The Princess Bride. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Blackadder. You’re probably a fan of at least one of those, right? It’s (I’m sorry) inconceivable to imagine someone who isn’t. Well, what if there was a show that combined elements from all three? Coming soon to Prime Video, My Lady Jane is a “silly, fun, smart, swashbuckling, rambunctious alternative history,” according to co-showrunner Gemma Burgess, who brought up the Bride/Buffy/Blackadder comparisons.
My Lady Jane has serious summer binge potential. Here’s everything you need to know about the series, including the plot and release date.
Plot
Based on authors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows’ best-selling book series, My Lady Jane is a “radical retelling” of the life of Lady Jane Grey, who was the queen of England for all of nine days in 1553. Her life ended the following year when Queen Mary I had her (along with her husband Lord Guildford Dudley) executed at the Tower of London when she was 17 years old. Lady Jane’s final words: “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
But what if none of that happened? What if “King Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis, Lady Jane Grey is not beheaded, and neither is her rascal of a husband Guildford?” the official description for My Lady Jane from Prime Video reads. “At the center of this rollicking new series is the brilliant and headstrong Jane who is unexpectedly crowned queen overnight and finds herself the target of nefarious villains coming for the crown (and her head)… My Lady Jane is an epic tale of true love and high adventure, where the damsel in distress saves herself, her true love, and then the Kingdom.”
There will be action, romance, comedy, spiciness (hopefully without a mirror, that’s taken), high-society drama, and even shape shifters.
Emily Bader, the California-born actress (I’m sure the Brits will be normal about this) who plays Lady Jane, told Nerdist that she thinks her character is “one of the dumbest smart people you’ll ever meet. She knows everything about people and the world, but she knows very little about what it means to be a person and to be a part of the world… she’s dealing with finding her identity and her power as a woman at a time, even when you were the Queen of England, that power was constantly being either taken from you or you had to fight for it. And so I think she’s figuring out how to keep her power while also discovering what it’s like to be a woman with love and femininity and all those things that sometimes don’t go hand in hand.”
Burgess and Meredith Glynn are the showrunners for My Lady Jane, while TV veteran Jamie Babbit directed five of the eight episodes.
Cast
Outside of Bader (who previously appeared in 2021’s Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) as Lady Jane, the rest of the My Lady Jane cast includes Edward Bluemel as Lord Guildford Dudley, Jordan Peters as King Edward VI, Anna Chancellor as Lady Frances Grey, Rob Brydon as Lord John Dudley, Dominic Cooper as Lord Thomas Seymour, Jim Broadbent as Lord Leicester, Will Keen as Duke of Norfolk, and Kate O’Flynn as Princess Mary.
Release Date
All eight episodes of My Lady Jane season 1 premiere on Prime Video on June 27.
Trailer
Join the five million-plus people who have watched the My Lady Jane trailer.