George R.R. Martin recently addressedMy Lady Jane’s cancelation, andtheGame of Thronesauthor is right about the fate of Amazon’s historical fantasy series. Based on the first book in theLady Janiesseries,My Lady Janepremiered on Prime Video in June 2024 — and it quickly proved to be one of thebest historical fantasy TV showsto come out in recent years. But despite its fun, feminist premise and compelling central romance,My Lady Janewas canceledahead of season 2. This has proven a disappointment to fans of the Amazon series.
It seems Martin isn’t thrilled aboutMy Lady Jane’s cancelation, either, as the author took toNot a Blogto discuss it. In a post from September 9, Martin revealed that he watched the Amazon series and thoroughly enjoyed it. Needless to say, he’s one of many viewers let down byMy Lady Jane’s cancelation. His sentiments about the Amazon series' future echo those of the fans petitioning for its renewal. And Martin is right aboutMy Lady Jane,so hopefully, Amazon is listening.
GRRM Is Right: Why My Lady Jane Season 2 Should Happen
The Amazon Series Deserves A Proper Ending
In hisNot a Blogpost, Martin wrote ofMy Lady Jane’s cancelation: “Jane deserved more than nine days, or eight episodes.” He’s right about this, especially sincethe Amazon series didn’t get a proper ending. Although Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley ride off together at theend ofMy Lady Janeseason 1, the series doesn’t resolve all its major storylines. Queen Mary still sits on the throne when the show comes to a close, and Edward has yet to take back his crown. With season 2 not happening, theseMy Lady Janestorylines will be leftopen-ended.
Martin is correct that they all deserve better, and he’s far from the only person to say so.
This is unfair to viewers who fell for the show, as well as the writers, who clearly set the stage for another outing. Martin is correct that they all deserve better, and he’s far from the only person to say so. The author acknowledged the fan campaign to renewMy Lady Janein his blog post, wishing its creators luck.TheChange.orgpetition demandingMy Lady Janeseason 2 has more than 72,000 signatures, proving there’s a demand for more episodes. All of these viewers deserve to know how the book ends, and they deserve to see it play out on-screen.
Why Did Amazon Cancel My Lady Jane?
The Company Cited Low Viewership Numbers
With more than 70,000 people disappointed inMy Lady Jane’s cancelation — including Martin — one has to wonder why Amazon canceled the series.The company’s decision stems from the series not attracting a large enough audienceor getting high enough viewership numbers (viaDeadline). Unfortunately, this is a common reason streaming shows are axed, even if they receive a generally positive reception.My Lady Jane’s 95% critic score and 90% audience score onRotten Tomatoesreflect well on the series, but even good reviews weren’t enough to save it.
Fantasy shows tend to have a more difficult time getting renewed by streaming services, and this could have to do with the hefty budgets they require. Such projects need higher viewership numbers to justify more seasons, while lower-budget series can be considered successful with smaller returns. This is one of the harsh realities of the fantasy genre, thoughit’s clearMy Lady Janestill has a hefty fan base— and they’re willing to fight for the series' return.
How Likely Is The My Lady Jane Season 2 Petition To Work?
Fan Campaigns Have Worked Before, But It’s Unclear How This Will Go
It’s great to seeMy Lady Jane’s fan base coming together to bring back the show, butit’s unclear how effective the petition will be. Similar fan campaigns have succeeded for series likeLuciferandThe Expanse,but other networks or streaming services typically pick up these projects. There’s no word on whether the series is being shopped elsewhere, and Amazon seems unlikely to reverse its decision, especially if the company hasn’t seen the returns it was hoping for.
Additionally, with more and moreshows being canceled after just one season, it’s impossible to save all of them. Not many elicit such huge fan campaigns in response to their cancelations, but it’s hard to say if other networks or streamers will seeMy Lady Janeas important enough to revive above all the others. Even if it does get picked up elsewhere, there’s no telling when we’d see more episodes — or if it would find itself in limbo after a revival, just like Netflix’sWarrior Nun.
My Lady Jane
Cast
My Lady Jane is a Prime Video original series created by Gemma Burgess. The story is a “what if” style story of English royal history where King Henry VIII’s son Edward, Lady Jane Grey, and her husband Guildford all survive their real-life deaths. In the retelling of history, Jane Grey takes center stage, becoming queen and immediately finding herself facing nefarious villains.
