The Lady

Ultimately, this is a true crime story done the ITV way: propulsive, bingeable, entertaining, not too deep.

It is expertly put together and, at times, oddly moving and powerful.

[Mia McKenna-Bruce as Jane is] a performance that anchors the series. By contrast, Natalie Dormer, as Sarah, never quite lands. .... The detectives, however, feel underwritten; their investigative work is so thinly drawn that the conviction itself strains credibility. Despite all this—or perhaps because of it—The Lady remains a frothy, distinctly British watch.

Although The Lady is a compelling watch, with an exceptional performance from McKenna-Bruce and wielding the styling of the era to its advantage, its limited exploration of Thomas results in a one-sided recounting of events.

Ultimately, “The Lady” is well-paced, but also challenging to watch.

Despite solid performances and appealing visuals, The Lady struggles with its narrative structure. In the first three episodes, there are two timelines in play. .... There's never any warning when The Lady switches between the two timelines, which chops up the story into small, disjointed chunks.

A strange and exasperating thing that clomps between aerated royal soap, plodding police procedural, exuberant coming-of-age period piece and hand-wringing domestic drama with the grace of a pantomime horse at a black-tie buffet.