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2 • April 11 - 17, 2021 Screen & Stream By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s television genres go, two of the most popular ones as of late are sci- ence fiction and period drama. While they may seem like an odd pairing, a new series com- bines elements of both, and it has TV fans talking. In Victorian London in 1896, a supernatural event leaves some people, many of them women, with unusual abilities in the premiere of "The Nevers," airing Sunday, April 11, on HBO. Laura Donnelly ("Outlander") leads the ensemble cast as "quick-fisted" widow Amalia True, who works alongside young inventor Pen- ance Adair (Ann Skelly, "Kissing Candice," 2017) to protect their fellow gifted "orphans." As the story unfolds, viewers will meet a variety of characters with powers — some of them amazing and some disturbing. All the while, there are those who rail against such people, who are referred to as "touched." True and Adair become champions for their kind and fight against those who would rather they didn't exist. Created by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), "The Nevers" has been in the works for a few years. HBO faced some stiff competition from other media giants like Netflix, who also wanted to nab the rights to the project, but came out on top and gave the show a straight-to-series order in 2018. When the project was announced in July of that year, HBO executive Casey Bloys expressed his excitement about the series. "We look forward to meeting the strange, multifaceted charac- ters of 'The Nevers,' to learn their stories, see them in action and share them with our viewers," Bloys said in a statement at the time. However, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the show. Whedon had originally been tapped to write and direct, among other things, but he has since left the project. He has been the subject of much criticism lately as a number of stars have come forward with allegations of misconduct on sets, notably ac- tors Ray Fisher ("Justice League," 2017) and Charisma Carpenter ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). While Whedon was the subject of an investigation by WarnerMedia (HBO's parent company) stem- ming from Fisher's allegations, the writer cited other reasons for leaving "The Nevers" in an of- ficial statement. "I realize that the level of the commitment required moving forward, combined with the phys- ical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pan- demic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer," Whedon said, according to Variety, when HBO announced his departure in November 2020. Luckily, "The Nevers" landed in the very capable hands of screenwriter Philippa Goslett ("Little Ashes," 2008), who will serve as the new showrunner and an executive producer. This will be her first gig as a showrun- ner, but she has made a name for herself, thanks to her work on many other projects, including "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" (2017) and "Mary Magdalene" (2018). Goslett now finds herself at the helm of one of TV's most anticipated new series, one poised to captivate viewers with its feminist message and decid- edly steampunk vibe — also thanks to its Victorian-era period aesthetic and supernatural fan- tasy plot. "The Nevers" features a diverse cast of characters striv- ing to bring the story to light. In addition to True and Adair, the allies of the so-called "touched" include rich spinster Lavinia Bidlow, played by Olivia Williams ("Dollhouse"). She runs The Or- phanage where many of the main characters reside. Tom Riley ("Da Vinci's Demons") appears as La- vinia's geeky brother, Augie. Zack- ary Momoh ("Seven Seconds") portrays West Indian physician Dr. Horatio Cousens. Other characters include James Norton ("Happy Valley") as Hugo Swann, a pansexual young aristocrat who runs a posh secret club; Pip Torrens ("The Crown") as Lord Massen, a for- mer military man who's skeptical of people with powers; Nick Frost ("Hot Fuzz," 2007) as Declan Or- run, aka The Beggar King, a low- level criminal kingpin; English actor Ben Chaplin ("Snowden," 2016) as Det. Frank Mundi, a po- liceman with strong morals and a penchant for heavy drinking; and Eleanor Tomlison ("Poldark") as failed singer Mary Brighton. Elsewhere in the cast of lead- ing characters, Amy Manson ("Once Upon a Time") plays Maladie, the dangerous and unstable leader of a band of renegades, while Rochelle Neil ("Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019) stars as Annie Carbey, aka Bon- fire, a criminal with the ability to control fire. Dennis O'Hare ("True Blood") rounds out the main cast as brutal American surgeon Dr. Edmund Hague. Recurring cast members in- clude Elizabeth Berrington ("Stel- la") as Lucy, Kiran Sonia Sawar ("Murdered by My Father") as Harriet and Ella Smith ("Hoff the Record") as Desirée. Although "The Nevers" started filming before the global spread of COVID-19, it was not unscathed by the pandemic. Originally commissioned for 10 episodes, just five had been shot before the pandemic shut things down. Filming resumed in the fall and wrapped in October, but HBO has only six episodes ready to go at this time. According to ew.com, Goslett is working on more epi- sodes, but it is not known how many there will be or when they will be released. For now, viewers will have to be satisfied with the first six episodes of the science-fiction period drama. Watch as True and Adair use their newfound powers to fight for the new underclass in "The Nevers," premiering Sunday, April 11, on HBO. Cover Story Elizabeth Berrington as seen in "The Nevers" Superheroes in the Victorian era: Period drama meets science fiction

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