I’m obsessed with Maxton Hall. I watched the entire first season in like a day with my Amazon Prime subscription, and I'm planning an entire weekend devoted to Season 2 when it hits the 2025 TV schedule. While I'm clearly a fan, I'd never delved too deeply into the "why" behind my devotion, but now one of the show's key players has explained why the romantic drama has resonated so widely, and Jane Austen is involved.
Marlene Melchior, a writer on both Season 1 and the upcoming Season 2 of Maxton Hall, just compared the series to Jane Austen’s infamous Pride and Prejudice. Furthermore, she mentioned to Deadline how much the 1995 adaptation of the book really stuck with her during the making of the show, which in and of itself is also based on the Save Me book series by Mona Kasten (recently translated into English).
The first season was an easier season to adapt, as it’s quite easy to see how it follows a classic romance structure like Pride and Prejudice. I’m a huge fan of the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice; the act breaks are so, so good. You have to see it if you’re going to write romance.
To me, Maxton Hall was always giving clear Romeo & Juliet vibes, with its two protagonists in a romantic entanglement his parents certainly did not want. There’s a significant class gap between James and Ruby, he rich, she at school on merit. His dad in particular does not think Ruby is good enough for James.
Now, that I’m thinking about it though, the enemies-to-lovers trope (which is so popular right now) is faintly Pride and Prejudice-esque, to Marlene Melchior’s point. Pride & Prejudice is also a reference to the tone of the series, and may help to highlight why Maxton Hall is so popular (even if it doesn't quite qualify as one of the best Amazon shows.)
When we were looking at the structure, I suggested we follow it as much as we could, because they’re such similar set-ups. Every different generation has a way of making something saucy.
As someone who is pretty whatever on Romeo & Juliet but who loves anything Austen, this comparison is making so much sense and is helping me to understand my Maxton Hall obsession a bit more. Don't expect more Austen in the next round, however, as the writer also noted the narrative beats are different this time around, and we've heard previously Season 2 will be "grim and dark."
Still, I'm excited to be able to feed the beast soon, as the Amazon Prime Video series did get the official greenlight for Season 2, and is finally set to premiere on November 7th.
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