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Joss Whedon is making his long-awaited return to TV



Announced by the network today, HBO has put out a series order for “The Nevers,” a new sci-fi drama epic from the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” creator. “The Nevers” will reportedly follow a group of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies and a mission that might “change the world.” Whedon will serve as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner on the show.

“The Nevers” is the first TV series to come from Whedon since he co-created “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” in 2013, and the first solely created by him since 2009’s “Dollhouse.” HBO is said to have landed “The Nevers” after being involved in an intense bidding war with other networks and platforms – including Netflix – for the series.

“I honestly couldn’t be more excited. ‘The Nevers’ is maybe the most ambitious narrative I’ve created, and I can’t imagine a better home for it than HBO,” Whedon said. “Not only are they the masters of cinematic longform, but their instant understanding of my odd, intimate epic was as emotional as it was incisive. It’s been too long since I created an entirely new fictional world, and the HBO team offer not just scope and experience, not just ‘prestige,’ but a passionate collaboration. I could go on, but — I’m impatiently grateful to say — I have work to do.”

HBO Programming President, Casey Bloys, added:

“We have long been fans of the incredibly talented and prolific Joss Whedon and we can’t think of a better project than ‘The Nevers’ with which to welcome him to the HBO family. We look forward to meeting the strange, multifaceted characters of ‘The Nevers,’ to learn their stories, see them in action and share them with our viewers. We’re honored that Joss chose HBO as the place to build his ambitious new world and we are excited to get started.”