'The Nevers' Teaser: Joss Whedon's Victorian Superhero Series Comes To HBO

Joss Whedon was set to make his return to television with The Nevers, a Victorian "superhero" series that sounded very up the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator's alley: a supernatural action series, set in a rich fantasy world featuring an ensemble of butt-kicking women. But Whedon stepped down from the project late last year, with HBO hiring Philippa Goslett to replace him as showrunner and executive producer. As a result, the first season, originally set for 10 episodes, has been reduced to a six-episode run. But those six episodes will be premiering on HBO soon, as revealed in the show's first teaser trailer. Watch The Nevers teaser below.

Set in a world where a population of people "touched" with powerful abilities are persecuted, The Nevers looks to be one of those rare original new shows, though it carries plenty of pop culture inspiration — the HBO series looks like X-Men meets Buffy meets League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Starring an ensemble cast that includes Olivia Williams, James Norton, Tom Riley, Rochelle Neil, Eleanor Tomlinson, and Nick Frost,  The Nevers was dreamed up by Whedon, who was set to showrun and executive produce the series before he suddenly departed the project in November. There was some chatter that his exit was related to Ray Fisher's allegations on the Justice League set, but none of that is confirmed. In a statement after his departure, Whedon chalked it up to fatigue, saying "I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change."

But despite the behind-the-scenes conflict for The Nevers, it looks promising! The world looks rich, the ladies look kick-ass, and the story looks ripe to be fleshed out beyond Whedon's intriguing premise.

The Nevers is also executive produced by Bernadette Caulfield, Ilene S. Landress, Doug Petrie, Jane Espenson and Philippa Goslett. Amy Manson, Pip Torrens, Denis O'Hare, Zackary Momoh, Elizabeth Berrington, Kiran Sawar, Anna Devlin, Viola Prettejohn, and Ella Smith  round out the cast.

Here is the synopsis for The Nevers:

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 very disturbing. Among them are Amalia True (Laura Donnelly), a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), 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 will debut on HBO this April, and will be available to stream on HBO Max.