jane about?

My Lady Jane is based on the young adult novel of the same name by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. It’s a revisionist history retelling of the story of Lady Jane Grey of England, the “Nine Days Queen” who was tragically killed by her cousin, Queen Mary. The show tells us up front that that’s not how this story is going to end, though. 

The show also has fantasy elements, with magic users called Ethians who shapeshift into animals. There is also a romcom story, and lots of characters, both fictional and historical. My Lady Jane was created and executive produced by Gemma Burgess, with episodes directed by Jamie Babbit and Stefan Schwartz.

Why was My Lady Jane canceled?

Prime Video has not released a statement to the public regarding the cancellation. However, according to Deadline’s report, it never ranked on Nielsen’s weekly top 10 streaming shows. That is apparently what led the streamer to cut the series.

Unfortunately, My Lady Jane was the latest casualty of a discouraging trend I’ve noticed in a lot of TV series recently. Maybe you’ve noticed it, too. I wrote about it in my review of Bridgerton season 3:

The prioritization of profits over people, and over artistic integrity, and unchecked economic growth, mergers, and monopolies benefit no one but the few people at the very tops of these industry giants.

There is so much pressure on every TV show now, and not just to be well-reviewed and find its audience. For a show to make it to a second season, it has to be a blockbuster hit right out the gate. It has to be a huge moneymaker, or it’s considered a failure.

There has always been a balancing act in the entertainment industry between art and business. The sad fact is that business seems to win at the expense of art more and more. And for a platform and studio like Amazon, that’s only recently gotten into the business of making art, that’s not surprising. 

Is there any good news?

Fans of My Lady Jane have started a petition to Amazon to renew the series. There have been successful fan campaigns that led to series renewals before. Sanditon on PBS is a recent example.

Other fans are posting on social media to call on other streamers, such as Netflix or Hulu, to pick up the show. A different network saving a canceled show after its original network gave it the ax is also not unheard of. Scrubs and The Mindy Project both got new life on new networks, for example.

One of the authors of the book the show is based on, Jodi Ashton, posted on X to encourage fans, saying:

Stream it again.

Leave ratings and reviews on IMDb & Rotten Tomatoes.

Get your friends to do the same.

I don’t know if there’s even a chance for them to change their decision, but we know they care about numbers. Make numbers.

Do I hope My Lady Jane gets renewed or picked up by another streamer? Of course I do. But unfortunately, I think even if it is, it’s always going to have the shadow of this cancellation looming over it. This will put even more pressure on the show’s second season to not just be creative and good, but to be a ratings and financial success. And I think that pressure could put a damper on the quality of the show.

I really hope I’m wrong. But the good news is that there are still great shows being made. There are still smart and creative people making interesting TV. And there are studios and platforms willing to take a creative risk on new and fresh ideas, though they are few and far between.

My Lady Jane might be gone for good, or it might get a second life. Either way, I’m going to keep looking for and enjoying great TV. I hope you do the same.