What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! April 11 - 17, 2021 BY KYLA BREWER TV Media A s television genres go, two of the most popu- lar ones as of late are science fiction and period drama. While they may seem like an odd pairing, a new series combines elements of both, and it has TV fans talking. In Victorian London in 1896, a supernatural event leaves some people, many of them women, with unusual abilities in the pre- miere of "The Nevers," airing Sunday, April 11, on HBO. Laura Donnelly ("Outlander") leads the ensemble cast as "quick-fist- ed" widow Amalia True, who works alongside young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly, "Kissing Candice," 2017) to pro- tect their fellow gifted "or- phans." As the story unfolds, viewers will meet a variety of characters with powers — some of them amazing and some disturbing. All the while, there are those who rail against such people, who are referred to as "touched." True and Adair become champi- ons for their kind and fight against those who would rather they didn't exist. Created by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), "The Nevers" has been in the works for a few years. HBO faced some stiff competition from other media giants like Netflix, who also wanted to nab the rights to the project, but came out on top and gave the show a straight-to-series order in 2018. When the project was announced in July of that year, HBO executive Casey Bloys ex- pressed his excitement about the series. "We look forward to meeting the strange, multifaceted charac- ters of 'The Nevers,' to learn their stories, see them in action and share them with our view- ers," Bloys said in a statement at the time. However, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the show. Whedon had originally been tapped to write and direct, among other things, but he has since left the project. He has been the subject of much criti- cism lately as a number of stars have come forward with allega- tions of misconduct on sets, no- tably actors Ray Fisher ("Justice League," 2017) and Charisma Carpenter ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). While Whedon was the subject of an investigation by WarnerMedia (HBO's parent company) stemming from Fish- er's allegations, the writer cited other reasons for leaving "The Nevers" in an official statement. "I realize that the level of the commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a glob- al pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work begin- ning to suffer," Whedon said, ac- cording to Variety, when HBO announced his departure in No- vember 2020. Luckily, "The Nevers" landed in the very capable hands of screenwriter Philippa Goslett ("Little Ashes," 2008), who will serve as the new showrunner and an executive producer. This will be her first gig as a show- runner, but she has made a name for herself, thanks to her work on many other projects, includ- Laura Donnelly stars in "The Nevers" Prime-time steampunk continued on page T10 TV FEATURE 5 x 5 Not a subscriber? No problem, subscribe today and receive an iPad with your subscription*. *iPad must be returned within 30 days of termination of account. now available on the digital replica! NEW INTERACTIVE PUZZLE PAGES Get the new puzzle pages on the digital replica, featuring puzzles daily! CROSSWORDS KIDS' GAMES SUDOKU WORD GAMES STRATEGY & MEMORY NUMBERS Call 479-684-5509 or visit nwaonline.com/nwaipad