Behind the scenes of Joss Whedon’s new HBO show, The Nevers

I know there’s a whole lotta good TV out there to pay attention to nowadays, but can I interest you in a new offering from Joss Whedon, the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly and the writer/director of the original Avengers movie?

As someone who loved Whedon’s work way back when, I’m at least intrigued by his newest offering: The Nevers, an HBO show set in Victorian London about a group of women — known as “the Orphans” or “the Touched” — who possess special powers. Basically, a group of superpowered women save the world while fighting the patriarchy. It’s Whedon going back to his roots.

The cast of The Nevers is pretty big, with Laura Donnelly leading the charge as Amalia True. Also present are Whedon favorites like Olivia Williams as Lavinia Bidlow, as well as bigger names like Nick Frost as The Beggar King, an underworld boss.

While other shows have taken the limelight, The Nevers has been quietly filming away, much of it recorded on the very diligent @HBOTheNevers Twitter account.

We’ve also got a piece of very steampunk looking placeholder art:

And now, we’ve gotten to the point where set photos are getting out there. Again, @HBOTheNevers is coming to the rescue:

I’m not 100% sure, but I think this is actor Denis O’Hare as Dr. Edmund Hague, a gifted surgeon who “uses his skills in the coldest, most brutal way possible,” according to his character synopsis. “But it’s all in the name of progress!” I’m thinking Whedon wrote these descriptions.

And here, we have Zackary Momoh as Doctor Horatio Cousens, “ne of the few successful West Indian physicians in London.”

"Married with a young son, Horatio’s fortunes took a dark turn when he met Amalia and discovered his own ability. Now he works with her, and with the Beggar King, those who don’t care who is or isn’t “different.”"

The battle lines are being drawn.

I know we don’t have a ton of information on The Nevers, but I can’t help but get excited about Whedon returning to a series where he’ll once again work as writer, director and showrunner. TV was a very different place the last time he was doing that; what kind of show can Whedon make in a post-Game of Thrones world?

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