Before Edward Bluemel made a splash as the spunky romantic lead Guildford Dudley in Amazon Prime Video's My Lady Jane, he starred as vampire turned Oxford lab research assistant Marcus Whitmore in the Sky One Supernatural Drama A Discovery of Witches – creating a surprising connection between the shows and making them ideal companion pieces. While very different projects, Edward Bluemel's roles in both shows feel linked through his characters' secrecy and inner conflict.

Since The show is the perfect post-My Lady Jane watch, as it offers a more dramatic look at a fantasy-history storyline with a dash of star-crossed lovers.

My Lady Jane's Edward Bluemel Starred In A Discovery Of Witches

Both Marcus Whitmore And Guildford Dudley Have Secrets to Keep

In My Lady Jane, Bluemel's Guildford Dudley is a mysterious nobleman who is known for his rakish ways of partying at taverns all night and sleeping all day. In reality, his secret is that he is an Ethian, a person who can transform into an animal at will (in his case, a horse) and is unable to control his powers due to his trauma, thus he remains in horse form all day.

This is kept secret because, in My Lady Jane's fictionalized English Reformation, Ethians are a marginalized people who are prohibited from marrying humans or maintaining roles in the nobility, both of which Guildford has done. Despite the secrecy, he remains entirely transparent with his wife, Jane Grey.

Similarly, in A Discovery of Witches, Bluemel portrays a doctor and genetic research assistant at Oxford by day and a vampire who is hundreds of years old by night. He works to help with medical research for humans and the supernatural, but maintains his cover in order to conduct genetic research on the variety of species within the supernatural world and work to protect their legacy. He is loyal to his Oxford coworkers and goes to great lengths to assist Matthew de Clermont (played by Matthew Goode), who sired him as a vampire. Both of these Bluemel characters juxtapose secrecy and brutal honesty exceptionally well.

How A Discovery Of Witches Compares To My Lady Jane

Both Feature The Tudor Era Of British History With Fantasy Elements

Both My Lady Jane and A Discovery of Witches feature fictionalized takes on Tudor-era history, and supernatural beings that live double lives. A Discovery of Witches picks up in 2018, and features flashbacks to a variety of different time periods, as all the show's vampires were sired in different eras. Notably, the show's second season takes place in Tudor London as main characters Diana Bishop (played by Teresa Palmer) and Matthew de Clermont time-walk back there for answers about their lineage and a frightening prophecy.

Both shows feature stunning period costumes, sweeping cinematography showcasing historical European sites, and a fated yet doomed love story between central characters. The biggest difference between the shows lies in tone, as My Lady Jane blends comedy and drama, while A Discovery of Witches maintains a darker dramatic tone throughout. My Lady Jane has its own moments of despair, notably the near beheading of Jane Grey and the burning of Guildford Dudley. However, Bluemel's characters both offer witty line deliveries to cut the tension.

Why You Should Watch A Discovery Of Witches If You Liked My Lady Jane

If Viewers Like Alternate History and Familiar Faces, This Is The Perfect Watch

For history buffs, both shows showcase pivotal moments in world history with fantasy and supernatural elements. Added to this already complex storytelling, there are also romances at the heart of My Lady Jane and A Discovery of Witches. The latter is the spooky cousin of My Lady Jane and a great watch for the fall television season.

Both offer a campy look at brutal moments over the course of history, challenging perspectives on these respective events.

As fans continue to campaign to renew My Lady Jane, viewers can enjoy another strong performance from Bluemel in A Discovery of Wtiches. The former has a 95% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the latter has an 87% critics' score, making both shows worth watching based on critical acclaim alone. Edward Bluemel is a dynamic actor who manages to deliver emotionally moving yet endearing and raw performances through his characters layered with boyish charm, and viewers of My Lady Jane will not be disappointed by A Discovery of Witches.