Created by Gemma Burgess based on the 2016 young adult historical fiction novels, My Lady Jane explores one of England’s shortest-reigning monarchs, the 16th century Lady Jane Grey, also known as the Nine Days Queen.
Blending palace intrigue with a fantastical take on class, the series is set in a world inhabited by Ethians, humans who can assume animal form and are banished from society by the ruling class of commoners known as Verity.
The news of My Lady Jane's cancellation comes seven weeks after all eight episodes of the show's first season were released on June 27 without much promotion.
The news isn't entirely surprising. Creatively, the show has done well. Despite taking a huge leap forward with a premise that crosses genres that don't normally coexist — historical romance, fantasy, adventure, comedy, and farce — it was among the highest-rated new series this year. But it didn't find a wide enough audience and never made it into Nielsen's Top 10 weekly streaming Originals rankings.
The first season of My Lady Jane ended with a teaser of what was to come and the sharp narrator declaring that "our story isn't over yet." But it also gave the central couple, Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) and Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), a satisfyingly happy ending to their love story.
Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon, Jordan Peters, Kate O'Flynn, Abbie Hern, Henry Ashton, Dominic Cooper and Jim Broadbent also starred.
Burgess and Meredith Glynn served as co-showrunners and executive producers. Jamie Babbit directed five of the eight episodes and was producing director/executive producer. Sarah Bradshaw and Laurie MacDonald also produced.