CST
A series airing from 8 to 9 p.m. Sundays on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. But even when the multiple plot strands curl this way and that, and if it’s a bit difficult to keep track of all the players without a scorecard, “The Nevers” is a dazzling visual feast with gorgeous sets and first-rate CGI, sly humor, ambitious and sometimes deeply moving set pieces and wonderful performances from the ensemble cast. This whirling dervish of a series from Joss Whedon is part “X-Men” and part “Doctor Who,” with elements of previous Whedon projects such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as well. (The series parted ways with Whedon after he was accused of workplace misconduct on past shows.) It’s a Victorian London horror story; a police procedural where some cops are as crooked as the bad guys they’re pursuing; a celebration of a deep and abiding friendship between two strong and misunderstood women who are heroes even though the world might not be ready for that, and ev
Despite the showrunner change and writing credits by Jane Espenson, Kevin Lau and Madhuri Shekar, Whedonâs fingerprints are all over The Nevers (as well as the first episodeâs title credits as director, writer, creator and executive producer). The four episodes made available to critics bear the mark of a creator given infinite and inflated latitude, favoring lavish, indulgent sprawl over synthesis. The storylines balloon from an unexplained supernatural event that mark (mostly) women with strange, idiosyncratic talents to a forbidden sex club, a Jack the Ripper-style female serial killer, a deranged doctorâs cruel underground experiments, union strikes and the fate of the British empire, among other ideas. Itâs unfortunate, given the female action hero premise, that such thematic dabbling is occasionally absorbing in isolation but, as a chaotic chorus, canât muster the requisite charm to override the off-screen Whedon baggage.
The Globe and Mail Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
Getting audio file . This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer
HBO / Crave
Step right up, step right up. Ladies and gentlemen, or whatever you call yourselves, you are invited to witness a glorious mess, a mash-up of fantasy, Victorian flim-flammery, fabulous supernatural afflictions and much style, all baked into a witty tale of gifted women battling crusty old men.
The Nevers (starts Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO/Crave) is it and arrives with an asterisk. The asterisk is needed to note that the new series is the work of Joss Whedon, but HBO doesn’t want to say that aloud. See Whedon, generally considered a genius, the mind behind
totally plagiarize himself with the new HBO series “The Nevers,” but he comes pretty close. Whedon, who stepped down as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner in November 2020, is no longer affiliated with “The Nevers,” but the first part of this first season unmistakably bears all his fingerprints. (Six episodes will begin airing on April 11, while the second four, delayed to COVID, will be available at a later date.) Women (mostly young, pretty) alternately tortured and empowered by supernatural abilities (given mysteriously, resented by men) come together to save the world (even though it’s a patriarchal cesspool). “The Nevers” is steampunk “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” with the Turned here as the Slayers and the Scooby Gang, and you don’t get closer to late-seasons Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, with her self-hating sexual choices and desire to abandon all responsibility, than the brawl-happy, pint-chugging Mrs. Amalia True (Laura Donnelly). None
'The Nevers': Fantasy Series Lacks the Magic to Erase Joss Whedon rollingstone.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rollingstone.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.