My Lady Jane parents guide: Older teens may enjoy this alternate history series

Don’t expect the actual story of Lady Jane Grey in My Lady Jane. This is an alternate retelling of her story, and it could be a lot of fun for the older teens and young adults in the house.

My Lady Jane is based on the novel by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. It offers a humorous and magical retelling of Lady Jane Grey’s story.

Lady Jane is a 16-year-old girl with no interest in marriage. However, her family is in dire straits after the death of her father, and her mother is finding any way possible to keep them afloat. That has led to the arrangement of Jane’s marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley. Jane doesn’t want that, and she sets up a plan to escape her life. Can she escape duty? Will her cousin King Edward VI allow that?

My Lady Jane quickly earns its TV-MA rating

This Prime Video series is officially rated TV-MA, and it quickly earns that. However, it’s something that older teens, around 17 and 18 may enjoy watching. Let’s dive into how it earns this rating and why it definitely isn’t suitable for younger viewers.

Sex & nudity: There is a lot of discussion about sex in the first episode. In fact, the series opens with one of Lady Jane’s maids laying on a stool with her legs in the air. The two and another maid are discussing a sexually transmitted infection, with Jane using her knowledge of herbs to create a cure for the infection.

The second maid also has a man performing oral sex on her in the castle. We don’t see the act, though, as the maid’s dress covers everything.

Later on, a dog turns into a naked woman. We don’t see any full-frontal nudity. Most of the scene is from the woman’s naked back or from the shoulders up.

Language: The episode also opens with the type of language to expect throughout the series. The British slang for sex is used a lot, and the F-bomb is dropped numerous times. There are even versions of the C-word uttered from the start. This is not a series that shies away from the swear words the Brits love to use.

Violence & gore: There is a scene in a bar that leads to a bar fight. A group of soldiers come looking for people who can turn into animals. This is the fantastical element of the story.

While there isn’t too much in the way of bloody gore, there is a moment where we see a man being drowned and the camera angle is from the water. We see him die on the screen.

Alcohol & drugs: With one of the scenes taking place in a tavern, it’s not surprising to hear that there is some drinking in the series. While this is alternate history, it’s still set in the past. This is a time when beer and wine were safer to drink than water, so there is a lot of consistent drinking throughout the series.

There is also a mention of poisons being used. I don’t want to share when as that gives spoilers for a huge plot in the series!

Overall verdict: Who is My Lady Jane suitable for?

This is the type of series that I would have watched at 17 or 18. It is aimed at young adults, bringing the strong female protagonist, the alternate history, and the magic. The violence and the language may be a little too much for some, so it’s certainly something you’ll want to watch as a parent on your own to see if it’s suitable for your kids. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids. Only those who are about to reach adulthood.