Since Netflix’s surprise success with Bridgerton, almost all streaming services have tried to find their own solution. The problem is that, as Prime Video shows, it is not easy to replicate the enormous success of the competition’s series.
There is a major race in the streaming sector to see which platform accumulates the most exclusive quality series and films. They all want to be number one and thus attract the attention of more and more subscribers. That is why, when a goldmine is found, they try to squeeze it without limits. The Bridgerton goldmine is one of the latest to have shaken up the sector.
Failure for Prime Video
The Bridgerton model seems easy to copy or emulate, but in practice it is difficult to achieve success like the Netflix series has. Prime Video looked into the possibilities and, when it got down to work, decided to turn to the novel My Lady Jane, written by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton and Cynthia Hand.
Its calling card was a twist on the British romance series, the Tudor romance that viewers have loved for years. Its main asset was not only betting on a historical character like Lady Jane Grey, but also introducing fantasy elements. Prime Video tried and worked with writer Gemma Burgess to take charge of making the adaptation. Unfortunately, it has not turned out well.
Something was suspicious about My Lady Jane
The series was filmed in 2022 and was expected to be ready for release at the end of 2023. However, the delay was much longer than could have been imagined. Although it is true that Prime Video had a very busy release schedule and was not short of productions to attract viewers’ attention, there is no doubt that such a delay did not sound good. It could also be due to looking for the ideal moment to take advantage of The Bridgertons’ slipstream.
In the end, the series premiered on June 27, taking advantage of the summer and viewers’ desire to immerse themselves in a purely British romance story with a good historical setting. To seek public support, My Lady Jane arrived with eight episodes that, of course, you can continue watching on the Amazon platform. If you subscribe.
However, although the press did not give the series a bad rating, with an average score of about 7 points out of 10, the production did not cause as much of a stir as one might have imagined. Amazon itself did not promote it too much either and, in a way, it lacked the push it could have had to reach higher ratings. Now, in August, it has been announced that My Lady Jane will not continue and that it has been cancelled after only one season of eight episodes.
This is not good news for those who were satisfied with what the first season has offered, nor for the cast members. The series features actors such as Emily Bader, Edward Bluemel, Anna Chancellor, Dominic Cooper and Jim Broadbent. But even with some famous faces, the production has not taken off. It joins a long list of British productions that try to match The Bridgerton and that fall short of achieving it. For now, the Netflix series will continue to lead alone without any other similar production being able to come close to its level of fame.
