HBO have confirmed that the first section of season 1 will consist of 6 episodes and effectively being “Part One” with the remaining 6 episodes (“Part Two”) set to air at a later unconfirmed date. The series was first announced in 2018 created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and stars Laura Donnelly, Olivia Williams, James Norton, Pip Torrens, Nick Frost, and Denis O’Hare. Interestingly, its creator (Whedon) was also set to serve as showrunner but then exited the show due to exhaustion, Phillipa Goslett effectively took his place.

Confusing at first, it must be said that before you watch it’s advisable to get a sense of the plot, something we didn’t fully do at first leading to the aforementioned confusion. Once you do, it all starts making sense and becomes an enjoyable watch. Speaking of the plot, The Nevers follows a group of women in Victorian-era England who mysteriously gain superhero abilities called “The Touch.” Two of the women, Amalia True (Donnelly) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), try to save those with abilities and take them into their orphanage to protect them.

Shot in London, and like many others, production was briefly haulted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully filming resumed in September resulting in its official release. Showmax allowed us to watch the first 4 episodes and we’re now eagerly awaiting to watch the rest of “Part 1”. There’s literally nothing more satisfying than seeing power and strong women show off immense fighting skills and general expertise to complete an objective. Both Laura Donnelly and Penance Adair take center stage here with the former though being the key character that does most of the fighting scenes and who the story revolves around.

Women being front and center assuming roles of power and not the usual vulnerable states we’re accustomed to seeing, is one of the things we particularly liked about The Nevers. Certainly more roles of this nature should be afforded to women especially in the times we find ourselves in, seeing them play the vulnerable damsels in distress is tiring and been overdone, if anything it doesn’t reflect the current face of society.

The Nevers has a good tone and pacing to it. You will also be forgiven for thinking that it’s an X-Men-esque series shot in a slightly different time. The main draw was always going to be its creator, Joss Whedon, who has recently been covered in all kinds of controversy with allegations by actors (on other projects) accusing him of creating a toxic environment on sets. Despite that and the much talked about mess he created with the original Justice League movie, you can’t deny his brilliance as seen with his previous material.

With Whedon no longer set to be involved in this one, and despite the initial positive impression it has made on us, it will be interesting to see how it continues and what the overall reception will be from viewers. Thankfully, you won’t have that long to see it yourself, The Nevers is set to hit our small screens in a systematic manner with episodes 1 and 2 being available on 19 April with new episodes following suit from every Monday until 17 May.

This one is set in a classical setting and is created and executive produced by Joss Whedon who doesn’t need any introduction, but in case you weren’t aware, Whedon is responsible for other popular titles such as The Avengers and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

The Plot

In the last years of Victoria’s reign, London is beset by the Touched: people – mostly women – who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities – some charming, some disturbing.

Among them are Amalia True (Olivier Award winner Laura Donnelly from Outlander), a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly from Vikings), a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of… well, pretty much all the forces – to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.

The Nevers’ ensemble cast also includes Monte-Carlo Golden Nymph nominees Olivia Williams (An Education, The Ghost Writer) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The White Queen); BAFTA Cymru winner Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons); BAFTA nominee James Norton (Grantchester, Happy Valley), BAFTA Scotland nominee Kiran Sawar (Black Mirror), British Independent Film Awards nominee Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Into The Badlands), Screen Actors Guild nominee Pip Torrens (The Crown), and three-time Emmy nominee Denis O’Hare (American Gods, True Blood), among others.

Showmax have offered us the opportunity to see it first, an offer we naturally couldn’t refuse. Head back here from 9 April to view our thoughts on it. Cleverly described as The Magicians meets Bridgerton, this one excites us a lot and we can’t wait to check it out.