Forget Fourth Wing, Prime Video Already Produced The Perfect 8-Part Fantasy Romance Adaptation

Anyone eagerly awaiting news of Prime Video’s Fourth Wing TV series should watch the streamer’s previous major fantasy romance adaptation. In recent years, the publishing industry has seen a boom in fantasy romance or “romantasy” books, led by A-list authors and BookTok darlings such as Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas, Callie Hart, Sue Lynn Tan, Kimberly Lemming, Carissa Broadbent, and more.

Though it’s taken Hollywood a little while to catch up, several major new fantasy romance adaptations are now in active development. One of the biggest is Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling adult romantasy Fourth Wing, which will be produced by Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan’s production company for Amazon MGM Studios. Fourth Wing‘s adaptation is slow-going, though, and little information has been released about the project thus far. It could be a long wait.

Given the genre’s continued popularity (and the Fourth Wing delay), it remains bitterly disappointing that Prime canceled its last fantasy romance adaptation before it could truly find its audience. My Lady Jane, starring People We Meet on Vacation‘s Emily Bader, is the perfect blend of steamy romance, magical revolution, historical revisionism, and compelling characters.

My Lady Jane Is The Perfect Fantasy Romance Adaptation

Based on the book by Cynthia Hind, Brodi Ashton, and Jodie Meadows, My Lady Jane examines a niche part of Britain’s Tudor history. In 1553, Lady Jane Grey (Bader), grandniece of the infamous King Henry VIII and cousin to King Edward VI, was pushed to become the Queen of England and Ireland, only to be deposed nine days later and beheaded for her trouble. My Lady Jane asks what might have happened to Jane instead if she’d ended up marrying and falling in love with a man who can turn into a horse. Yes, really.

In this alternate reality, England’s population is divided into the Verity (“regular humans”) and the Ethians, the latter of whom are persecuted for their unique ability to transform into animals at will. When Jane attempts to run away from home to avoid being forced into holy matrimony, she unwittingly kicks off a complex political plot and a war between the Verity and the Ethians — all while falling in love with the charismatic, dashing, enemy-turned-lover Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel).

While My Lady Jane‘s overall tone is distinctly more humorous than Fourth Wing‘s — the show’s narrator alone makes My Lady Jane a worthwhile watch, as Oliver Chris delivers a pitch-perfect performance — it boasts everything that has made fantasy romance fans the world over fall in love with the genre. It definitely deserves its stellar 95% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score.

Jane is a wonderfully compelling character; she’s a truly fearless, independent thinker (Jane and Fourth Wing‘s leading dragon rider, Violet Sorrengail, would surely be great friends). The chemistry between Bader and Bluemel is sizzling, the show’s steamy scenes are genuinely sexy, and the story never shies away from the horrors of prejudice and the consequences of unlimited political greed. My Lady Jane is eight episodes of pure fun, romance, escapism, twists, and action.

My Lady Jane Deserved So Much More Than 1 Season

Sadly, despite its well-deserved critical acclaim, Prime Video didn’t renew My Lady Jane for season 2. It definitely still deserves a look, though, as the journey is more than worth it, and Jane and Dudley enjoy a warm, beautifully lit final scene. Perhaps My Lady Jane just arrived on Prime Video at the wrong time; all eight episodes dropped simultaneously in June 2024, just two weeks after Netflix released new episodes of its massive historical romance hit, Bridgerton season 3.

This may have fueled unfair comparisons between the two shows, with Prime potentially hoping to reach the same heights as Bridgerton — a relatively impossible task for any streaming series, let alone a brand-new one. Still, My Lady Jane‘s cancellation did spark public outrage. A Change.org petition calling on Prime to renew the show reached over 120,000 signatures, a true testament to its passionate fandom. Even fantasy heavyweight George R.R. Martin condemned Prime’s My Lady Jane decision.

My Lady Jane deserves to be seen in a new light. It’s more than a historical romance: it’s a genuinely great fantasy romance adaptation, too. Hopefully, as romantasy continues to fight its way onto the small screen, My Lady Jane will enjoy a renewed surge of interest. It’s certainly a worthy addition to the genre.

All episodes of My Lady Jane are available to stream now on Prime Video.