My Lady Jane: A Breath of Fresh Air in the World of Alternate History
The latest offering from Prime Video, My Lady Jane, has taken the world of alternate history by storm. The show, which premiered last week, has left viewers wondering what could have been if British Monarch Jane Grey had not been beheaded. The series, starring Emily Bader, Edward Bluemel, and Dominic Cooper, takes a bold approach to reimagining history, and showrunner Gemma Burgess has spoken about the challenges of adapting the young adult novels by Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, and Cynthia Hand for the small screen.
A still from the Prime Video series
Burgess’s vision for the show was to create a sex-positive and safe space for viewers, which meant leaving out some of history’s more triggering parts. In an interview with EW, she explained, “We have no sexual violence, nothing like that. It’s about joy for us, it’s about communication, connection, and fun. Personally, I get very upset when I watch something that seems to be having a lot of sexual violence or sexual threats against women as entertainment. That rules out a lot of fantasies. But I love fantasy shows. So, this is an optimistic, safe fantasy show.”
Gemma Burgess, showrunner of My Lady Jane
A Second Season on the Horizon?
While the first season has only just premiered, fans are already clamoring for more. And it seems that Burgess is open to the idea of a second season. In fact, she has already started thinking about what it could look like. “[A second season is] always a possibility,” she said. “We wanted to really lean into the visual storytelling of taking a woman up to the point of being beheaded. It seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up. I used to be an author. When you’re an author, you can do an awful lot of first person present tense thinking, but when you are on television, you have to have conflict and action and something to look at to lead to the drama. If we are fortunate enough to get a season 2, then we are going to be exploring all of them growing up and moving on and figuring out how to survive in the world where Jane is free, but the kingdom is not. Because Mary’s still on the throne. There’s a lot more work to do before things are right.”
The talented cast of My Lady Jane
As I watched the first season of My Lady Jane, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder. The show’s unique take on alternate history is a breath of fresh air, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented cast and crew.
The Prime Video logo
What do you think, dear readers? Are you as enamored with My Lady Jane as I am? Let us know in the comments below!
