Joss Whedon, the creator of acclaimed TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, has been announced as showrunner for a new HBO series titled The Nevers.

The Friday announcement confirms Whedon as "executive producer, showrunner, writer, and director" for his first-ever non-network TV series, following his RECENT executive producer and co-creator duties on the ongoing series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. HBO describes the show as "an epic science-fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities," and its statement makes no bones about Whedon's legacy by claiming it "follows in the footsteps of Buffy."

HBO did not announce a release window, actors, or other principal members of the cast and crew.

A report at Entertainment Weekly cites "sources" in claiming that Whedon's series had been part of a "bidding war with rival Netflix." As a result, EW says, the series received a "direct-to-series" order as opposed to a typical pilot-first process. The report did not include hints to terms that either HBO agreed to or Netflix had offered.

The Nevers is Whedon's first announced project since ex-wife and former co-producer Kai Cole alleged in August 2017 that Whedon had carried out multiple affairs during their 16-year marriage. Cole emphasized the discrepancies she saw between Whedon's loud emphasis of strong female characters in his sci-fi and fantasy projects and his affairs with "beautiful, needy, aggressive young women." At the time, Whedon declined to comment on Cole's essay, other than to say through a publicist that her account included "inaccuracies and misrepresentations."