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HBO’s The Nevers gets a summer 2021 release date, following the departure of series creator Joss Whedon. Whedon’s involvement brought a lot of attention to the project, given his history with genre shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.

The Nevers takes place in the last years of the Victorian era, as London is faced with the emergence of a group known as the Touched. Consisting mostly of women, the group manifests extraordinary abilities. Some of those abilities are charming, while others are disturbing. Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) are among the Touched, championing the underclass and creating a refuge for others like them. Audiences can now have an idea of when to expect The Nevers, which features a large cast of established performers and relative newcomers.

THR reports that The Nevers is expected to premiere on HBO in summer 2021. The confirmation of when the sci-fi drama will debut follows the news that Whedon will be stepping away from the series. In a statement, Whedon said that he was exiting The Nevers due to his sense of exhaustion and a desire to focus on his personal life.

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HBO would have been counting on Whedon’s name to help the drama, given his impressive history on the small screen. Considering that The Nevers will arrive in the summer, similarly to when Lovecraft Country debuted earlier this year, it would likely be promoted as a big event series. Even though Lovecraft Country was ultimately criticized for certain storyline decisions, the show was at the center of the pop culture conversation throughout its run. It also raised the profiles of its stars, Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors. Even the smaller and more intimate miniseries We Are Who We Are, which recently concluded on HBO, generated a lot of attention and discussion in the weeks that it aired. While it would have been added advantage to more directly tout Whedon’s involvement, the overall success of The Nevers likely won’t be impeded. Whedon’s withdrawal might be an unexpected benefit, if anything, considering the controversy surrounding Ray Fisher’s allegations.

Whedon’s fingerprints are likely to remain part of the sci-fi drama, barring any reshoots, since the bulk of the filming has already taken place in various places around London. There’s also the fact that Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie are attached to the HBO show as executive producers, along with Bernadette Caulfield. Espenson and Petrie helped to write a slew of memorable Buffy episodes, surely influenced in part by Whedon’s approach. It remains to be seen if The Nevers will connect with viewers when it arrives next year. However, there will be a lot of anticipation for the series.