Television is going through a golden age, but the goldrush has brought on a number of consequences. One of the more welcome aspects is the accelerated merging of genres â in the way that RTÃâs Dead Still married macabre comedy with a period piece and, more recently, Skyâs Intergalactic overlaid sci-fi with a prison break drama. Itâs in this fruitful landscape that we welcome The Nevers: a female-fronted HBO series that mixes fantasy sci-fi with a historical drama.
Leading the cast are Belfast woman Laura Donnelly (who won an Olivier Award for The Ferryman) and Co Wexford woman Ann Skelly. Theyâre the unofficial leaders of âthe Touchedâ, a group of outcasts, mostly women, who find themselves with abnormal powers after an extraterrestrial entity in the sky expends its energy over London in the Victorian age. These abilities ostracise them from society, as decreed by Empire-loving Englishmen in suits.
Type keyword(s) to search Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
The Nevers Star Ann Skelly on the Wild Side of the Fantastical Period Piece
Inside the HBO series and the stunt that she calls “one of our maddest endeavors.”
The Nevers aren’t the only ones with remarkable powers. Some of the series’ most memorable performances come from actors playing members of “the Touched,” a group of Victorian misfits who’ve been endowed with supernatural gifts, but there’s something to be said for those actors doing the performing as well. Case in point: Ann Skelly, the
What s On TV, April 11: Meet The Nevers & bid Shameless farewell avclub.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from avclub.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Nevers, but there s really no question that Laura Donnelly (
Outlander) and Ann Skelly s (
Little Women) Amalia True and Penance Adair are the beating hearts of the narrative.
Opposites in demeanor and abilities, True and Adair are part of an undetermined percentage of the London population suddenly gifted with special abilities bespoke to each of them. Dubbed the Touched by society, they re now targets of those who want to tame or take advantage of their powers. True has the ability to now see glimpses of the future with random visions that are missing a lot of context; and Adair can see energy, which she harnesses to craft steam-punk inventions like self-propelled motorcars and portable voice recorders.
It almost feels unfair to judge
The Nevers based on the six episodes that begin airing this month, dubbed “Part One” of the show’s 12-episode first season. The new HBO drama has inadvertently become controversial, thanks to its creator Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed the pilot and initially served as showrunner until he stepped down in November 2020, citing exhaustion amid a wave of ongoing scandals. According to the show’s stars, Whedon worked on this first batch of episodes, and the version of
The Nevers premiering on April 11 is the closest thing we’ll get to his version of the show. When “Part Two” of this season premieres (“at a later date,” per HBO)