Game of Thrones Star’s New Historical Epic Stumbles on Rotten Tomatoes
Game of Thrones alum Natalie Dormer’s historical crime drama The Lady is off to a rocky start, splitting critics over its handling of real events and somber tone — and racking up an unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes score.
Natalie Dormer is back on TV, and her new historical crime series is already stirring up debate. 'The Lady' drops into a real-life scandal with a starry lead, a buzzy supporting cast, and a tone that critics can’t seem to agree on.
The show
Filed under history, drama, and crime, 'The Lady' tracks the rise and fall of royal dresser Jane Andrews, a story that spirals from proximity to power into obsession, tabloid scandal, and ultimately a murder conviction. Dormer, best known to many as Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones, headlines.
The scorecard so far
Season 1 currently sits at a 50% Tomatometer based on eight critic reviews, a clean split between raves and eyerolls. There’s no audience score yet, with fewer than 50 user ratings logged.
"The Lady is just another TV series that turns a horribly bleak and upsetting real-life crime into entertainment."
That sums up one lane of response: the worry that the show packages trauma as entertainment. Others zeroed in on the execution and tone.
"Despite attempts to elevate this above standard true crime, it doesn't quite work: the tone is incoherent, lurching queasily between levels of taste."
There’s also pushback on the sheer brutality of revisiting the case in detail, with one reviewer questioning what anyone gains by re-staging the trial at length.
But there’s also praise
Plenty of critics found it sharply watchable, especially when it leans into character work and pace. The supporting cast got singled out repeatedly, with one performance in particular getting the nod.
"Excellent supporting performances, with Ophelia Lovibond on particularly good form."
- Mixed-to-negative: A C- review argued the series doesn’t bring a fresh angle, either as entertainment or in reframing Jane or Sarah.
- Critical: The Guardian landed at 2/5, calling the approach reductive. The Observer flagged tonal whiplash. The Herald (Scotland) questioned the value of replaying a punishing trial in detail.
- Positive: The Times gave 4/5 for the acting bench, especially Ophelia Lovibond. The Daily Telegraph also went 4/5, praising the show as propulsive, bingeable, and not overly heavy. The Daily Mail pushed it to 5/5, crediting the writing with real character insight.
The takeaway
On paper, it’s prestige crime. On screen, it toggles between glossy binge-TV and something pricklier, and that split is exactly where the reviews diverge. Scores range from 2/5 and C- all the way to 5/5. If you’re in it for performances and pace, there’s plenty to grab onto. If your patience for true-crime dramatizations is thin, consider yourself warned.